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RAIL USERS'
DISAPPOINTMENT AT DELAYED IMPROVEMENTS TO TRAIN SERVICES
The Thurrock Rail Users'
Group (TRUG) learned this week that plans by Network Rail (NR) to extend
the terminating platform at Grays station to 8-coach length, already delayed
from early 2008 to late 2008, will now be too late for the December
2008 timetable change, which will put the consequent improvement in train
services back by a full year, from May 2008 to May 2009.
This project, for which
local train operator c2c had been pressing Network Rail for some time, will
unlock the ability to schedule more 8-car trains between Grays and London,
via both the Chafford and the Rainham routes, including the extending of
some 4-car trains to 8, and thereby reduce uncomfortable crowding.
Users will have noticed
absolutely no action on site yet, though TRUG understands from c2c that a
start is expected in September, and that much of the delay has involved NR
providing assurance that operational issues - particularly, managing the
train service locally while the construction is in progress - have been
addressed and will be managed adequately. Unfortunately, these issues were
not resolved in time for the 'deadline' for agreeing the schedule to be
operated from December, which is what has pushed back these
consequent improvements until the following opportunity, May 2009. However,
TRUG understands that, once the work has been done - currently expected
around early December - the platform will be used by 8-car trains whenever
it is operationally beneficial to do so. Perhaps ironically, the more
likely situations where this would be particularly useful, would be failures
of Network Rail infrastructure (points, overhead wires, etc.), or further
instances of their engineering work overrunning, along the lines of the most
recently reported such incident.
TRUG Chairman Adrian
Brown commented that "It is very disappointing that, again, Network Rail has
been unable to deliver, or to promise with confidence, a very small but very
effective enhancement to the local railway infrastructure. It means that
against the background of continuing increases in demand from new housing
developments along the line, and continuing increases in the popularity and
patronage of rail services, commuters who want to take the train, to get to
work faster and more environmentally sustainably than by car, will continue
to suffer increased crowding, as a result of waiting another year for this
project to be delivered and ready for use."
Updated 29/07/2008
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