TWO of Cumbria's leading MPs put their political differences aside to call for a secure future on threatened direct trains between Furness, the South Lakes and Manchester.

South Lakes MP Tim Farron and Furness MP John Woodcock said they were both ‘encouraged’ by the tone of comments from rail minister Claire Perry following a debate about the Furness Line in Westminster Hall.

It comes in a week that Sir David Higgins proposed a new HS3 line to run between some of England's largest northern cities including Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield, Leeds, York, Newcastle and Hull.

Speaking in the debate on Tuesday afternoon, Liberal Democrat President Mr Farron argued for more trains and electrification of the line by 2030, a plan which was laid out in a recent report by The Railway Consultancy Ltd.

The 90-page ‘Furness Line Study’ explores what could be the future for the line, which it said was not fit for demand and unprepared for the expected population and employment booms along its route.

Labour MP Mr Woodcock called for investment in rail in the north to include routes linking smaller towns and cities to the major hubs. He also raised concerns that the HS3 proposal focusses primarily on linking the largest cities, ignoring the vital economic role that the railway plays for smaller towns.

Ministers are currently considering responses to a consultation on rail franchises serving Furness, where options include ending or slowing the direct Barrow to Manchester service. An invitation to tender for new franchises would be published in December, the debate heard.