RE David Cameron’s pledge about an extra 200 seats for the Bolton line.

He only confirmed what had been promised that, once the electrics start rolling in, the diesel units can be cascaded to other routes.

The only extra he announced was his guarantee of a further 200 passenger “units” to be used during the peak times, which is one Class142 unit.

He never announced as to which route it would operate on — Southport, Blackpool, Preston or Clitheroe — nor did he which company would be gaining the extra units. We are all assuming it is Northern Rail; it could be First TPE.

It would be better used if the new coach(es) worked as a shuttle service between Bolton and Manchester only, as we all know what is going to happen — the trains are still going to be full before it gets to Bolton.

As it is we lost one TransPennine train an hour (three coaches) and we had one train reduced from six coaches to three, thus in total during the rush hour we lost six coaches, meaning about 600 seats.

Yet we are meant to be grateful that we are getting 200 seats. We are still 400 seats short than what we had before the timetable changes, so no help with the overcrowding on the trains whatsoever.

There was no announcement on any new trains, which the South East will continue to get before any other part of the country.

Our taxes go towards paying for the new train units and yet it is only the South East and London that are getting the new trains and we are getting their 25-plus-year-old cast-offs.

As for Derek Bullock praising his NW English Democrats for campaigning for extra rolling stock, that is a laugh. Yes, you have campaigned for the Metrolink to come to Bolton along non-viable routes of the old Bolton-Radcliffe line, but not once have you ever help to campaign for extra rolling stock.

In fact, if you look back over this fiasco, you will see I was campaigning about these problems at least eight months before they started, in the letters pages, and long before any letters from him.

Christopher Amos Whiteoak View Darcy Lever