A RAIL passenger who moved to Bolton because he thought it would be easier to commute into work has slammed First North Western for its "disgraceful" service.

Danny Langley, who has only been living in the town for six months, said he faces a nightmare journey both to and from Manchester, with trains delayed and cancelled each day.

And the 30-year-old, who lives in Great Moor Street, said passengers have been packed into train carriages "like sardines" during the rush hour period.

Mr Langley, who pays £58 per month to use First North Western trains, said: "The service has been an absolute disgrace, particularly in the last six weeks.

"There have been many people who have been unable to get on the trains in the morning or at night, and those who did get on were stuffed into the carriages like sardines.

"I have a job in Manchester but I moved to Bolton because I thought it would be easier to commute. I live only five minutes away from Bolton station and, if the journey is delay-free, then I would be in Manchester in 40 minutes, but unfortunately that hasn't been the case."

A spokesman for First North Western admitted that services from Bolton had not been running well. He said: "We've had to cancel trains because of the train drivers going on strike, and this has caused a knock-on effect which has affected passengers.

"The trains have been overcrowded because we've not been able to find enough suitable units, due to a lack of funding. But we're hoping that we can reduce this problem in the next few weeks."

First North Western train drivers been on staging a series of strikes over pay since last August, with another two separate 48-hour strikes planned for next month.