Evening services from Manchester to Walkden have steadily become busier over the last couple of years as more and more people discover the convenience of travelling back by train from nights out in Manchester, particularly from the big shows at the MEN Arena. Unfortunately some of these services are “victims of their own success” as the over-crowding problems that blight rush-hour services are being seen more and more frequently on the last two evening trains.
Last night mayhem erupted on the 22.34 waiting to leave Victoria when the guard announced that two of the crowded four carriages would not be making the journey due to technical failure. This triggered a rush onto the two operating carriages: the train was delayed 15 minutes, not all passengers were able to board, and those that did were terribly over-crowded – a dismal experience unlikely to encourage people to rely on the service in future.
Longer, more frequent, more reliable trains will be needed if the welcome growth in evening passenger numbers is to be sustained.