TOP bosses from an under-siege train company will visit Blackburn tomorrow to hear commuters' complaints at first hand.

Managers from First North Western are touring the region over the coming months and one of their first stops will be Blackburn, where they plan to hold a surgery.

First North Western have constantly come under fire over the poor reliability and punctuality of services between Clitheroe, Blackburn and Bolton.

Things got so bad that the service between Bolton and Clitheroe was labelled the worst in the country for time-keeping.

A special pressure group, The Blackburn and Bolton Line Users Group, was set up by commuters who were fed up with being left stranded at Blackburn station.

Now David Franks, managing director of First North Western and six other top managers are going out to put the record straight.

The team has already met the public at Manchester, Chester and Blackpool and will hold the latest surgery tomorrow at Blackburn station between 4pm and 6pm.

Mr Franks said: "Taking the management team out of the relative comfort and safety of the boardroom is an absolute must and serves to provide great focus.

"Information gained at the 'sharp end' is most definitely taken on board and often has a profound effect on decisions taken in the boardroom."

Anyone wanting further information about the surgery day should contact Martin McKenzie on 0161 228 8774.

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