Editing Great Eastern Main Line (section)

===London and North Eastern Railway (1923–1947)===

The GER was [[List of railway companies involved in the 1923 grouping|grouped]] in 1923 into the [[London and North Eastern Railway]] (LNER). In 1931{{ndash}}32, the LNER quadrupled the tracks to Shenfield which became the terminus for inner-suburban operation.

In the 1930s, a flyover was constructed just west of {{rws|Ilford}} to switch the main and electric lines over, to enable main-line trains to utilise Liverpool Street's longer west side platforms without having to cross east side suburban traffic in the station throat. The new arrangement also facilitated [[cross-platform interchange]] with the [[Central line (London Underground)|Central line]] at {{stnlink|Stratford}}, with services commencing in 1946. Either side of the Ilford flyover there are single-track connections between each pair of lines, with the westbound track extending to {{rws|Manor Park}} and just beyond. The eastbound track extends as far as Ilford station. It was also envisaged that a flyover would be built at the country-end of the carriage sidings at {{rws|Gidea Park}} to allow trains bound for the [[Shenfield to Southend Line|Southend line]] to change from the main line to the electric line, instead of at the London-end of {{rws|Shenfield}} as they do now.

Plans were drawn up in the 1930s to electrify the suburban lines from Liverpool Street to Shenfield at 1,500{{nbsp}}V{{nbsp}}DC and work was started on implementing this. However, the outbreak of the Second World War brought the project to a temporary halt and it was not until 1949 that the scheme was completed with electrification being extended to {{rws|Chelmsford}} in 1956.<ref>{{Cite journal |last = Wilmoth |first = VJ |title = British Railways Electrification |journal = Civil Engineering and Public Works |volume = 51 |issue = 600 |pages = 660–661 |year = 1956 }}</ref>

During [[World War II]], the long-distance named trains were withdrawn, and these returned after the war with the reintroduction of the "Hook Continental" and "Scandinavian" boat trains to [[Harwich International railway station|Harwich Parkeston Quay]] in 1945. The East Anglian (Liverpool Street – Norwich) was restored in October 1946, and in 1947 the "Day Continental" which pre-war had operated as the "Flushing Continental", recommenced operation.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Butcher |first1=Ken |title=Trainspotting at Shenfield 1948-1955 |journal=Great Eastern Journal |date=July 2019 |volume=179 |page=25 }}</ref>