An interesting comment in this months (August 2008) Modern Railways
 
QUOTE
 
"It's not only NR that has lost faith in the railway's ability to get things done. Train operators, wary of the fiascos of Rugby and Liverpool Street, are second-guessing all the time. For example, it was c2c that pulled the plug on an Easter possession at Grays to lengthen the turnback siding (sic) [i.e. the bay platform!] there to 8 cars. with only 3 or 4 weeks to go to the blockade, the operator was unimpressed by NR's contingency plans and demanded the job be put off.

 
"So bouncing back the inners at Grays, rather than wasting resources running out to Pitsea, were not achieved for the May timetable change. The latest we heard was that nor will it be done in time for the December change, meaning it will be a whole year behind schedule."
 
UNQUOTE
To recap the extension of platform 3 was the first of a number of improvements planned for the line. The works were to allow more trains to run between Grays and Fenchurch, with no increase in the rolling stock used on the line, as the existing stock would be utilised more efficiently. Without the platform extension, the previously advertised timetable changes cant be implemented.

This does pose a slight worry as if Network Rail cant get their act together with one platform extension, one wonders what problems they will encounter with the proposed 12 carriage extension to all platforms on the Thurrock section of the line, scheduled for the early part of the next decade. However we are still awaiting an official comment from c2c as to the current situation.