Kent Route Utilisation Strategy

Last updated

The Kent Route Utilisation Strategy (KRUS) is a Route Utilisation Strategy (RUS), published by Network Rail (NR) in January 2010. [1] it was the thirteenth RUS to be completed, not counting the partially completed Network RUS. By default, RUSs are established by the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) unless the latter objects within 60 days; and the ORR have confirmed no objection to the establishment of the Kent RUS. [2]

Contents

Uniquely, this RUS area encompasses the only dedicated very high-speed railway in the United Kingdom, the so-called High Speed 1 (HS1), over which domestic, as opposed to the established international, services started a few weeks prior to publication of the RUS. Some of the RUS's conclusions do involve this line. However the scope of the RUS concentrates mainly on the 'classic' lines, most of which date to the 19th century; as such it includes the London Bridge to Hastings line, via Orpington, Sevenoaks and Tonbridge, almost all lines east of that line, plus the main line via Swanley into London Victoria. Most services, including those via HS1, are run via the Southeastern franchise.

Established plans will create significant changes in the classic network in the foreseeable future, especially those centred on the Thameslink Programme. The RUS identifies seven types of 'gap' and 16 groups of options to address these. In view of the prospective changes already in train, most initiative identified by the RUS are directed at Control Period 5 (CP5, April 2014-March 2019), though a few are detailed for Control Period 4 (CP4, to March 2014).

Contingent projects

Thameslink [3] is the largest single programme affecting the RUS area, though in reality it comprises a significant number of related projects. The key objective is eventually to increase the frequency and length of the trains which pass between north and south London, and therefore has much wider scope than the KRUS area. It includes very major works at Blackfriars and Farringdon, currently under way as at March 2010, and at London Bridge and its environs, after the 2012 Olympic Games. It will largely separate train services through London Bridge to/from Charing Cross-bound from those to/from Blackfriars. This programme will cause a number of sequential recasts of services affecting the KRUS area.

The programme is divided into three stages:

The last stage will, following the Summer 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, encompass the wholesale redevelopment of London Bridge station and enhancement of its approaches at both ends. While the project will, upon completion, enhance capacity through London Bridge, during the works capacity will be restricted. At different stages during the work, a number of services to/from Charing Cross and Cannon Street stations will not be able to call at London Bridge. This will have implications widely throughout the KRUS area.

Train lengthening under the Thameslink programme will affect a limited number of stations.

New services from the KRUS area to north London via the Thameslink route may be possible at the conclusion of the programme, but would replace existing services in the KRUS area.

In general, the works will have the greatest impact on suburban routes rather than the longer-distance routes featuring in the KRUS area.

East Kent resignalling

This is scheduled to commence in 2011 with remodelling of the track layout in the Faversham, Margate and Ramsgate areas. Later the route through the Medway towns will be remodelled.

CP4 train lengthening

The anticipated train lengthening will affect mostly the suburban services, but will indirectly affect the main-line services.

Gaps and options

The RUS summarises gaps in the following groups:

Interventions to address these gaps are themselves divided into 16 options.

Unless otherwise stated the peak-hour trains comprise those arriving in London between 7 and 10am (high peak between 8 and 9) and leaving between 4 and 7pm (high peak between 5 and 6); the hours on either side of the high peak are known as the shoulder peak.

Gap A (peak demand and network capacity) and Options 1 through 6

Gap A concerns the danger of future overcrowding during the peak hours, and possible interventions to alleviate this problem. This issue manifests itself differently on various routes (Tonbridge line, route via Bromley South, and others).

Gap B (aspiration for better off-peak services in/around Kent) and Options 7 through 9

Gap B concerns the relatively poor connections within Kent and to adjacent non-London destinations.

