TRAIN users in Northwich have been dealt a blow after plans for two trains an hour to Manchester and Chester were delayed for six months.

As part of the Arriva-backed Northern franchise, Mid Cheshire Line users were promised that two trains an hour would run between Manchester and Chester from December 2017.

One of those trains would be an 'express' service, stopping at the main town's on the line, including Northwich, Knutsford and Altrincham.

But as reported in the Guardian last week, those extra services in the franchise announcement relied on rolling stock being 'cascaded' from the south west, where the trains currently operate in the West Devon and Cornwall area as part of the Great Western Railway.

However, a delay to the programme of works on the Great Western Railway, means diesel trains operating in the area need to be retained for longer than first thought as new electric trains could not be ordered until the electrification work has taken place.

The Guardian has seen a document which states the December 2017 timetable, which was to include the two trains an hour, has now been postponed until May 2018.

It is believed the decision has been made as a result in the delay in the cascading of trains from the Great Western Railway.

In the email Matthew Worman, stakeholder manager at Northern, states: "We will of course still be delivering all of the transformational changes, including broad suite of timetable enhancements as part of this franchise, but because of the delay to the Great Western electrification scheme, it means that the scheduled cascade of DMUs required to enhance our full timetable in December 2017 will not be available as originally planned.

"As a result, our planned timetable enhancements will now be phased, with the majority of improvements introduced from May 2018.

"While the principal focus is to deliver this May 2018 timetable in full, certain elements of the original December 2017 timetable may still be deliverable."

And on Tuesday, Northern confirmed to the Guardian that its improvements promised in the franchise announcement would be introduced from May 2018, meaning mid Cheshire residents will have to wait a little longer.

A spokesman for Northern said: "We are currently looking to take a phased approach to planned enhancements, with the majority of improvements introduced from May 2018.”

The spokesman added: “Of course, this does not mean all improvements will be after this date and we will seek to bring about service enhancements as soon as practicable.

“Though it is too soon to say what the exact impact will be, we remain committed to improving the services and stations used by our customers, and to further improving the overall customer experience for those using Northern.”