Congleton's MP has written to the Department of Transport requesting confirmation that the town's Cross Country train service will be reinstated as soon as it's practicable.

Cross Country have decided, at government request, to no longer stop their trains at Congleton from today (6th July).

This change has been accommodated by the Government using Emergency Measures Agreements (EMAs), effectively management contracts which remove the Train Operator's revenue risk in return for effectively government control.

All operators UK-wide accepted these measures to remove their revenue risk in March for a period of six months (due of course to COVID).

Nub News recently published a letter from Richard Eadie, who had concerns that there wasn't any guarantee that Congleton would get these calls back.

Whilst Fiona Bruce, MP for Congleton, understood that there was a need to keep people safe following Covid-19, she couldn't hide her disappointment at the decision made.

Mrs Bruce told Nub News: "I am aware of these proposed changes and am more than frustrated by them.

"Whilst I readily acknowledge that the current coronavirus pandemic means that sacrifices must be made to keep people safe, after a long time trying to secure a better service through Congleton, to have its already limited service reduced further is disappointing.

"I have written to the Department for Transport asking for a full explanation of the decision and a firm confirmation that the Cross Country service will be reinstated, in full, as soon as is practicable, and indeed, that they will look at improving the service going forward."

A spokesperson for Cross Country said: "In the latest revision of our timetables we took the decision to remove our two daily train calls at Congleton from 6 July.

"As travel restrictions begin to be eased, we are operating longer trains to allow more space for people to travel and still maintain the recommended distance from others.

"Unfortunately, these trains are unable to call at Congleton as they are too long for the station platforms. Customers are still able to use the hourly service provided by other train operators."