Gap C (improving access to the network) and Options 10 and 11

Gap D (handling demand during times of engineering access) and Option 12

Gap E (freight capability) and Options 13 and 14

Gap F (performance) and Option 15

Gap G (Hastings line service) and Option 16

The longer term

The main recommendations of the KRUS cover the period to the 2020, just after the end of CP5. Further developments are envisaged later, but at this stage only very much in outline.

A continued increase in passenger numbers, especially at peak times and particularly on the Thames Gateway, Medway and Tonbridge routes are anticipated. After the CP4 and CP5 interventions, there will be very limited opportunities to expand capacity on the existing network.

Two possible major developments are identified:

Related Research Articles

Thameslink main-line route in the British railway system

Thameslink is a 24-hour, 115-station main-line route in the British railway system, running from Bedford, Luton, Peterborough and Cambridge via central London to Sutton, Orpington, Sevenoaks, Rainham, Horsham and Brighton. Additional services to East Grinstead and Littlehampton operate at peak times. The network opened as a through service in 1988, with severe overcrowding by 1998, carrying more than 28,000 passengers in the morning peak. All the services are currently operated by Govia Thameslink Railway.

Midland main line Railway in the UK

The Midland Main Line is a major railway line in England from London to Sheffield in the north of England. The line is under the Network Rail description of Route 19; it comprises the lines from London's St Pancras station via Leicester, Derby/Nottingham and Chesterfield in the East Midlands.

London Bridge station London Underground and mainline railway station

London Bridge is a central London railway terminus and connected London Underground station in Southwark, south-east London. It occupies a large area on three levels immediately south-east of London Bridge, from which it takes its name. The main line station is the oldest railway station in London fare zone 1 and one of the oldest in the world having opened in 1836. It is one of two main line termini in London to the south of the River Thames and is the fourth-busiest station in London, handling over 50 million customers a year.

Blackfriars station London Underground and railway station

Blackfriars, also known as London Blackfriars, is a central London railway station and connected London Underground station in the City of London. It provides local Thameslink services from North to South London, and limited Southeastern commuter services to South East London and Kent. Its platforms span the River Thames, the only one in London to do so, along the length of Blackfriars Railway Bridge, a short distance downstream from Blackfriars Bridge. There are two station entrances either side of the Thames, along with a connection to the London Underground District and Circle lines.

Farringdon station Railway and London Underground station

Farringdon is a London Underground and connected main line National Rail station in Clerkenwell, central London. The station is in the London Borough of Islington, just outside the boundary of the City of London. It was opened in 1863 as the terminus of the Metropolitan Railway, which was the world's first underground railway.

City Thameslink railway station central London railway station

City Thameslink is a central London railway station within the City of London, with entrances on Ludgate Hill and Holborn Viaduct. The station is on the Thameslink route between Blackfriars to the south and Farringdon to the north and, with St Pancras, is one of the four core stations on the Thameslink route.

Herne Hill railway station

Herne Hill railway station is in the London Borough of Lambeth, South London, England, on the boundary between London fare zones 2 and 3. Train services are provided by Thameslink to London Blackfriars, Farringdon, St Pancras International and St Albans on the Thameslink route and by Southeastern to London Victoria and Orpington on the Chatham Main Line. It is 3 miles 76 chains (6.4 km) down the line from Victoria.

Orpington railway station Rail station in south-east London

Orpington railway station is on the South Eastern Main Line, serving the town of Orpington in the London Borough of Bromley, south-east London. It is 13 miles 65 chains (22.2 km) down the line from London Charing Cross and is situated between Petts Wood and Chelsfield stations. It is in Travelcard Zone 6.

The Dartford Loop Line is one of three lines linking London with Dartford in Kent, England. It lies to the south of the other two: the North Kent Line and the Bexleyheath Line.

Southeastern (train operating company) British train operating company in South East England

London & South Eastern Railway Limited, trading as Southeastern, is a British train operating company owned by Govia that operates passenger rail services in South East England. It is the key operator of commuter and regional services in South East London and Kent but also serves parts of East Sussex.

