The town mayor and local MP have celebrated the return of Sunday rail services.

Northern confirmed on Monday, November 9, that it had reached a 'landmark agreement' with conductors and the RMT Union, pathing the way for the rail operator to restore more Sunday services in the North West.

As a result, from Sunday, November 15, five trains in each direction will be reintroduced on the Manchester to Stoke line, stopping at Congleton.

This news has been welcomed by the Mayor of Congleton, councillor Suzy Firkin, who has spearheaded the local campaign for Sunday services.

She said: "Our campaign group, which includes councillors, residents and local rail experts, has taken a twin track approach in being vociferous in our demands for the reinstatement of Sunday Trains, but also a constructive ongoing dialogue with Northern Trains about future services for Congleton.

"We are absolutely delighted that the seven-day service is now to be reinstated for Congleton.

"Whilst we recognise that we may only have been a small part of making this happen, the power of a good local campaign should not be underestimated.

"It would have been way too easy for this service to disappear completely and we have made it clear that that would be unacceptable.

"This has been a team and cross-party effort with town council support and close working with our MP, Sarah Russell.

"We will now move on to looking at other necessary improvements to rail and bus services that Congleton needs to service its growing population. Many of those discussions have already started.

"We are also entering into a station adoption agreement for our tired looking station which will see Northern Trains and local volunteers come together to improve our station's appearance and facilities. If you'd like to get involved please contact me on [email protected]."

READ MORE: Sunday train services finally set to return to Congleton as two-year dispute comes to an end

Congleton MP Sarah Russell has also welcomed the return of Sunday train services.

Since the withdrawal of Sunday services, Mrs Russell has raised the issue with ministers, including meetings with the Rail Minister and the Transport Secretary, and has frequently raised this in Parliament.

The MP has also spoken to the CEO of Northern on several occasions.

The issue was one of the first raised by Mrs Russell with Prime Minister Andy Burnham following his election, underlining the importance of the service to local residents and the community.

Welcoming Northern's announcement, she said: "This is fantastic news for Congleton and everyone who has campaigned for the return of Sunday trains. The loss of these services caused real difficulties for many local people, and I know how strongly residents felt about restoring them.

"This has been a long-running campaign involving local residents, councillors and the dedicated volunteers at Congleton Sustainable Travel. I would like to thank everyone who played a part in securing this result.

"While I am delighted to see services returning, I will continue working with Northern and the Government to ensure that the full timetable is restored as soon as possible."