RAIL commuters have raised a petition protesting about the axing of hourly services at Alsager rail station on the well-used EMR route from Crewe.

Around 650 people have added their signatures to the call to "Restore hourly EMR Services at Alsager Train Station" with many stressing how it will hit their travel plans to and from Crewe and Stoke-on-Trent.

EMR, East Midlands Railway, has announced a reduction to its service from September 7 to the end of the year with the hourly stop at Alsager dropped. The South Cheshire town will now receive just one train in the morning and evening on the route, which links Crewe with Stoke and onto Derby/Nottingham.

The petition, on the Change.org web site, was started by Michael Unnett who says there has been no consultation with local residents.

It has received a huge response with many people pointing out that the cuts are ill-time as passenger traffic will rise next month as people travel for work, school, college and university.

Melanie Johnson said: "This is a vital service for youngsters, the elderly and those that cannot afford a vehicle."

While Aaron Roden stated: "I play music in a band and often commute to Alsager. I cannot drive so travelling by train is my only route to Alsager."

Susan Hough noted: "(There will be an) extra change and extra wait coming back from Derby, or if travelling north/west via Crewe we may miss connections- it is inconvenient if you use the train a lot as I do."

Martin Flood said: "If it's limited to only two trains per day people will stop using it and it will eventually be withdrawn completely."

East Midlands Railway says delays on the service caused by the level crossing at Alsager had shown up in a monitoring exercise. It believes reducing the number of stops at Alsager could help with the punctuality of trains arriving at Crewe and Stoke.

But the rail company points out that commuters are still served by an hourly stop at Alsager provided by the Crewe to Birmingham New Street service run by rival operator West Midlands Trains.

A spokesman said: "We will also continue to monitor passenger demand to understand if any service alterations are required for school or college students. We will continue to call the first and last trains of the day at Alsager.

"This is not a decision we have taken lightly but is intended to maintain the excellent punctuality we have delivered in recent months alongside an overall 33 per cent increase in services between Derby and Crewe.

"We have closely analysed the number of passengers travelling, both before and during the Covid pandemic, and scrutinised the reasons why punctuality on this line was not as high as we would expect.

"In evaluating options we believe the hourly train service provided by West Midlands Trains will provide sufficient capacity for passengers while also maintaining current punctuality levels.

"Our analysis showed services were often delayed by the level crossing next to Alsager and, in turn, were late when they departed Crewe for their return journey.

"Removing the calls will ensure that trains are on time at Crewe and Stoke more often."