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Greater Anglia Route Utilisation Strategy Consultation

Author: eMB
Date: 01 Jul 2007

Network Rail published a Greater Anglia Route Utilisation Strategy (RUS) consultation document in April 2007.  The West Anglia Routes Group response in July highlighted a number of points and offered solutions to meet predicted growth.

The Greater Anglia (RUS) seeks to balance capacity, passenger & freight demand, operational performance and cost, to address the requirements of funders and stakeholders.  Its geographical scope includes the West Anglia Routes from Liverpool Street.

It covers the period to 2016/17 and, additionally, to 2021, which ties in with regional spatial strategies.  These regional planning strategies, including the London and East of England Plans, forecast significant growth which will drive passenger demand.  The growth of the East Coast ports will drive freight demand.

Key points from the WARG response include:

  • The West Anglia railway is not fit for purpose now, let alone for the envisaged spatial and economic change along the corridor. In this regard, WARG view the route as an exceptional case from other rail corridors, requiring exceptional infrastructure investment.
  • The only improvements to the line that can make the difference are the major changes. For the purposes of the Draft RUS, this is Option 12(b) and the provision of 4-tracking between Copper Mill Junction and Broxbourne Junction.
  • Due to the lengthy implementation times of significant rail schemes, the Group urge Network Rail to commence the process of safeguarding, planning and project development of 4-tracking as a national priority in 2007.
  • The Group also urge consideration of 8-tracking between Bethnal Green and Liverpool Street be alongside 4-tracking development, if Crossrail is delayed.
  • The Group believe that transport modelling figures do not reflect the impacts of future developments such as: national road pricing, ‘Oysterisation’ of the railways, continuing trends of high house price inflation and the weakness of peak spreading measures.
  • The Group strongly support a reinstated Hall Farm Curve, to allow Chingford trains to run via Stratford.
  • The Group also urge Network Rail to proceed with initial train and platform lengthening with a target date of December 2009. This would enable timely capacity improvement in time to meet some of the anticipated growth at Stansted as well as helping London to meet the transport challenges posed by the 2012 Olympic Games.
  • Regardless of whether expansion takes place at Stansted Airport or not, the Group have aspirations for a “Stansted Connect” service, similar to that servicing Heathrow, with a greater number of intermediate stops to the Express service.

The final Greater Anglia RUS will be published in 2007 and adopted in 2008.  It will then inform the development and delivery of timetables, infrastructure maintenance and renewals for the network.

 

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