Channel Tunnel Rail Link (Hansard, 19 July 1994)

§ Ms Hodge
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received from members of the public about the impact of the channel tunnel rail link on the people of Barking.

§ Mr. Freeman
Since the January announcement of the final route of the rail link, my right hon. Friend and I have received some nine letters from members of the public affected by the surface route through Barking.

§ Ms Hodge
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what advice he has received on(a) the feasibility and (b) the additional cost of routeing the channel tunnel rail link under Barking reach.

§ Mr. Freeman
My right hon. Friend and I have not received detailed advice on the feasibility or additional cost of routeing the rail link under Barking reach. Union Railways's general view is that such a tunnel would affect the major east Thames corridor development site there, passing beneath or near the Ford plant, the new Barking power station and the A13 extension. It might also require a new route to be devised for the rail link all the way to 83W Stratford, affecting many more properties than the current alignment, which closely follows the existing railway corridor.

§ Ms Hodge
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many trains currently use the track proposed to be used for the channel tunnel rail link through Barking between the hours of(a) 8 am to noon, (b) noon to 4 pm, (c) 4 pm to 8 pm and (d) 8 pm to midnight; and what he expects the figures will be after the rail link is in operation.

§ Mr. Freeman
The number of trains currently using the existing railway corridor between Barking and Purfleet is as follows:

Passenger Other Total

(a) 8 am to noon 20 6 26

(b) noon to 4 pm 17 4 21

(c) 4 pm to 8 pm 25 3 28

(d) 8 pm to midnight 14 9 23

The number of trains likely to be using the railway corridor in the future, including after the rail link opens, will be a commercial matter for the railway operators involved.

§ Ms Hodge
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many properties there are in the Barking constituency where the boundary of the property is directly adjacent to the rail track boundaries for the proposed channel tunnel rail link.

§ Mr. Freeman
Union Railways calculates that, on the south side of the route of the rail link as it runs through Barking on the surface, some 185 residential properties would be directly adjacent to the rail link track. On the north side of the route, some 136 residential properties would be directly adjacent to Railtrack track.

§ Ms Hodge
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the smallest distance between the rear of any domestic house in the Barking constituency and the rail track for the proposed channel tunnel rail link.

§ Mr. Freeman
Union Railways calculates that, on the south side of the route of the rail link as it runs through Barking on the surface, the shortest distance between the rear of a house and the rail link track would be about 6.5 m. In general the shortest distance is between 7 and 8 m.
On the north side of the route, houses would be closer to Railtrack's track than to that of the rail link. The shortest distance between the rear of a house and the Railtrack track would be 2.5 m—though, again, this is exceptional. In general the shortest distance is about 10 m.

	Passenger	Other	Total
(a) 8 am to noon	20	6	26
(b) noon to 4 pm	17	4	21
(c) 4 pm to 8 pm	25	3	28
(d) 8 pm to midnight	14	9	23