COMMUTERS travelling from Manchester Oxford Road to Warrington Bank Quay would have had quite the surprise this afternoon when Prime Minister Boris Johnson joined them on their travels.

He joined the 15.55 train in Manchester before getting off in town as part of the Integral Rail Plan to create a new high-speed train line between Warrington and Manchester which was announced today.

The Northern Powerhouse Rail will be between Warrington, Manchester and Marsden in Yorkshire and it is likely the move would see a new station built near Bank Quay.

After getting off the train, he spent some time with Andy Carter MP and Cllr Kath Buckley on platform one.

Mr Carter spoke about the 120 new electric buses for Warrington announced in the budget.

Avanti West Coast employee, Jennifer Birdsall, was also presented with a special award by the Prime Minister on the platform.

He then headed back south on a train from the station.