Noise ‘hell’ from works on bridge
A home owner is “going through hell” thanks to sleepless nights caused by work next to his home to replace a railway bridge.
David McInnes said he has not had a good night’s sleep for months because of the racket caused by heavy machinery being used by Network rail to demolish the old bridge and reconstruct a new one over the railway on the A71 in West Calder.
The 61- year- old’s house at Harburn Lane backs onto the railway line and he says the noise wakes him up in the early hours of the morning.
However Network Rail, who is carrying out the work, said they have only received a complaint from David and one other person regarding noise.
David, who is retired, says the problem has been going on since August and is not expected to be completed until April.
He told the Courier his neighbours have even booked into a hotel to escape the noise.
“This has been absolute hell,” said David. “I went to bed at 10pm on Monday night and was woken up at 1.50am with the noise.
“It was even worse when they were demolishing the bridge.
“Network Rail told me it’s better for them if it’s done during the night but it’s not best for us.
“It seems Network Rail have the right to make as much noise as they want and there is nothing we can do about it.”
Network Rail said it had notified 1200 households affected by the work and had only received two complaints.
A spokesman said: “The work we have been carrying out at West Calder is vital to replace a life-expired road bridge over the railway.
“We try to minimise the disruption our works cause to nearby residents, but short-term night-time working is unavoidable when removing a structure such as a bridge over the railway. We have been in regular communication with residents about this project, including Mr McInnes, to keep them informed about our project and to try to address any concerns they may have.
“We are required under the terms of our licence to run the railway delivery works in a way that minimises disruption.”