"COMMUTERS on the c2c rail line could soon benefit from an extra 1,400 seats on morning peak services.
The rail operator, which runs the line between Shoebury and London Fenchurch Street, has announced its proposals for a new timetable to take effect from May.
It will soon go out to public consultation.
The biggest boon will be for passengers on the Tilbury loop, with the lengthening of the platform at Grays - expected to open at the start of May - to free up hundreds more seats as the station will be able to take eight-carriage trains.
The 6.54am service from Grays would be an eight-carriage service instead of four, and there would be extra stops at Limehouse and West Ham on some services.
There would also be a new 6.55am service from Leigh, stopping at Benfleet, Pitsea and Basildon, and a 5.20pm service from London to Thorpe Bay that would be 12 carriages instead of eight.
Mark Hopwood, managing director for c2c, said: "We'd like to thank Network Rail for extending the platform which unlocks so much potential for providing a better service not only for Grays, but across the entire c2c network.
"Over the last year, we have made a number of positive changes to the timetable and this is the latest in a number of steps to improve timetables for our passengers."
Thurrock Rail Users Group (TRUG) spokesman, Adrian Brown, welcomed the move.
He said: "There will be more coaches deployed where demand is great so crowding levels will reduce particularly on the 0732 which starts from Grays.
"This will give the opportunity to run some additional services between Grays and London."
The work to the platform is to be carried out by Network Rail, which last week was in hot water for overrunning engineering works both at London Liverpool Street station and the West Coast Main Line."
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