A rail users' group claims passengers are being deterred from using trains to reach the heart of the Lake District because of poor reliability and unrealistic connections, writes Michaela Robinson-Tate.

The train travellers want rail companies to improve their services so local people and tourists can take advantage of the Lakes Line, which links Oxenholme with Windermere.

They have been backed by Westmorland and Lonsdale MP and shadow transport secretary Tim Collins who met with a train companies' chief this week.

Connections on the line poved controversial at the annual meeting of the Lakes Line Rail User Group - the new name for the Lakes Line Action Group.

Members told bosses from Virgin Trains and First North Western of problems with connections between trains on the main line and Lakes Line.

Windermere parish councillor Wendy Thompson told the meeting that she lived in Windermere, but if she was expecting visitors to arrive by train she would arrange to collect them from Oxenholme.

"If you have older people with a suitcase you can't have them sitting there for half an hour and find they have missed their connections.

"It would be used if it was reliable,but it's so unreliable I almost discount it."

A passenger from Staveley, who asked not to be named, said if she caught the 16.30 Virgin train from Euston to Oxenholme, there was a short connection time for the next First North Western train to Staveley.

If a passenger missed that train, the next Lakes line service no longer stopped at Staveley, forcing travellers to wait for two hours for a service.

Virgin Trains stations customer service manager Ann Turner told the meeting that reliability was affected by many things out of the company's control.

First North Western customer services manager for Lancashire and Cumbria Simon Ashworth said the company constantly strived for reliability.

The group's secretary Malcolm Conway said that he had worked with First North Western to ensure that two additional services now stopped at Staveley.

This week Tim Collins MP met George Muir, the director general of the Association of Train Operating Companies, to discuss issues including connections between Virgin and First North Western services.

Mr Collins said the train boss was committed to working with the Strategic Rail Authority on a timetable review.

He pointed out that Virgin has increased the number of trains on its cross country route through Oxenholme.

l Members of the group agreed to change to the new name of Lakes Line Rail User Group as part of a bid to modernise the organisation and attract new members.

l A group of graffiti busters set up by Railtrack has cleaned up two cases of vandalism in Carnforth.

Armed with a £ 12,000 jet-washer the group tackled two reports of graffiti on the Crag Bank estate which was visible to rail travellers.

The group is looking for new sites to tackle in the North West.

To report an affected area call Railtrack on 08457-114141.