JANET Anderson has joined a council crusade to demand better services on the Blackburn to Bolton rail line.

The Rossendale and Darwen MP has called on Transport Minister John Reid to intervene to force North-West trains to upgrade their service from Manchester to Clitheroe via Bolton, Blackburn and Darwen.

She wrote to him after a string of complaints including a complaint from one commuter who is considering moving because of the delays he encounters when using the line.

In her letter, Mrs Anderson enclosed documentary evidence of the poor performance on the line and said: "The rail service which runs from Clitheroe to Manchester Victoria is of a notoriously low standard.

"This train service is of particular importance to people in my constituency.

"The service often faces delays and it has become such a distressing issue within my constituency that Blackburn with Darwen Council have held a special meeting to discuss the matter."

She said the council was concerned that recent OPRAF four-weekly statistics did not highlight the inadequacies of the service.

She said: "My constituent uses the line to commute to work and is seriously considering moving elsewhere due to this depressing service." Mrs Anderson added: "This service is nothing short of a disgrace.

"I have a had many complaints from people who use it from all over the constituency - from Darwen through Rossendale to Turton.

"This is vital service for many of my constituents and something must be done to improve its very poor performance.

"The company must do something to improve it."

Members of both Blackburn with Darwen Council and Lancashire County Council have said they plan to keep up the pressure on the rail authorities until improvements are seen.

Blackburn Council transport bosses have complained that North Western trains have often cancelled meetings arranged to discuss problems with services.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.