West Anglia Routes

The West Anglia Routes Group (WARG) is an association, with a wide membership, which represents public and private sectors organisations along the rail routes running from Liverpool Street through north London into Cambridgeshire, Essex and Hertfordshire.

Current priorities include:

  • Minimum service of four trains per hour to all suburban stations, at least two trains per hour elsewhere, and a ‘clock face’ timetable throughout the day and into the night.
  • Refurbishment and replacement of existing rolling stock so that it meets customer expectations and accessibility standards.
  • Station improvements to reduce congestion, increase accessibility including disabled facilities, and enhance safety and security, including the rapid introduction of more ticket barriers.
  • Interchange upgrades, particularly at Hackney Downs/Hackney Central, Seven Sisters and Tottenham Hale, to reduce congestion and improve movement between modes.
  • Investment in track, signaling and power supply enhancements, as well as to finding a solution to the issues caused by level crossings.
  • A Government commitment to investing in major improvements with immediate funding to commence the process of safeguarding, planning and project development.

Key Facts:

  • The West Anglia Routes run through the Upper Lee Valley Opportunity Area and major development sites including Harlow and Cambridge.  They also link the international gateways of Stansted and Stratford.
  • Overall West Anglia passenger journeys are predicted to grow by 37% by 2016 and 42% by 2021, with large increases for Stansted Express and services via Seven Sisters. Source: Network Rail Route Utilisation Strategy, Dec 2007
  • Without improvements, by 2021, 59% of trains will be overcrowded and 27% of passengers will be standing, many from as far as Bishop’s Stortford and Stansted.  Source: Network Rail Route Utilisation Strategy, Dec 2007 
  • The West Anglia Routes have the highest Government target for increasing capacity at a massive 30.9% by 2013/14.  The next highest target is 18.8% for the Midland Mainline and East Midlands routes.  Source: White Paper – Delivering a Sustainable Railway, July 2007

For more information about the Group’s work please see our news or contact us.

For information about West Anglia Routes services, including timetables and ticketing, please visit the Greater Anglia site (Opens in a new window).