News from Northern Rail that 50 more carriages are being added to some of the region’s busiest routes isn’t an early Christmas present for East Lancashire people who want to travel by train.

Although the Clitheroe to Manchester route, which runs through Blackburn, Darwen and Bolton, was included in the announcement, it turns out that “extra” carriages were actually added to that route last summer.

And there will be no extra capacity on trains running across East Lancashire from Preston to Blackburn, Accrington, Burnley and Colne.

Instead, the extra second-hand stock is to be concentrated on lines between Manchester and Cheshire, Leeds and Liverpool.

Northern Rail says the extra carriages are aimed at easing overcrowding on the busiest routes.

But in East Lancashire, the issue is that many more people would use trains if services were more frequent and reliable.

Commuters on the Clitheroe to Manchester route often face delays and people travelling to the city from Accrington or stations west of Blackburn face timetables with connections that involve lengthy waits.

In short, what is needed in East Lancashire is a more passenger-friendly service.