BUSINESS leaders are taking up the challenge to persuade rail chiefs to provide more trains between Chester and London.

Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) chiefs who attended a meeting at Chester Town Hall chaired by city MP Christine Russell are already looking favourably on financing a better service.

They say they are aware of an increase in Chester-London passenger numbers of between 15 and 20 per cent since a new timetable was introduced last September and now want concrete evidence of the need for improved facilities ahead of a crucial meeting in the summer.

Stephen Welch, chief executive of Chester, Ellesmere Port and North Wales Chamber of Commerce, has accepted the MP's invitation to contact regional business leaders to compile a report on their collective needs.

West Coast Route modernisation project main works will be completed by the end of 2008 and the SRA is now weighing up timetable options that will make best use of the regenerated railway infrastructure and available rolling stock.

Mrs Russell, who has highlighted that the Chester sub-regional economy is developing faster than London and the South East, has been told five daily through trains to the capital are likely to be increased to eight and there are high hopes that a couple of the return peak hours services will be non-stop.

SRA managers have committed themselves to working with her, city and council councils and rolling stock operator Virgin Trains to improve the service.

In a letter to Mrs Russell, Stuart Baker, SRA West Coast director and sponsor, wrote: 'We are examining the option of enhancing the peak train frequencies to hourly and running an off-peak service at two hourly intervals, with one three hour gap.'

But he added: 'Such a move needs careful appraisal as we clearly have to assess whether the weekday and weekend value of the extra trains can at least offset the additional resource cost.'

Mr Baker says he is not yet making a firm proposal and needs detailed advice to put before a SRA executive meeting in the summer.

Mr Welch will circulate a six-point circular to business leaders asking them to explain how they would like to see services improved.