The construction of a new rail freight route through London will improve performance and capacity as well as ease pressure on Britain's roads, the UK Department of Transport announced today.
The ВЈ54m North London Route Improvement Plan will see the line to Camden Road doubled in size from two tracks to four, with work set to begin in 2012.
The project also includes improvements to signalling and track layout and will be completed after the London Olympics in 2014.
Secretary of State for Transport Geoff Hoon said that the capacity of the line will be increased to make it easier for companies to transport goods across, thereby taking trucks off Britain's roads.
"Passengers will also benefit from the extra lines because services will be better equipped to cope in the event of unexpected disruption or planned engineering works," he said. "It will also spread the load on the network, preventing bottlenecks."
The North London Line is a vital cross-London trunk route for freight, connecting North Thameside, the Great Western, West Coast and Great Eastern main lines. It is also the primary route for maritime traffic between the Port of Felixstowe and the Midlands, North West and Scotland.
The improvements to the North London Line will also provide capacity for the additional freight arriving from the London Gateway port, which will come online in 2011.
By Daniel Garrun.
