ONE of these old pictures from our archive tells a familiar story.

The caption attached to an image from 1988 reads that commuters are being ‘packed like sardines’ onto trains into Manchester.

A pregnant Sharples woman told us at the time: “It is not just the fact that we are standing, it is the fact that we are pushed into the train and crushed as we stand all the way to Manchester. It is impossible to move. We are packed in like sardines.”

In what will be a familiar sounding tale to today’s rail passengers, customers were also unable to board already-full trains upon their arrival at Bolton.

This report from a full 30 years ago is likely to anger anyone who's tried getting a train along the Preston-Manchester line at rush hour.

Indeed, the Sprinter and Pacer trains featured in these pictures are still in operation on the line.

Who do you blame for this lack of progress? Add your thoughts in comments, below.