Essex is set to share in a £33.5bn cash injection to ease overcrowding and boost rail services into London.

The plan, from the Strategic Rail Authority, seeks to halt "almost three decades of consistent under-investment in Britain's railway."

The blueprint centres on improvements to routes into London like c2c and Great Eastern, and includes:

1,700 new train coaches on busy south-east England routes by 2004

£370m of improvements at 1,000 stations by 2004 as part of a £700m programme involving track and signalling schemes at 100 locations by 2007

Measures to combat overcrowding on routes into London and a fresh look at the fares structure

Possibly combining existing franchises to ease congestion at main London stations like Liverpool Street

Moves to improve train staff training through a national rail academy, better project planning and better information about the state of rail infrastructure.

A c2c spokesman said the news which will mean investment in London and south-east routes which carry 70 per cent of passengers is welcome, but will need scrutiny.

Graham Bashford said: "We welcome any investment, but we will have to study it in more detail to see what all the implications are."

The £33.5bn is £4.4bn more than first announced in summer 2000 in the Government's ten-year transport plan.

Published Monday January 14, 2002