Station expansion plans announced
Thurrock Gazette,  20th April 20007

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RAIL Commuters from Thurrock could be waving goodbye to cramped trains sooner than they think, after Network Rail announced improvement plans.

The aim is to add carriages to some services and extend platforms at stations currently unable to accommodate longer trains, in an effort to ease peak travel periods.

Stations along the Tilbury and Ockendon loops of the c2c line are among those lined up for improvements.

Recently it was announced that Network Rail has agreed to lengthen the bay platform at Grays to accommodate eight-coach trains, as the station can only cope with four.

Other stations including Ockendon and Chafford Hundred, Dagenham Dock, Rainham and Purfleet are also being considered for extensions and upgrades.

Graham Bashford, communications manager for c2c, said: "The stations on the Tilbury loop can take eight coaches, apart from Grays. If we can increase the length of our platforms to cater for more train coaches then we can use longer trains on our services at peak times.

"Grays has already been agreed. Our other stations will be decided on during the consultation process."

The Network Rail draft strategy outlines 20 options the Government, rail companies and passenger groups will consider over the next 12 weeks when deciding how best to improve train services.

The final strategy is expected to come together in October, with the plans to be implemented starting from next January for the next ten years.

Adrian Brown of Thurock Rail Users Group said: "We are delighted that the rail industry has committed to implement a small but highly beneficial scheme to increase capacity, namely the extension of the terminating platform at Grays from four-car to eight8-car length, imminently - we understand that the target date for completion is next summer, which seems a long time but we know that in railway infrastructure terms this is really quite fast.

"Its significance is bigger than its description suggests, because it will mean that the existing train fleet can be far better used, to increase frequencies or train lengths (some are only four cars in the peaks) over the busier sections west of Grays to reduce crowding, with a possible slight saving in resources where the trains are much less heavily loaded, i.e. over the less busy section to Pitsea.

"TRUG has been convinced for some years that the full 12-car scheme, i.e. extending platforms at remaining stations on the route to take 12-car trains, will be required sooner than later; and that with the expectation that a scheme on that scale would take several years between decision and delivery, we remain concerned that the rate of population growth in Thurrock is likely to make 12-car trains a necessity rather sooner than that sort of timescale.

"We understand that c2c now takes a similar view, and are now pressing Network Rail to give it more priority than has so far been the case.

"Our reading of this week's press release from Network Rail gives us encouragement that it is at least mentioned within the top five schemes, within the context of 'Anglia' region capacity enhancement; however, it still appears to have a priority status no higher than "Sometime before about 2016", so we still await further developments and commitments regarding the full scheme before we get too excited about it."

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