AT last, the national Sunday newspapers have discovered what we in East Lancashire knew all along - the Manchester to Clitheroe rail route truly is the worst service in the country and justly deserves the title "The Misery Line".

Now we have got national recognition for this appalling state of affairs, isn't it time we heard an apology from Ribble Valley Tory MP Nigel Evans who, during the dying days of the last government, insisted the rail privatisation would lead to better services?

I, for one, am not holding my breath. If the Tories had to apologise for all the misdeeds that led to under-investment in the public sector and Britain's infrastructure during their 18 years of office a new public holiday would have to be held to find time to hear them.

Now we have a government which is spending more on public services including education and the Health Service. Let's hope the privatised rail companies follow their lead and use some of their massive profits to improve the train services to Bolton and Manchester.

Those of us from Darwen, Blackburn and the Ribble Valley at present can only dream that there will soon be a rail service we can use without first checking with the local radio station that there hasn't been yet another cancellation.

WARREN LISHMAN, Powell Street, Darwen.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.