RESIDENTS are demanding a solution to three years of rail construction traffic which has brought them to the end of their tether. 
They claim railway workers are using residential streets in Farnworth as an access point for a Network Rail electrification hub off St Peter’s Way 24 hours a day.
Now a councillor is demanding that pressure is put on Network Rail to replace a dirt track with a proper road to relieve Church Road, Bridge Street, Rawson Street and Darley Street of the construction traffic.
Cllr Mark Cunningham brought Farnworth and Kearsley residents together to discuss the Network Rail compound beside St Peter’s Way. 
He heard claims that vehicles of all sizes belonging to the contractors Carillion and their sub-contractors were waking them up at 3am, travelling over speed bumps at high speed and causing damage to houses and footpaths. 
Cllr Cunningham, said: “It’s a David and Goliath battle. I want to remove the traffic from the surrounding areas and I want them to construct a short bit of road in order to do that.”
The dirt track connects the 40mph area of St Peter’s Way to the car park of the site, Cllr Cunningham wants it to be properly surfaced and used as the main entrance to the site.
Cllr Cunningham told the residents in Trinity Church, Market Street that he had seen Network Rail representatives in July and as a result signs had been put up in Church Road banning access to the North West Electrification Programme (NWEP) site via that route. 
CCTV with automatic number plate recognition had also been erected to keep track of vehicles flouting the rules. 
Cllr Cunningham claimed no checks were being done and so drivers were continuing to use Church Road. He told the audience he had been corresponding with Network Rail about surfacing the track and had been told doing so would present a health and safety risk by combining road and pedestrian traffic in the site. 
The compound was first created to carry out work on the railway tunnels however, the site has continued in use and Cllr Cunningham said it was being used as a regional hub for electrification works. 
Cllr Cunningham said: “I intend to put a motion before the council on August 11 to take this up as a council issue to put pressure on Network Rail.”
He urged residents to contact other local councillors to raise their complaints. 
A Network Rail spokesperson said: “We are aware of issues at our railway access site off Church Road in Farnworth and are keen to work with local residents and minimise disruption caused by our ongoing work.
“Safety is our number one priority and we are working closely with our contractors to ensure that agreed routes of access are being adhered to by all railway construction colleagues.
“The access point is being used to help facilitate our Great North Rail Project which will pave the way for faster, more frequent and more reliable journeys between Manchester and Preston via Bolton. Electric trains will run on the line which are quieter and greener which will improve things in the long term for our railway neighbours.”