Petition calls for increased train services between Buxton, New Mills and Manchester

Claire Vibert wants train operator Northern to improve services on the New Mills Central line which runs to Manchester Piccadilly.

She said: “The price of the train keeps going up yet the service is going down and it’s not right.

“At the height of the pandemic Northern reduced the number of trains which it was operating. Now more than two years on we are still dealing with a reduced service.

“There is only one train an hour so the trains are getting fuller more quickly and people aren’t able to get on the train further down the line.”

The petition is calling for a full service to be resumed by the train operator.

Since it was launched just over a week ago, more than 1,100 people have signed it.

Claire said: “That’s a lot of people who can’t get to or from work.

“People who can’t get back to pick up their children in time because there are hour-long waits for the next train.

“It’s a huge strength of feeling from people not just in New Mills but all along the commuter line and something needs to be done.”

Since launching the petition, Claire has also been contacted by passengers in the Buxton area also facing similar problems so has expanded the scope of the petition to include the Buxton to Manchester Piccadilly line.

She has also asked for a meeting with Northern to further discuss these issues as she says it is time to take action. In response to the petition, Chris Jackson, regional director at Northern, said: “We recognise that some of our customers are disappointed with number of services between New Mills and Buxton and Manchester Piccadilly.

“The new timetables are designed to deliver high levels of reliability.

“We’ve made decisions about our timetables based on the levels of resource we have available. We’ve then prioritised the routes with the highest customer demand, and which support the region’s economic growth.”

To have your say and sign the petition visit https://www.change.org/p/restore-a-full-timetable-between-new-mills-buxton-and-manchester-piccadilly-at-peak-time.

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