RE Northern “Fail” (Rail) director Alex Hynes (January 23). He made a reference to not “Robbing Peter to pay Paul”. Was he mis-informing the public with that?

A case study on January 29: Morning services were on average three coaches (instead of four), of which many were of the smaller capacity coaches Class 142 Pacer (bus trains), with certain services cancelled.

Then, in the evening, the majority of services were only two coaches, instead of four. But the trains through Wigan, via the Walkden line, were on average four coaches and trains only being three to five minutes apart, one of them being less than half full.

However, the 17.23 to Blackpool was delayed by 23 minutes and shortened to two coaches, instead of four. The 17.27 to Clitheroe and the 17.36 were only two coaches.

So you can imagine how full they already were when at Salford Central and no chance of getting on. I had to let three trains pass me as I couldn’t get on and I finally ended up on the 18.03 to Blackburn service, one hour after arriving at the station to get home. The question for Mr Hynes is: Do you think that Northern “Fail” robbed Peter (aka Bolton) to pay Paul (aka Wigan) for some unknown reason?

And yet again, as usual, let the commuters on Northern Fail’s second busiest commuter line, after Leeds-Sheffield, suffer chronic overcrowding, whilst those going to Wigan travelled in comfort?

Quote of the evening came from one train guard heading to Wigan: “I am going to phone this train in as full as there are people standing.”

I counted four people standing. That would be comfort on a Bolton line train, even with the normal amount of coaches.

It seems staff do not give a damn either and blame all their faults on the Government when this situation could have been avoided by good local management.

Christopher Amos Whiteoak View Bolton