A DISABLED student has hit out a train operators that run through Bolton who treat her like a “second class citizen”.

Christina Rhoney, who this week featured in Channel 4's Dispatches programme 'Trains: Are You Paying too Much?' — says there should be more carriages and more disabled spaces to cope with the demand.

The 20-year-old social care student, from Farnworth, uses First Transpennine Express and Northern Rail trains regularly from Bolton to Manchester Deansgate, where she attends Manchester Metropolitan University.

But due to overcrowding she often gets either left on the platform or "squashed like a sardine" by other commuters who sit on the arms of her chair due to lack of room.

Miss Rhoney, who first appeared in The Bolton News in January last year, has Marfan's Syndrome and Hypermobility Syndrome, which affects her legs and hips, meaning she cannot normally walk for more than 10 minutes at a time.

She said: "Nothing has changed really in the last 18 months, and the reduction in service because of the work on the Farnworth tunnel has made it even more difficult, because if I cannot board a train I have to wait an hour until the next one, which makes me late for uni.

"People don't seem to care and never make an effort to move to let me on or off, and some staff members are often not very helpful — I often get fobbed off and treated like a second class citizen.

"There have even been times when there's no one to put out the ramp any I'm left onboard until Horwich and have to come back to Bolton again. It's ridiculous."

She said: "When I get to Bolton station I go straight to the guards who help me get onto the train by using a ramp — but they can't guarantee that the can get me onboard. If I manage to get on I have people sitting on my chair with their bags in my face because it's always so busy. It's intimidating and can be quite scary.

"I go in the wheelchair spot if it's free, but there is only one space per carriage — and they don't let me into the first class carriage.

"They should have more carriages and make more room for people in wheelchairs. They say so many more people are using trains these days, so why don't they look after their passengers?"

Kathryn O'Brien, customer service director at First TransPennine Express, said: "While we encourage customers who require extra assistance to book this in advance of their journey, I am always disappointed to hear of any negative experiences on our services and would like to extend a personal apology to Christina.

"Offering a high standard of customer service is something we take very seriously, and onboard and station teams across our network are currently going through an enhanced programme of customer service training to ensure we deliver a consistently exceptional service for every customer, every time.

"Any feedback about our service is always appreciated, and I would welcome the opportunity to meet Christina to talk about what further initiatives can potentially be introduced to enhance the journey experience for our customers."

A Northern Rail spokesman said: “We know overcrowding continues to be a concern for customers travelling into Manchester and we are working hard to address this with our partners.

"The widening of Farnworth tunnel will allow for the electrification of the line between Manchester and Bolton to deliver electric trains offering more space and seats for customers.

“We are part of an industry-wide programme, Passenger Assist, which provides assistance at stations for those who require it when boarding.

"Even if assistance has not been booked in advance, we will try to help disabled passengers whenever possible and with minimum delay.”