IT has taken 2,000 man hours, 30,000 tonnes of material, 1,940 concrete slabs and eight months of disruption — and this is the result. The Bolton News was invited for an exclusive look inside the completed Farnworth Tunnel site which is set to have trains running through it once again next month.

RAIL bosses have described the transformation of the Farnworth Tunnel site as one of the most significant engineering jobs in our region in decades – and when you step inside the completed 270 metre space you can understand why.

Work began in May to expand the tunnel to make it large enough to fit new overhead electric lines that will eventually mean electric trains can run through it.

The ambitious job required Network Rail to fill one of the two tunnels at the site with material, before using a huge boring machine to tunnel through the filled space, expanding it at the same time and placing close to 2,000 concrete slabs in place.

What made this expansive job all the more testing for staff on site was that train services would continue to run through the area — just 1.5 metres away from staff at work.

Of course, a job like this does not come without disruption and Bolton’s train-travelling public have been forced to cope with severely reduced services since May.

Their patience was tested further in August when it was revealed that surprisingly difficult ground conditions meant that the original planned completion date of early October would have to be extended until December.

Now the end is in sight — a short closure of the track on December 12 and 13 will be followed by the re-instatement of a full timetable of trains running between Bolton and Manchester and a major milestone reached on the journey towards the electrification of our rail network.

Nick Spall, the route delivery director for Network Rail, said the Farnworth Tunnels project has represented a seismic challenge for his firm.

He said: “It is just massive — in terms of railway civil engineering jobs it is certainly the most impressive and challenging to have taken place in the North West in decades — for some people this really is a once in a lifetime job.

“For many engineers this job could represent the pinnacle of a career — it just so happens that we are in an unprecedented time for rail investment in this part of the country and this is just one piece of the jigsaw.”

Talking of the challenge of completing a project of this size, while keeping an albeit reduced rail service running through the site, he added: “If we had just closed the railway then we could have done it much quicker — but we wanted to keep the line open.

“That element has taken a great deal of work with the operators Northern Rail and First TransPennine Express — the way we have all worked together to make that happen has been a pretty unique thing.”

While the end may be in site for the Farnworth Tunnels, there is still the requirement for a short closure in the New Year, when the new track will be permanently put in place.

Mr Spall said that final moment will result in a big pat on the back for the staff involved.

He said: “They have all been superstars and have showed a tremendous amount of passion and pride in the job.”