Train loads were restricted through the tunnel section, and there was little scope for running longer and fewer trains. More paths were available for goods trains after the cessation of passenger services in 1916. Freight traffic continued and was of considerable importance in both World Wars. With the decline of wagonload freight traffic from the 1960s and the National Freight Train Plan of 1968, more use was made of the West London Line, allowing the Widened Lines to be abandoned for such traffic.