PRESSURE is continuing to grow on rail bosses over the lack of trains on the newly completed Todmorden Curve.

The £8.8million work to restore the Todmorden Curve track was completed in May but no trains are scheduled to run until December due to a lack of train stock.

Now, councillors in Hyndburn are set to write to the Department of Transport to call for urgent action to be taken to link Accrington directly to Manchester.

Great Harwood councillor Noordad Aziz, who will put a motion before the council on Thursday, June 26, said: “The successful link of the direct train from Accrington to Manchester will have a significant impact on Hyndburn’s residents, and will provide an economic as well as social mobility injection into the area.

“It will cut train times from Accrington to Manchester from 90 minutes to 42 minutes. We wanted to highlight that fact and to put pressure on the Department of Transport to say we want trains scheduled.”

The long-awaited faster service between East Lancashire and Manchester city centre will begin to run in December, when a second hand diesel is provided by Northern Rail.

Coun Kerry Molineux, who seconded Coun Aziz’s proposal, admitted the motion may not speed up the train’s introduction.

She said: “It’s more about putting pressure on the government and to highlight that it’s such an issue.”

Burnley Council chief executive Steve Rumbelow said: “It’s regrettable that there wasn’t a train available to coincide with the completion of the Todmorden Curve but a train will be available and running in December at the start of the new timetable.”