Noise alert for Preston residents as overnight railway line works continue

Householders in the Lea Road area of Lea, near Preston, have been alerted to six nights of essential work on the tracks.

The news comes as Network Rail continues to work on completing works between Preston and Manchester.

That has led to cancelled trains and angry passengers and even call by MPs to have train operator Northern stripped of its franchise.

In a letter to residents, Network Rail said: “Network Rail needs to undertake essentail works near your property. These works are part of our railway upgrade plan and to deliver a better railway.

“We understand the inconvenience and disruption our work my cause. The type of equipment and machinery we use does mean some disturbance is unavoidable, but we wil make every effort to minimise any unneccessary noise.”

The work will take place on: 12.10am to 6am Tuesday May 22; 12.10am to 6am Tuesday July 3; 12.10am to 6am Wednesday July 4; 12.10am to 6am Thursday July 5; 12.10am to 6am

Friday July 6; 11pm Sunday July 15 to 6am Monday July 16.

The extra work comes as trains are running again normally on the Blackpool North to Preston line.

But there are no weekend services to Manchester as electrification work has fallen behind.

A cross party motion has been tabled by MPs calling for an inquiry into the “crisis” on Northern Rail services.It also calls for consideration to be given to Arriva being stripped of the

franchise and the network returned to public ownership.

Northern says the root cause of cancellations is a shortage of drivers and that the major engineering work to electrify the Blackpool line overran.