Having re-read an article on the new port at London Gateway, I've noticed that the branch line feeds all traffic towards Tilbury and London. This has got me wondering if some form of access from the north is possible, to take advantage of all the Ipswich-Nuneaton improvements and avoid the NLL.
Thames Haven Junction doesn't look very promising. There is a gap in the houses, but it happens to be the course of a stream called Mucking Creek, which would need re-routing if a railway was to go through there (it doesn't look natural, but I don't know the area). This looks like the major stumbling block.
Pitsea station to west of Rayleigh station is somewhat more likely, since one the line is through Pitsea, it could follow the A130 (roughly) until it turned westwards onto the Southend Victoria Branch.
Mountnessing East Curve is also possible, since the land inside the current Shenfield Junction is currently fields. It also presents an opportunity to justify quadrupling the GEML to Clacton.
So, are there other ways to do this? Will there be enough traffic to justify it? Will anything like it ever happen?
Thames Haven Junction doesn't look very promising. There is a gap in the houses, but it happens to be the course of a stream called Mucking Creek, which would need re-routing if a railway was to go through there (it doesn't look natural, but I don't know the area). This looks like the major stumbling block.
Pitsea station to west of Rayleigh station is somewhat more likely, since one the line is through Pitsea, it could follow the A130 (roughly) until it turned westwards onto the Southend Victoria Branch.
Mountnessing East Curve is also possible, since the land inside the current Shenfield Junction is currently fields. It also presents an opportunity to justify quadrupling the GEML to Clacton.
So, are there other ways to do this? Will there be enough traffic to justify it? Will anything like it ever happen?