RAIL bosses have been accused of an inexcusable ‘go slow’ over a project which could bring millions of pounds of benefits to East Lancashire.

But Network Rail has confirmed it backs the scheme in principle – though it cannot see it being delivered for at least another three-and-a-half years.

Council leaders have hit out at the rail agency’s ‘delays’ over reinstating the Todmorden Curve, a 500-metre stretch of track which would deliver 45-minute train journeys to Manchester and beyond.

Burnley Council and the Northwest Development Agency commissioned Network Rail to investigate the proposals after research showed the development, costing £7-9million, could bring similar returns to the area within its first year of operation.

Council leader Gordon Birtwistle has said progress by Network Rail on the scheme has been “devastatingly slow”.

He added: “Burnley Council has had to pay for what we already know – that the Todmorden Curve is a no-brainer.

"We now have to wait for them to get on with delivering it.

“I am sick to death of hearing about cross-rail links, high-speed links and the importance of rail economically and environmentally.

"We have a simple scheme here waiting to happen.”

Lancashire County Council’s sustainable development scrut-iny committee has named the Todmorden Curve as the country’s highest priority rail project and said it was “a scheme with accurate costings worked out, with a very broad base of support”.

Network Rail spokesman Keith Lumley said: “There is no doubt that the reinstatement of the Todmorden Curve would bring considerable benefits to East Lancashire, and Network Rail supports it in principle.

“However, criteria that the Department for Transport require us to use mean that so far as we are concerned there is no business case for the reinstatement.

"This, in turn, means that it will have to be funded by the council, or other third parties.

“Consequently, we were paid to carry out the first two stages of an investment process.

"This we have done and have reported back to the Lancashire Pennine Rail Partnership board.

“Unfortunately, this work coincided with a reorganisation within Network Rail which, in turn, led to a delay of approximately three months, for which we are very sorry.”

Mr Lumley said there were a number of engineering, time-table and rolling stock issues to be settled, before the scheme goes ahead.

Even if progress continued to be made, it would not be possible to introduce services before December 2013, he added.