MANCHESTER'S transport bosses are to press MPs for urgent action to tackle overcrowding on the city's rail network.

Leaders of the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority will travel to the major political parties' conferences to urge politicians to make sure the railways can cope with a growing population in the region.

GMPTA says the number of journeys made on Greater Manchester's trains has doubled in the past decade, leaving commuters with a daily struggle to find a seat.

Figures show that passengers now make more than 23 million journeys on rail services to and from Manchester every year, with more than 26,000 passengers using the trains between 7am and 10am on weekdays, including more than 15,000 between 8am and 9am.

Increase

Councillor Roger Jones (pictured) said: "Greater Manchester's economy is going from strength to strength, with an extra 210,000 jobs predicted by 2021. This will lead to a big increase in the number of commuters using public transport and it's vital that our local rail services can cope.

"Up to 50 per cent of passengers are already unable to get a seat on some rush-hour services. If nothing is done to provide more carriages, we will be faced with increased overcrowding on our trains and increased congestion on our roads."

He added: "We need extra carriages, more reliable services and better stations so that Greater Manchester can stay at the heart of a growing economy in the North West. The Government's Rail White Paper sets out a vision for improving the rail network.

"The challenge for us now is to make sure that vision becomes a reality as quickly as possible in Greater Manchester."