The 'crisis' at a Greater Manchester train station

Staff numbers at Stockport station are at "crisis point," an MP has claimed, with a trade union warning there could be safety risks due to the lack of workers.

The station is managed by Avanti West Coast which also runs trains on the line between Manchester and London Euston.

But the RMT trade union has warned that low staff levels in Stockport has been a "serious issue for months," which they say is caused by vacancies not being filled.

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Avanti said safety is the company's "top priority" and that it has recruited more workers at the station who are currently being trained.

Craig Johnston, RMT lead officer for Avanti, said: "The staffing problems have been going on since 2021, that's when it was first raised [with Avanti] that there were not enough staff and vacancies were not being filled.

"Because we are so short staffed, workers are under immense pressure. It got so acute that some senior staff at Stockport were worried last weekend that staff might have to cut corners to keep things going."

Mr Johnston said the problems started a few years ago when a voluntary severance scheme for train operators was set up by the previous government.

He said this changed establishments at train stations across the country - the number of people required to be there for it to operate - a situation which is still causing problems, he claims.

He claimed that at Avanti West Coast there are a number of vacancies which have not been filled.

He added: "Staffing levels have been under attack. We've had to ask the company what staffing levels should be across the network.

"There are piles of jobs not filled from Glasgow to London Euston. It's not just about us, it means passengers get a worse service."

The issue has been raised by Stockport MP Navendu Mishra who said he will bring it to the Department for Transport.

Mr Mishra said staffing levels at the station are "unacceptably low on a regular basis," which he claims is impacting the services passing through the area.

In a letter to Avanti West Coast he wrote: "I understand staffing levels are at crisis point which are impacting on the safety and wellbeing of staff, and effective rail operations at Stockport station."

He added: "I understand that the situation is so dire, that it has been unclear whether there is enough staff at times for trains to be able to stop at Stockport station.

"Avanti West Coast has a duty to ensure that they employ enough staff to guarantee the safety of all staff and passengers at Stockport station, and on all Avanti services."

An Avanti West Coast spokesperson said: "The safety and wellbeing of our staff and customers are our top priority, and we’ll never compromise on this.

"We have recruited more staff at Stockport station, and we are in the process of training them to get people into roles as soon as possible."