WE told last week how the 7.42am train into Manchester city centre was so packed that people onboard were fainting. MP Chris Green has written to rail bosses to demand urgent improvements. Our reporter Dale Haslam boarded the 'sardine train' to see the situation for himself.

MONDAY mornings are rarely fun, especially in the dark and cold of winter – but catching the so-called 'sardine train' makes it all the worse.

The service has become notorious after Bolton West MP Chris Green went public by claiming it is so crowded that passengers have fainted.

The train leaves Buckshaw Parkway for Manchester at 7.30am, calling at Adlington, Blackrod, Horwich, Lostock, Bolton and Salford Crescent — and several hundred people board along the way.

Yesterday, I boarded at Bolton, where it arrived three minutes late. I bought my £6.40 return ticket an hour early as the ticket queue is often long on Monday. One of two automatic ticket machines was broken, increasing the size of the queue.

Platform 3 at Bolton was orderly as customers waited for the train — until it arrived.

As the pictures show, about 20 people tried to board at each door, prompting passengers already on board to squeeze up tight. It was crammed. Now I know why they call it the 'sardine train'. I had to try three different doors just to get on, and the carriages were cramped.

All seats were taken up and there was a struggle to find a space to stand. When I got off at Salford Crescent, I had to ask half a dozen people if I could get by them. These veterans of the 'sardine train' were very polite.

Judy Benson, aged 44, of Blackrod, said: "This happens every day. This journey costs me £1,110 a year and you feel lucky to get on board, let alone a seat. Things were supposed to be improving."

In response to a Bolton News campaign, David Cameron came to our offices to promise to lay on extra carriages, offering 200 extra seats at peak time each day.

But fed-up customers see little sign of that. Jason Prudhoe, aged 29, of Preston, said: "What annoys people is that it has been like this for years and we have had engineering works and politicians telling us that it would get better. When?"

Northern Rail has apologised for the overcrowding and said it is looking at potential solutions, blaming "the limitations of infrastructure" for not putting extra carriages on.

As for my journey, as I left the sardine train at Salford Crescent I witnessed another 80 or so people scramble onto the train.

At least my train back to Bolton, the 8.16am to Southport, had seats available, though that is not necessarily the case for those hardy souls on the train coming back in the evening rush hour.