Strategic Route 7 - Great Eastern 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 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...

 that encompasses the Great Eastern Main Line

Great Eastern Main Line

The Great Eastern Main Line is a 212 Kilometre major railway line of the British railway system, which connects Liverpool Street in the City of London with destinations in east London and the East of England, including Chelmsford, Colchester, Ipswich, Norwich and several coastal resorts such as...

 and its various branch lines. The route services the regional centres of Colchester

Colchester

Colchester is an historic town and the largest settlement within the borough of Colchester in Essex, England.At the time of the census in 2001, it had a population of 104,390. However, the population is rapidly increasing, and has been named as one of Britain's fastest growing towns. As the...

, Ipswich

Ipswich

Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...

 and Norwich

Norwich

Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...

 as well as the ports of Felixstowe

Port of Felixstowe

The Port of Felixstowe, in Felixstowe, Suffolk is the UK's busiest container port, dealing with 35% of the country's container cargo. It was developed following the abandonment of a project for a deep-water harbour at Maplin Sands. In 2005, it was ranked as the 28th busiest container port in the...

 and Harwich

Harwich International Port

Harwich International Port is a North Sea seaport in Essex, England. It lies on the south bank of the River Stour one mile upstream from the town of Harwich, opposite Port of Felixstowe...

.

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 7 - Great Eastern	07.01 - Liverpool Street – Shenfield	Great Eastern Main Line Great Eastern Main Line The Great Eastern Main Line is a 212 Kilometre major railway line of the British railway system, which connects Liverpool Street in the City of London with destinations in east London and the East of England, including Chelmsford, Colchester, Ipswich, Norwich and several coastal resorts such as...
	07.02 - Shenfield – Ipswich	Great Eastern Main Line
	07.03 - Ipswich – Norwich	Great Eastern Main Line
	07.04 - Freight Lines	freight only lines within area covered
	07.05 - Shenfield – Southend Victoria/Southminster	Crouch Valley Line Crouch Valley Line The Crouch Valley Line is a branch line from Wickford to Southminster in Essex. It is usually called the Southminster Branch by users of the line, although that is no longer its official name... , Shenfield to Southend Line Shenfield to Southend Line The Shenfield to Southend Line is a railway line from Southend-on-Sea to Shenfield in Essex. Almost all trains continue through to London Liverpool Street along the Great Eastern Main Line...
	07.06 - Braintree Branch	Braintree Branch Line Braintree Branch Line The Braintree Branch Line is a branch line from Witham to Braintree in Essex, England.The line diverges from the Great Eastern Main Line at Witham. Passenger services are currently operated by National Express East Anglia...
	07.07 - Harwich Branch	Mayflower Line Mayflower Line The Mayflower Line is a branch railway line from Manningtree to Harwich in the county of Essex in England. Passenger services are operated by National Express East Anglia...
	07.08 - Walton and Clacton Branches	Sunshine Coast Line
	07.09 - Romford – Upminster	Romford to Upminster Line Romford to Upminster Line The Romford to Upminster Line or Upminster Branch Line is a branch line between Romford and Upminster in the London Borough of Havering. The line is part of the Network Rail Strategic Route 7, SRS 07.09, and is classified as a rural line...
	07.10 - Sudbury to Marks Tey	Gainsborough Line
	07.11 - East Suffolk line and Norfolk Branches	Bittern Line Bittern Line The Bittern Line is a railway line from Norwich to Cromer then Sheringham in Norfolk, England. It is one of the most scenic in the East of England traversing the Norfolk Broads on its route to the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty on the North Norfolk Coast. The line is part of the Network Rail... , East Suffolk Line East Suffolk Line The East Suffolk Line is an un-electrified secondary railway line running between Ipswich and Lowestoft in Suffolk, England. The traffic along the route consists of passenger services operated by National Express East Anglia, while nuclear flask trains for the Sizewell nuclear power stations are... , Wherry Lines Wherry Lines The Wherry Lines are railway lines in England, from Norwich to Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft. These lines pass through The Broads. The line is part of the Network Rail Strategic Route 7, SRS 07.11 and is classified as a rural line...
	07.12 - Felixstowe – Ipswich Yard	Felixstowe Branch Line Felixstowe Branch Line The Felixstowe Branch Line is a railway line from Ipswich to Felixstowe in Suffolk. The line follows the East Suffolk Line from Ipswich to Westerfield, and then diverges to the south. Passenger services are operated by National Express East Anglia...

Railway planning

As part of Network Rail's Strategic Business Plan a Route Plan for each route, including Route 7, is published annually. The Route 7 plans for 2008 and 2009 are made available online.

Together with 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 and Route 6

Network Rail Route 6 (North London Line and Thameside)

Strategic Route 6 - North London Line and Thameside is the designation given by Network Rail to a grouping of railway lines in Greater London and the East of England region that encompasses the London, Tilbury and Southend Line and overground commuter lines within London...

 - North London Line and Thameside 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...

.

Proposed developments

The Greater Anglia RUS includes a number of proposals for the future development of the route.
In the medium term, 2009-14, this includes minor infrastructure works and additional rolling stock to allow main line peak-service trains to be extended to 12-car formation.
Also included is the proposal for the extension of platforms at Stratford

Stratford, London

Stratford is a place in the London Borough of Newham, England. It is located east northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major centres identified in the London Plan. It was historically an agrarian settlement in the ancient parish of West Ham, which transformed into an industrial suburb...

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 6.