Network Rail backs Lea Valley four-tracking project

A £608m plan to four-track railway through the Lea Valley heads a list of projects to increase passenger capacity which are proposed by Network Rail's draft route utilisation strategy for the 'Greater Anglia' region.

Two Lea Valley schemes are put forward - a project to allow eight extra trains to run during peak hours, which would require an infrastructure investment of £253m, and a £608m (based on figures from Transport for London) initiative that would allow this service level to be maintained throughout the day. The latter figure is said to be the highest cost of a number of estimates and has a benefit-cost ratio of 4.2 compared to a BCR of only 2.3 for the cheaper project. Transport for London has included the Lea Valley four-tracking proposal in its 2025 plan for London's railways.

The draft RUS states: "We think that there is considerable scope for improving the socio-economic case for this scheme [Lea Valley three/four-tracking] by cutting rolling stock costs and better matching supply to demand. This option has the potential to be developed into a scheme that can meet growing demand on the West Anglia main line through and beyond the RUS timescale."


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