Strategic Route 6 - North London Line and Thameside is the designation given by Network Rail

Network Rail

Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...

 to a grouping of railway lines in Greater London

Greater London

Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and the 32 London boroughs. This territory is coterminate with the London Government Office Region and the London...

 and the East of England

East of England

The East of England is one of the nine official regions of England. It was created in 1994 and was adopted for statistics from 1999. It includes the ceremonial counties of Essex, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk. Essex has the highest population in the region.Its...

 region that encompasses the London, Tilbury and Southend Line and overground

London Overground

London Overground is a suburban rail network in London and Hertfordshire. It has been operated by London Overground Rail Operations since 2007 as part of the National Rail network, under the franchise control and branding of Transport for London...

 commuter lines within London. The route provides key services to Southend and London suburban areas as well as supporting various freight routes within London.

Strategic route sections

The Route is divided into a number of separate Strategic Route Sections (SRS's) that are defined based on route use, infrastructure and historical lines.

Route	Strategic Route Sections (SRS)	Corresponding historical lines (whole & partial)
Route 6 - North London Line and Thameside	06.01 - NLL: Gospel Oak – Stratford	North London Line North London Line The North London Line is a railway line which passes through the inner suburbs of north London, England. Its route is a rough semicircle from the south west to the north east, avoiding central London. The line is owned and maintained by Network Rail...
	06.02 - Fenchurch Street – Shoeburyness	London, Tilbury and Southend Line
	06.03 - Forest Gate Jn – Barking	Gospel Oak to Barking Line Gospel Oak to Barking line The Gospel Oak – Barking Line is a railway line in north and east London which connects Gospel Oak in North London and Barking in East London as part of the London Overground network. It is sometimes known as the Goblin , although this is a nickname rather than an official title...
	06.04 - Barking – Pitsea	London, Tilbury and Southend Line
	06.05 - Gospel Oak – Woodgrange Park	Gospel Oak to Barking Line
	06.06 - NLL: Willesden Jn– Gospel Oak	North London Line
	06.07 - NLL: Richmond/Old Kew Jn – Willesden Jn	North London Line
	06.08 - Other Freight Lines	Various freight lines
	06.09 - NLL: No1 Lines	Freight line
	06.10 - Dudding Hill Line	Freight line

Railway planning

As part of Network Rail's Strategic Business Plan a Route Plan for each route, including Route 6, is published annually. The Route 6 plans for 2008 and 2009 are made available online.

Together with Route 7

Network Rail Route 7 (Great Eastern)

Strategic Route 7 - Great Eastern is the designation given by Network Rail to a grouping of railway lines in the East of England that encompasses the Great Eastern Main Line and its various branch lines...

 - Great Eastern and Route 5

Network Rail Route 5 (West Anglia)

Strategic Route 5 - West Anglia is the designation given by Network Rail to a grouping of railway lines in the East of England that encompasses the West Anglia Main Line and its various branch lines...

 - West Anglia, the London, Tilbury and Southend Line section of the route is included in the Greater Anglia Route Utilisation Strategy

Network Rail Greater Anglia Route Utilisation Strategy

The Greater Anglia Route Utilisation Strategy is a Route Utilisation Strategy published by Network Rail in December 2007. It was the sixth RUS to be produced. The area covered includes the whole of Route 5 West Anglia and Route 7 Great Eastern , which both focus for passenger purposes on London...

. The North London Lines section of the route is included in the Cross London Route Utilisation Strategy

Network Rail Cross London Route Utilisation Strategy

The Cross London Route Utilisation Strategy was the second of the route utilisation strategies published by Network Rail , in August 2006...

.

Proposed developments

The Greater Anglia RUS

Network Rail Greater Anglia Route Utilisation Strategy

The Greater Anglia Route Utilisation Strategy is a Route Utilisation Strategy published by Network Rail in December 2007. It was the sixth RUS to be produced. The area covered includes the whole of Route 5 West Anglia and Route 7 Great Eastern , which both focus for passenger purposes on London...

includes a number of proposal for the future development of the route.
In the medium term, 2009-14, this includes minor infrastructure works and additional rolling stock to allow all main line peak-service trains to be extended to 12-car formation.
Also included is the proposal for the extension of platforms on the Tilbury loop and Ockendon branch to handle 12 cars, to allow all main line peak-service trains to be extended to 8 or 12-car formation.
In the longer term intentions are to continue the lengthening of peak trains to 12-car formation. Enhancements to the power supply of the route are intended for completion by 2012 to interface with those carried out on Route 5 and Route 7.