On Sun, 18 Mar 2007, wrote:

On Mar 18, 1:05 pm, Paul Corfield wrote:

If not I expect the nearest junction is
somewhere in Kent which doesn't really provide any solution with respect
to freight from north of the Thames.

The tunnel mouth is here in Dagenham:

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?ll=51....917&t =k&om=1

Immediately north of it is the LTS line where all the freight arrives in
London from, so a junction here would be very easy.

Not all - only that from Tilbury and Dagenham (and Shell Haven when/if it
opens); trains from Felixstowe et al come in on the GEML, to the north. I
don't think there's any way from the GEML to the LTS east of the portal,
at least not without reversing.

Still, the LTS fraction of the freight is not insubstantial (about half, i
think), the volume will increase if Shell Haven happens, so this could be
very useful.

It's a shame that the portal is to the east of the Ripple Lane yard - that
means intermodal traffic coming through there can't use it (although i
suppose a reversing siding to the wast would not be impossible). That
said, i don't know how busy Ripple Lane is these days; i vaguely remember
reading that it's going or gone. Or am i thinking of LIFT at Stratford?
Anyway, the portal is at least to the west of the huge Ford works at
Dagenham.

tom

--
Destroy - kill all hippies.