Paul Corfield wrote:
On Wed, 28 Feb 2007 18:55:02 +0000, Dan Gravell
wrote:

Adrian wrote:
Much of the freight traffic on the North London Line does not even
need to be in London. I am convinced that the UK needs a freight arc
from Felixstowe to Southampton. This could be constructed using, in
part, the track beds of the DN&S and LNWR Oxford to Cambridge routes.

This is not something I actually expect to happen! But such a route
could keep a substantial portion of the NL Line's freight load away
from London.
Sorry - I'm not so clued up about this but I am interested. You're
saying that a significant amount of capacity on London's railways are
taken with freight? Freight which has no relation to London and is just
travelling through? So London's crowded passenger network (not to
mention my miserable journey each morning) is partly caused by trains
which shouldn't even be on the (London) network?

Freight from Tilbury Docks as well as the various industries (e.g Fords
and petrochemicals) along the northern banks of the Thames Estuary is
taken both via the Gospel Oak and North London Lines as well as the
Great Eastern line to Stratford and then onto the North London Line from
there. Short of taking it half way round the country via Essex and
Suffolk there is no other way (that I can think of but I'm not an
expert) to get that freight onto the East Coast, West Coast, Midland or
Great Western Lines. [Happy to be corrected by those who know far more
about freight traffics.]

AFIAK the freight traffics are well established and did not present too
much of an issue when the NLL and GOBLIN were not as busy. Trains could
be pathed with relative ease. We are now in a different situation with
both the development of orbital rail services as well as the potential
development of Crossrail which must have an impact on track capacity on
the Great Eastern lines east of Stratford. There is also a growth in
demand for freight services as well as the moderate levels of
competition between the freight companies seems to be helping to grow
the market.

The other issue is the planned development of the Thames Gateway. I have
seen nothing at all that shows how main line rail services will cope
with the huge increase in population that is planned for the area.
Crossrail won't really help, DLR to Dagenham is but a small contribution
but nothing seems to be planned for the C2C network. I understand that
is pretty much crammed to capacity now and it's only a 2 track line into
London. If we are not to have a 12 lane A13 highway into London
something has to be done with rail capacity IMO.

Rail 2025 / T2025 call for lengthening of trains on the c2c network. The
combination of DLR to Dagenham and Crossrail at Custom House should
provide the quickest and highest capacity corridor into central London
for several tens of thousands of the new homes in the inner Thames
Gateway (the Royal Docks and Barking Reach). I think that's easy to
underestimate - DLR to Dagenham will be situated ideally for the whole
swathe of development from Beckton to Dagenham, and will feed into
Custom House in about 15 mins, from which it will be a very rapid
journey into the City (+10 mins) and the West End (+20 mins).

Thames Gateway Transit will also act as a feeder into both eastern
Crossrail branches.

--
Dave Arquati
www.alwaystouchout.com - Transport projects in London