Great Northern Route suburban rail services run on the southern end of Britains East Coast Main Line and associated branches

The Great Northern Route is the name given to suburban rail services run on the southern end of Britain's East Coast Main Line and its associated branches. Services operate to or from London King's Cross and Moorgate in London. Destinations include Hertford North, Welwyn Garden City, Stevenage, Peterborough, Cambridge and King's Lynn. Services run through parts of Greater London, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Norfolk.

Thameslink Programme

The Thameslink Programme, originally Thameslink 2000, is a £6 billion project in south-east England to upgrade and expand the Thameslink rail network to provide new and longer trains between a wider range of stations to the north and to the south of London. The development will facilitate cross-London journeys, where passengers will no longer be required to change trains in London. Work includes platform lengthening, station remodelling, new railway infrastructure, and additional rolling stock. The project was originally proposed in 1991 following the successful introduction of the initial Thameslink service in 1988. After many delays, planning permission was granted in 2006 and funding was approved in October 2007. Work started in 2009 and, initially expected to be complete in December 2019, now has an uncertain date of completion. The Thameslink Programme is being carried out by Network Rail in association with the relevant train operating companies.

The North West Route Utilisation Strategy (NWRUS) is a Route Utilisation Strategy, published by Network Rail in May 2007. It was the fifth RUS to be produced. It was included in a map published by the Office of Rail Regulation as established in May 2007. It was the first of no fewer than 5 RUSs which cover specific routes in the north-west of England; the others are the Lancashire & Cumbria RUS, the Yorkshire & Humber RUS, the Merseyside RUS, and the West Coast Main Line RUS. In particular it "broadly covers the Manchester journey to work area, the City lines into Liverpool Lime Street and routes from Manchester to Kirkby, Southport and Blackpool", corresponding to Network Rail's then Route 20 - North West Urban.

The Greater Anglia Route Utilisation Strategy is a Route Utilisation Strategy published by Network Rail in December 2007. It was the sixth RUS to be produced. The area covered includes the whole of Route 5 West Anglia (WA) and Route 7 Great Eastern (GE), which both focus for passenger purposes on London Liverpool Street, and the London Fenchurch Street services from Route 6. As with other RUSs, the Greater Anglia RUS took into account a number of responses, including the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR).

The East Coast Main Line Route Utilisation Strategy (RUS), published by Network Rail in February 2008, was the seventh RUS.

Network Rail's (NR) South London Route Utilisation Strategy (SLRUS), published in March 2008 (SLRUS) was the eighth Route Utilisation Strategy to be produced. By default, RUSs are established by the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) unless the latter objects within 60 days. The RUS is included in NR's map as established.

The Lancashire and Cumbria Route Utilisation Strategy is a Route Utilisation Strategy, published by Network Rail on 29 August 2008 It was the ninth RUS to be produced.

The Merseyside Route Utilisation Strategy is a Route Utilisation Strategy published by Network Rail in March 2009. It was the eleventh RUS to be produced. By default, RUSs are established by the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) unless the latter objects within 60 days. The RUS is included in Network Rail's map as established.

The Yorkshire and Humber Route Utilisation Strategy is a Route Utilisation Strategy (RUS), published by Network Rail in July 2009; it was the twelfth RUS to be completed, not counting the partially completed Network RUS.

The Sussex Route Utilisation Strategy is a Route Utilisation Strategy (RUS), published by Network Rail (NR) in January 2010. It was the fourteenth RUS to be completed, not counting the partially completed Network RUS. By default, RUSs are established by the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) unless the latter objects within 60 days, and the ORR have confirmed no objection to the establishment of the Sussex RUS.

References

  1. "Kent RUS" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 June 2011. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
  2. "ORR letter confirming establishment" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 November 2010. Retrieved 1 April 2010.
  3. "Thameslink programme website". Archived from the original on 28 March 2010. Retrieved 18 March 2010.