A railfreight terminal will put a huge strain on the Midland main line, threatening to delay express as well as local trains, a former timetable manager has told the inquiry.

St Albans city centre resident Eric Roberts drew on his railway career experience, including managing the section of line past the proposed goods yard, to present a detailed argument against the project, including an analysis of the available train pathways.

He said: “Off-peak during the day, there are just five slots into the terminal – and at a considerable risk to performance.

“If these proposed freightliners cannot come by day, this must surely mean a predominantly nigh-time operation.

“This has serious planning implications for noise, light pollution and the way the terminal operates.

“Night-time freight trains will also impact essential track maintenance.

“The impact will affect the entire line of route from Sheffield, the east Midlands cities, the ever-growing towns of Kettering and Wellingborough, across London right down to the south coast.”

He added that tunnels at Elstree and Belsize Park would need costly improvements to allow them to take large freight trains.

Mr Roberts, who referred to a map of the track layout at Radlett Station to demonstrate the problems off access, concluded: “Please dismiss this appeal. At the very least there must be proper conditions that ensure all the rail access and pathways are possible and deliverable before any work starts.”

In cross-examination, he admitted his track layout map was simplified, but claimed that a full map would show the problems were even greater.