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Notes to editors

The Anglia route covers two direct commuting routes into the City of London, the densely populated areas to the north, east and west of London, the largest container port in the country at Felixstowe, the major cities of Cambridge and Norwich, but also the rural countryside and market towns of Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk.
The Great Eastern route, West Anglia route, North London Line and the Thameside routes from Shoeburyness to London are intense commuter routes into and around London, but also support a significant leisure market outside the peak and at weekends. The cross country routes between Ipswich, Norwich and Peterborough provide key links to the North and Midlands. The rural routes in Norfolk and Suffolk provide key links between the major towns and cities, and the coast at Felixstowe, Lowestoft, Great Yarmouth and Cromer.
The Great Eastern main line runs from Liverpool Street to Norwich via Chelmsford and Ipswich. The West Anglia line runs from Liverpool Street, through the towns of Cheshunt, BrNoxbourne, Harlow, Bishop's Stortford and Audley End before reaching Cambridge, with two branches serving Hertford and Stansted Airport.

Key projects over the next five years include:-

• Completion of Crossrail will transform commuter services between Shenfield and London Liverpool Street, and a new Crossrail station at London Liverpool Street
• Rebuild Bow Junction creating more space for trains to arrive and leave from London Liverpool Street
• Complete upgrading overhead power lines on the Great Eastern Main Line between Liverpool Street and Chelmsford and Southend
• Replace ageing tracks around Colchester and extend platform 6 to improve day to day services. Phase two of track and points renewal starts in 2015
• Continue improving safety at level crossings, close level crossings where possible as well as investing in new technology
• Rebuild Ely Junction North relieving congestion between Norwich and Cambridge on the West Anglia line
• Replace a vital rail junction at Pitsea reducing the number of days the section of track needs closing for route improvement work every year
• A new rail operating centre (ROC) will open in Romford, controlling the entire railway in the Anglia region covering parts of London, Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire
• The Thameslink programme will provide more passengers from Cambridge with new trains and access to more direct services to the south coast
• Working with Transport for London to bring longer trains to the Overground and electrifying the Gospel Oak to Barking line creating more space for passenger and freight services
• Continue to upgrade the cross-country route from Felixstowe to the West Midlands providing more space for freight, relieving the congested the Great Eastern main line and taking freight off the roads