The train from Manchester to Stalybridge is unique because it is one of the most infrequent services in the UK. It runs only once a week 11.23am on Saturdays (late 2005). The train is run at the minimum permissible frequency according to the Act of Parliament. For this reason it is called the 'parliamentary train'.

See Manchester Online.

Quotation from Lord Snape on the UK Parliament website: "An example that comes readily to mind is that for years, the former BR board wanted to get rid of trains between Stockport and Stalybridge. Rather than go through the formal closure, it ran what was known as a parliamentary train once a week in one direction and then professed surprise that no one travelled on it. That is an artful way of getting rid of bits of the railway that you do not really want." Full text.

Read about my experiences of riding on this train in the NewsBlog

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