A SUNDAY rail service from Huddersfield to Manchester will make two extra stops for the first time in nearly 40 years.

Trains stopped calling at Mossley and Greenfield stations on Sundays in 1968.

But a £20,000 cash injection from Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority (GMPTA) will ensure the service stops at the two stations from December 10.

The Northern Rail service, which serves Marsden and Slaithwaite, will leave Huddersfield station every two hours between 9.09am and 9.09pm, bound for Manchester Victoria.

Clr Alan Whitehead, chair of GMPTA's Transport Network Committee, said: "I'm delighted. I have been pressing for this connection between Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire for some time.

"We want to make it easier for people to get out and about on Sundays."

"I hope it will encourage the train operators to introduce an even better Sunday service on this line in future.

This is a good example of where a small timetable change can deliver real benefits for the travelling public."

Mike Rooke from Greenfield and Grasscroft Residents' Association said: "The new Sunday service will attract shoppers travelling to Manchester and Huddersfield."