A rail vision for the capital

In this article, Ian Brown, Transport for London's Managing Director, London Rail, describes plans to expand the capacity of the rail network of London, UK. Progress with Crossrail Line 1 is continuing. The upgrading of the existing Thameslink route would increase capacity. In contrast to the Thameslink 2000 scheme to create a regional network from King's Lynn to Brighton, TfL sees the need for a simpler, metro-style operation to serve key London markets. TfL London Rail has identified 30 smaller projects to address specific capacity constraints. These include platform and throat restrictions at Waterloo, and bottlenecks at Borough Market Junction, Herne Hill and Windmill Bridge. TfL London Rail believes that commuter rail capacity could be increased by simplifying timetables, segregating inner-suburban services from outer London and inter-city services and operating longer trains. Fares integration is a key to TfL's plans for the Silverlink Metro service group. An upgraded North London Line has the potential to relieve congestion elsewhere on the network. Investment plans include a new freight loop at Stratford. TfL is keen to see the Channel Tunnel Rail Link used by freight trains and new terminal facilities in east London. South of Stratford, the North London Line to Canning Town is to be converted to a new branch of the Docklands Light Railway to Stratford International.