"Tom Anderson" wrote in message
...

I remember one plan postulated when the East-West Rail study was
commissioned a few years ago was to make Goblin the primary cross-London
freight line (with a new junction at Forest Gate and a new tunnel from
Gospel Oak to Primrose Hill)? Its advantages being that it avoids
freight clashing with Crossrail on the GE, and removes any freight
activity from the NLL (and WLL if you route Channel freight via the CTRL
at Dagenham). Any news on that plan?

TfL recently did a report called "Freight on rail in London":

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/rail/downloads/pdf/freight.pdf

They don't say too much about it - their emphasis being on the Felixtowe -
Nuneaton bypass - but they do say that the proposed port development at
Shellhaven, "cannot be supported without [...] upgrades to the Tottenham
and Hampstead Line and the Hampstead section of the North London Line at
some point.". 'Tottenham and Hampstead Line' is code (or even the
traditional name) for Goblin.

Interesting. Thanks for the link.

The East-West study you mention has the more involved idea of a 'freight
focused route':


http://www.sra.gov.uk/publications/g...other2001_05_0
3eastwest.pdf

That's the one I was thinking of, yep.

And is more explicit, not to mention ambitious. The tunnel bit is about
bypassing the Hampstead Tunnel, which is clear to W8 gauge, not big enough
for heavy cargo.

If a way could be found to 4-track the NLL from Dalston to Stratford, to
avoid conflict with Crossrail 1 at Forest Gate and to avoid conflict with
the ELL/NLL between Camden and Dalston (i.e. ELL/NLL running on the southern
pair Dalston-Canonbury - see Mod Rlys Dec issue - but NLL towards Hampstead
leaving to the north at Camden, therefore requiring that freight crosses the
path of the NLL passenger services), then the Goblin upgrade and the tunnel
to Primrose Hill are unnecessary. But cost of 2 flyovers and the 4-tracking
would be an issue....

They then go on to suggest, for a mere 215 million, a tunnel under the
Thames, so traffic from Kent can get up onto the GOBLin, thus relieving
all the south London lines and the WLL and Hounslow Loop.

Indeed. I wonder how much traffic would be able to use the CTRL and
therefore avoid this tunnel being built (should it get that far of course -
unlikely).

Angus