Greater Anglia identifies 3 rail priorities

Date: 28/1/2013

The train operator Greater Anglia has identified the three key rail priorities it intends to focus on in order to improve the economic situation in East Anglia.

By highlighting these aims it is hoped that businesses and politicians can present a united front to secure investment so that they can be achieved, reports the Norwich Evening News.

The first priority is to improve journey times on the route between Norwich and London, cutting at least five minutes from the current duration.

Secondly, Greater Anglia aims to increase track capacity north of Chelmsford to a new station which has been proposed at Beaulieu Park.

And thirdly, the operator would like to see the third track extended from Stratford to London on the West Anglia route.

The aim is to prove there is popular support for these priorities before Network Rail settles on its Strategic Business Plan for 2014-2019.

Persuading Network Rail is the first step in the process, with MPs, local authorities, businesses and railway users all writing to the authority to show their support.

Then the Office for Rail Regulation and the Department for Transport would then have to approve the plans.

Ruud Haket, Managing Director of Greater Anglia, told the news provider: "We are already doing what we can in the short term to upgrade services, and already making real progress in terms of punctuality and reducing the amount of disruptive weekend engineering work."

Despite this, he went on to say that this is a vital opportunity to gain the additional enhancements needed on routes in the East and West Anglia areas.

The region's rail infrastructure is due to be discussed at Westminster later this week when an East Anglian Rail Summit is held.

Chloe Smith, Norwich North MP and Chair of the meeting, said: "The golden thread that runs through this is that we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to open up investment in our railways.

"We will discuss these items at the rail summit this week as part of the over-arching common campaign which seeks to get faster journey times as well as more reliable services, and a better quality of rolling stock."

Posted by Mary Treen

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