THERE was jubilation almost two and a half years ago when victory came after a lengthy campaign to re-instate the Todmorden Curve and speed up rail travel between Accrington, Burnley and Manchester.

Work has carried on apace. A new Burnley Manchester Road station is being built and the track will be ready to deliver faster services from May next year.

But passengers won’t be able to enjoy it for a least another six months after that because operators Northern Rail say they can’t spare any trains.

We are not talking about new trains of course. East Lancashire only ever seems to get other areas’ cast-offs.

We are told we have got to wait until other parts of the country get electrification and some secondhand diesel units ‘become available.’ It’s just not good enough.

Northern Rail has had more than enough time to prepare for this and find some new or used rolling stock either in Britain or abroad.

Providing passengers with the best possible service at the earliest opportunity is clearly not the company’s top priority.