BOLTON Council's deputy leader travelled to Westminster yesterday to push for urgent improvements to Greater Manchester's rail network.

Cllr Guy Harkin joined fellow members of the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority (GMPTA) in a Houses of Parliament meeting highlighting the strain the region's rail services are under.

The GMPTA wants to see a three or fourfold increase in train use over the next 10 years but is urging fresh investment to ease overcrowding by removing the existing bottleneck around Manchester Piccadily station. This could mean either more carriages on trains or more frequent services.

The BEN highlighted earlier this month how packed commuter trains between Bolton and Manchester were likened by passengers to "cattle trucks."

In September we revealed that First Manchester trains chief executive David Franks admitted the service was close to breaking point.