THE East Lancashire Railway will be brought into use as a commuter service to Manchester as part of congestion charge plans, it has been revealed.

Commuters in Rossendale will be able to catch a train from Rawtenstall through to Heywood and on to the city centre under Greater Manchester’s congestion charging scheme.

The decision to introduce Manchester congestion charges will be decided by residents of Greater Manchester in a referendum that will be held in December.

But despite many residents travelling from Rossendale to Manchester, Conservative MP candidate Jake Berry is ‘annoyed’ that residents will not be able to ‘have their say’.

Mr Berry said that it was not fair that people from the Valley were not being given the right to vote in the referendum when people two miles away in Ramsbottom were being given a say.

He said: “I think it is a disgrace that the people of Rossendale will not be involved.

“It is undemocratic to deny these people the opportunity to vote when they work hard and contribute so much to the economy of Greater Manchester and yet they are going to be directly affected by the proposed charge.”

As part of the changes, bus charges will also be capped.

Fares will also be simplified so that there is a standard charge for short journeys, and another for other trips.

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