WARRINGTON North's MP has accused the Government of 'letting down the north yet again' following the delay to the electrification of the TransPennine rail line.

Helen Jones has hit out at the 'promises' made ahead of the General Election and is fearful of the future state of the train service for commuters following the setback.

The Government is also facing criticism from the council but the 'imminent' construction of the Warrington West station will not be affected as the scheme is not funded by Network Rail.

Mrs Jones said: "It has been apparent since Christmas that the Government's rail upgrade programme was in serious trouble yet the Tories still fought the election promising this massive investment.

"Electrifying the line from Manchester was meant to be only the beginning of George Osborne's promised HS3, an electrified TransPennine line, yet now even this limited project has been put on hold.

"Not only are Warrington commuters suffering slow and overcrowded trains but they are now being told they will wait even longer for improvements, yet investment in the south is going ahead.

"A fast TransPennine line would do far more for the region's economy than the proposed HS2 but this Government has let down the north yet again."

Council leader Terry O'Neill also believes the south of the country has been prioritised over the north.

"As a council, we are very disappointed that the electrification of the line from Manchester to Leeds has been delayed," he said.

"We are concerned about the impact this will have on the Cheshire lines committee line, of Liverpool to Manchester via Warrington Central, and we will make strong representations for this to be a priority.

"It would appear yet again that rail investment is being switched from the north of England to the south – perhaps the northern powerhouse is now the northern power cut.

"There have however been some positive developments at our stations including free Wi-fi being installed at Warrington Central and Birchwood and we can look forward to significant improvements to our town's rail infrastructure and services over the next two to four years."

The council also confirmed it is working closely with Network Rail to 'enhance' Warrington Bank Quay and improve rail connectivity to the station.

"A key part will be to look at how the changes in train services are expected to serve the station and in particular how improvements at the station and potential changes to the rail network can be linked to the wider redevelopment of the Warrington waterfront development area," added Cllr O'Neill (LAB – Burtonwood and Winwick).

"We will look at options to improve the connections between the station and developments in both the town centre and Warrington waterfront, including the potential for an entrance to the station from Liverpool Road and Sankey Way in order to better link Warrington Bank Quay with the town centre.

"This work is at a very early stage and we are currently in the process of agreeing a programme for this work."

Warrington South MP David Mowat has responded to the claims against the Government and believes Labour had the chance to take action when in power.

He said: "The previous Labour Government had 13 years to improve the TransPennine routes and it failed to electrify a single inch.

"It's disappointing that electrification has been delayed, but I've been assured that this will not affect the construction of the new Warrington West station."