TRAFFORD rail users are on track to benefit from improvements to rolling stock and timetabling on the Mid Cheshire Line.

Transport chiefs have announced plans to electrify the Manchester to Chester railway, as well as doubling services at Altrincham.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin announced that the next franchise agreement for the line would require two trains an hour between Chester and Manchester, opposed to the current hourly service.

The franchises will also be required to replace outdated Pacer trains, introduce new carriages and invest in stations.

Meanwhile, plans to 'electrify' the route are among priorities in a new report into the future of railways in the north of England.

Work to begin electrification could start in 2019 and the new twice hourly service is set to begin in December 2017.

Patrick McLoughlin, the Secretary of State for Transport, established the Northern Electrification Task Force in December 2014 to advise the government on the priorities for future rail electrification projects in the north.

The task force consists of MPs, council leaders representing Rail North, and officials from the Department for Transport and Network Rail.

Mr McLoughlin said: “The electrification programme is central to our ambitious plans to transform the rail network across the country. It will enable the modern fleet of electric trains to run on the network, providing faster and more reliable journeys.

What do you think? Email sam.editorial@messengergrp.co.uk or write to Messenger Newspapers, Alexander House, 94 Talbot Road, Old Trafford, M16 0PG.