THE national rail network could finally be revolutionised after 160 years of neglect - thanks to a Darwen inventor's technological brainwave.

Engineering guru Robin Wolfendale has been awarded £37,000 of Smart government cash to test a pioneering new type of rail track.

The technology, known as embedded rail technology, has also been earmarked to turn East Lancashire into a "super city" thanks to a radical overhaul of the transport network.

The 51-year-old, of Hawkshaw Avenue, is determined to see East Lancashire at the cutting edge of innovation and finally bid farewell to tracks which are "dictated by the width of Roman chariot wheels".

Robin has devised a new way of building rail tracks which incorporate sunken flexible tracks suspended in concrete.

Each of the running rails is encased in a coating to provide suspension for the wheels and reduce noise and vibration.

The new tracks are more environmentally friendly than the sleeper-steel combination presently covering hundreds of miles of track nationwide, and allow trains to travel faster, more quietly and more efficiently.

His idea is currently being tested on Blackpool tramways and if successful it will be developed with national high speed railways in mind.

Robin, who has an academic background in naval architecture and applied science, said: "If you look at the railway lines, they are the same since Victorian times. Now we have redefined how railways should be built.

"The idea came from a project and some ideas working for Balfour Beatty. I realised we could do some things better so I put in a few patents and applied for this funding to test out the ideas.

"We had to start with tramways, as the legal requirements and safety issues of railways are extensive.

"But this technology now originates from East Lancashire and puts us at the cutting edge. It is a time for all businesses in the area to snatch their opportunities."

Robin was supported in the early days of his bid by the Blackburn Innovation Technology Services and Business Link.

Now he is also working closely with the East Lancashire Partnership on the Rapid Transit project -- a vision to radically overhaul the East Lancashire transport network and increase rapid rail accessibility between Blackburn, Burnley and Clitheroe.

He said: "We want to modernise the whole area. We have a vision of modernising the rail network and making one big community or super city. It would be a way of allowing businesses to develop and attract inward investment."

The grant has been supplied by Smart, which is a government package of support grants to help individuals and small businesses research and develop innovative products.

A spokesperson for the Small Business Service, said: "Only the brightest ideas are acknowledged with this funding, and meet the criteria. The money is given to the most promising ideas with potential for growth and future employment."