WORK has begun on rail tracks to improve train services.

Network Rail started work in the Henwick area of Worcester last night, which will allow it to increase the length of trains, allowing for 25 per cent extra seating.

Whilst overnight work is being done, the Henwick Road railway crossing and the footpath will be shut.

The work will take place between February and December, starting with a new fence this week.

Work will take place between 10pm and 6am and a letter sent to residents said that: “The nature of our work often means some disturbance is unavoidable.”

To allow the bigger trains to go through, the sidings at Henwick will be replaced so that the Intercity Express trains can turn back to Worcester Foregate Street station.

Annoyed resident Chris Plant, of Lambert Road said: “We live right next to the tracks so it will be endless by the sounds of it, and it seems quite arrogant of Network Rail to simply tell us our lives will be disturbed by noise and bright lights and we just have to put up with it.”

A meeting to discuss the work will take place on Wednesday, February 22, at The Green Centre, Worcester Community Trust, on Gresham Road beginning at 5pm.

Mr Plant added: “Yes, there’s a public meeting about it, but it hardly seems worthwhile going as they’ll do what they want regardless of what anyone says.”

Work will continue until the end of the year with vegetation clearance taking place between Monday February 20 and Sunday February 26.

This will be followed by 14 overnight working days between Saturday April 8 and Sunday April 30.

Some of the new trains should be running by the end of 2017.

Another resident of Lambert Road said: "Network Rail have not given us any illustrations of what work is going to be done.

"It is just a load of bullet points that do not make sense.

"They are like a lot of multinational corporations, they just do not care.

"They only told us on Friday that they were doing work starting today, so there has not been enough notice given."

Gerald Sherwood, who lives on Henwick Road said: “We are used to the noise having lived here for so long, it would take a bomb to wake me up.”

Simon Geraghty, the Worcestershire County Councillor who represents the Worcester Riverside division said that he had not been approached by residents that are unhappy with the work.

He added that he would encourage Network Rail to work with residents to keep them fully informed and minimise the disruption to people living nearby.