Leeds resident says 'Christmas is ruined' as Network Rail warns of noisy works on Christmas Day

Phil Stucliffe, who lives in the LS9 postcode, told Yorkshire Evening Post that residents living near the railway line have been warned the work will result in a continuous noise level of 85 decibels. Residents were told work will begin at 8am on Christmas Day and finish at midnight on Boxing Day.

Network Rail told the YEP the work is under review and subject to cancellation in light of the announcement of further strike action – and a decision would be made in the coming days.

Phil said Christmas was “set to be ruined” for residents in the Leeds suburb, should the work go ahead. He added: “Residents of Leeds 9 are going to have a very disturbed Christmas Day.”

Hannah Lomas, principal programme sponsor for Network Rail said: “Working near our neighbours’ homes over the festive period is far from ideal, but with no trains running for several days on one of the busiest sections of track in the north of England, it’s the only time for such a major piece of work to take place.

"We will do all we can to reduce any unnecessary noise, and have been honest in our engagement with neighbours well in advance of the work to give them time to talk to us and to plan for the impact our work may have.”

Network Rail have said residents were written to on November 16 to give them advance warning of the piling work and time to plan ahead. Piling is the process of vibrating and hammering steel sheet piles into the ground. These piles will be used as foundations for the overhead line equipment needed to power electric and hybrid trains.

The work forms part of the Transpennine route upgrade, a multi-billion-pound programme aimed at revolutionising rail in the north with a fully electrified railway between Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds and York. The aim is for the railway to bring faster and more frequent trains running on a cleaner, greener and more reliable railway.