A SENIOR councillor has suggested Northern Rail should be nationalised after it emerged there were not enough trains to run the new Burnley to Manchester service.

No spare diesel units can be found for the route, which was due to begin next May, delaying the launch by at least six months.

Coun Marcus Johnstone said: “It is a bonkers way to run a public resource in this country.

“Public railways should be run by the public sector.”

He believes the best hope for delivering spare trains may come when the Manchester to Liverpool line is electrified next year and extra carriages will become free.

The councillor’s call came as the first track was laid for the long-awaited Todmorden Curve, which will improve line speeds between East Lancashire and the city.

Coun Julie Cooper, borough council leader, said: “It’s great to see progress being made on the new Todmorden Curve.

“This 300-metre stretch of track will have a massive positive impact on the future of our borough, providing residents with a direct rail link to Manchester and helping boost our local economy by attracting new people and businesses into our borough.

“Work on the track is going ahead; now we have to continue to work on the issue of making sure trains are available to run on it as soon as possible after it’s completed.”

The rail link will also see improvements to the Stansfield Hall junction, near Todmorden and a new Dobroyd track crossing created.

Work on the curve was made possible by an £8.8m investment package provided by the Regional Growth Fund.

A new Burnley Manchester Road station is already under construction.