§ Bob SpinkTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his policy is for increasing capacity on the London, Tilbury Southend rail line to enable it to meet the Strategic Rail Authority target for passenger numbers; and if he will make a statement. [61097]
§ Mr. JamiesonC2C, the current franchise operator, has introduced new rolling stock and is considering measures to increase the numbers of passengers travelling. The Strategic Rail Authority has commissioned work on a Capacity Utilisation Policy, which is intended ultimately to cover all rail routes. The objective of this work is to ensure that track capacity is used most effectively so that the optimum number of train paths is made available on each route, enabling the greatest number of trains to run.