Gateway will bring 'rail chaos'

Government plans to develop tens of thousands of new homes in the Thames Gateway to ease pressure on London will be crippled by the area's poor rail networks, it was claimed today.

A sudden increase in commuters trying to get from the Thames Gateway into the capital will overwhelm local trains that are already struggling.

According to a report published today by the watchdog, Rail Passengers Committee for Southern England, firms operating in the Thames Gateway have made no plans to increase the number of trains they run each day.

Yet the Government wants to see 120,000 new properties built in the region by 2016 to house the capital's expanding workforce.

Tim Nicholson, the committee's chairman, said the failure to plan ahead could lead to travel chaos.

The Strategic Rail Authority, which is overseeing the franchise for train operators in the region, said it had asked all bidders to include provision for the expanding population.