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An interesting comment in this months (August 2008) Modern Railways
QUOTE
"It's not only
NR that has lost faith in the railway's ability to get things done. Train
operators, wary of the fiascos of Rugby and Liverpool Street, are
second-guessing all the time. For example, it was c2c that pulled the plug
on an Easter possession at Grays to lengthen the turnback siding (sic)
[i.e. the bay platform!] there to 8 cars. with only 3 or 4 weeks to go to
the blockade, the operator was unimpressed by NR's contingency plans and
demanded the job be put off.
"So bouncing
back the inners at Grays, rather than wasting resources running out to
Pitsea, were not achieved for the May timetable change. The latest we heard
was that nor will it be done in time for the December change, meaning it
will be a whole year behind schedule."
UNQUOTE
To recap the extension of platform 3 was the first of a number of
improvements planned for the line. The works were to allow more trains to run
between Grays and Fenchurch, with no increase in the rolling stock used on the
line, as the existing stock would be utilised more efficiently. Without the
platform extension, the previously advertised timetable changes cant be
implemented. This does pose a slight worry as if Network Rail cant get their
act together with one platform extension, one wonders what problems they will
encounter with the proposed 12 carriage extension to all platforms on the
Thurrock section of the line, scheduled for the early part of the next decade.
However we are still awaiting an official comment from c2c as to the current
situation. The proposed timetable changes are
outlined here
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