Manchester blogger and Lord of the Rings fan, Will O’Hara, has spotted links between Metrolink and Middle-earth during his morning commute across Manchester.

It was confirmed last week that the cost of commuter – or regulated – rail fares will rise by 1% in January 2016, in line with the July Retail Price Index rate.

The staggering cost of last-minute travel is so high it often causes all its own stresses and, for 43% of Mancunians, it means they will cancel their plans altogether.

Chancellor George Osborne has been told he either needs to ‘put up or shut up’ by an Ashton Labour MP after plans to electrify the railway line between Manchester and Leeds seem to have been out on hold.

Reports of racism, sexism and anti-Semitism in football are on the rise, with 184 incidents of abuse already this season, but it’s not all bad, according to anti-discrimination organisation Kick It Out.

The rail network in Manchester and the North of England is to be revitalised between now and 2020, according to new government plans.

Manchester MPs think Transport for the North (TfN) will be good for business, but have said it needs to be beneficial for everyone else as well.

Commuters across Bolton using both Northern Rail and First TransPennine Express faced severe overcrowding throughout the festive period – resulting in many people being left on station platforms.

As Manchester gets used to the idea of being earmarked as the centre of a ‘Northern Powerhouse’, Chancellor George Osborne has been busy outlining his vision for a metropolitan reform.

Manchester speak out against Prime Minister David Cameron’s approval of plans to build the high-speed rail link, HS3, in the North West

South Manchester MP John Leech believes plans for a high-speed rail network in the North West will be ‘good news’ for the city’s economy – and is urging the government to implement the report alongside the current HS2.