RAIL commuters from the Ribble Valley will be able to get to Manchester by 8am from next month, when a new early train service begins.

Northern Rail is to run a 6.40am service, from Clitheroe to Manchester Victoria, from May, after lobbying from the Clitheroe Community Rail Partnership.

The new service, which will run over half an hour before any other train from the town into Manchester, is being hailed as a ‘godsend’ for comm-uters.

Peter Moore, chair-man of pressure group Ribble Valley Rail, said: “This is a vital development for local commuters.

“People have been asking for an earlier service to Manchester for a while now and Northern Rail have been very pro-active and made it happen.

“To be in Manchester before eight in the morning will be of huge benefit to local people. The next step is to get an 11pm service back from Manchester and to get trains running through to Carlisle.”

In January Prime Minister Gordon Brown signed an agreement that placed improving East Lancashire’s rail links with Manchester the top priority.

Mr Moore added that those links could still be improved, with the track doubled between Bolton and Blackburn to provide more services, and platforms extended between Blackburn and Clitheroe so longer trains can run, carrying more people.

“This route suffers from serious over-crowding,” he said. “We will continue to push for any measures that can help reduce that.”

The 6.40am service will take one hour and 12 minutes to Manchester Victoria, and it will call at Whalley, Langho, Ramsgreave and Wilpshire, Blackburn and Darwen.

The service will run from Monday May 18.