MID Cheshire Rail Users Association (MCRUA) members have set out the priorities the want to be resolved by the area’s next set of MPs.

This comes in the form of a three-point priority scorecard, which they hope will be adhered to by MPs following December’s general election.

The Mid Cheshire line has been beset with difficulties in recent years, having been promised two trains an hour on weekdays and twice as many services on Sundays in the 2015 franchise agreement.

Neither of these have been delivered, and the current service is viewed as very unreliable by users, who lament services being repeatedly cancelled at short notice because of lack of train crews.

MCRUA believe its priority scorecard will focus the rail industry on the Mid Cheshire Line and deliver a service fit for its rail users, with its main goal being current Northern services returning to normal.

“We are asking all Mid Cheshire parliamentary candidates to get behind our campaign to resolve the on-going problems on the Mid Cheshire Line with our three-point priority scorecard,” said MCRUA chairman John Oates.

“Whilst the main parties squabble over a blizzard of spending plans, there are local issues to be resolved, with rail users' travel plans for work and pleasure a huge priority.

“Our rail services are currently so poor and unreliable that rail users are turning back to their cars to get into work which is having a serious effect on the environment.

“Top of our scorecard is for Northern to plan their daily services so that our only line into Manchester gets the service it deserves.

“An unreliable train service with unpredictable cancellations and trains running late is totally unacceptable for our passengers.

“The second demand is for parliamentary candidates to understand and support the delivery of our franchise promise of two trains an hour on weekdays and the doubling of services on Sundays.

“It is up to the Government to provide the track resources for this. It is not in Northern’s hands.

“Our third request requires the Department of Transport and Network Rail to provide paths into Manchester for our services and for more rolling stock so Northern can deliver on their franchise commitments."