FEARS have been expressed that proposed electrification plans may affect the future of some local rail services including Marsden and Slaithwaite.
And campaigners said a half-hourly train service must stay.
Colne Valley ward Labour Party branch spokeswoman Holly Bower said: “The investment in the line is welcome, but we are concerned that services to local stations, particularly Slaithwaite and Marsden, could lose out in favour of the faster Leeds to Manchester service.
“We need a regular half-hourly stopping service which allows people to make local journeys as well as commute to Manchester and Leeds.”
The branch agreed to raise their concerns with West Yorkshire transport body, Metro, and Northern Rail.
The current ‘all stations’ timetable is likely to be changed in 2016 so that it will no longer be able to make some intermediate journeys such as to Mossley or Greenfield.
The positive side is that commuters may well have a regular through service to Leeds.
When electrification is complete in 2018 it is hoped that there will be two trains which will revert to an ‘all stations’ pattern.
