IN THE wake of the recent Hatfield rail tragedy, Railtrack has announced they are to undertake a programme of extensive track renewals in the North West so that precautionary speed restrictions can be lifted.

Following the disaster two weeks ago -- caused by a cracked rail -- there has been major disruption to rail services across the country, in particular the West Coast line linking Blackpool to the rest of the country.

Plans are being drawn up to begin work this weekend on parts of the line near Preston after it was revealed the company has been aware of "gauge corner cracking" on the surface of rails for a number of years.

Mike Cowman, director of Railtrack North West, apologised to customers for the disruption to services. He said: "We are very sorry for the serious delays which are being caused to rail travellers on long distance routes. "Local train services in the North West are largely unaffected at present because the speed restrictions are mainly on the high speed line."

The Hatfield crash raised awareness of the problem of rail cracking and subsequent inspections have shown the problem of corroding rails is getting worse. Railtrack said the causes were not well understood but since the accident, officials had systematically visited all potential sites to conduct risk assessment.

Mike said imposing speed limits was necessary for those parts of the track that needed fully replacing or further investigating and therefore delays were necessary. The re-railing programme could take up to two months and more delays were inevitable.

Mike said: "Our decision to impose speed restrictions are not taken lightly as we must be totally confident about safety. In the meantime Railtrack is holding talks with train operators and the Strategic Rail Authority about revising timetables."

Up-to-date information on all trains can be obtained by calling (08457) 484950.