# LONDON | Network Rail: Overground, Thameslink, Crossrail



## hkskyline

*St. Pancras Eurostar - Thameslink Terminal*

*Rail link to Eurostar? Sorry, you'll have to walk *
Ben Webster Transport Correspondent 
5 May 2005
The Times

Thousands of people travelling by train to the Continent will have to pass through a "ghost station" because the Government has delayed funding its completion. 

A vast hole below St Pancras station, London, has been built to accommodate a new Thameslink station, but ministers have failed to provide the Pounds 70 million needed to fit it with platforms and escalators. 

As a result, passengers wanting to transfer from Thameslink to Eurostar services will have to drag their suitcases a third of a mile along congested streets. The existing, overcrowded Thameslink station is a ten-minute walk from St Pancras across two busy road junctions. 

St Pancras and King's Cross are together due to become Britain's biggest rail hub when the second section of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL) opens in summer 2007. Up to 100,000 passengers an hour will pass through the hub. Waterloo International will close and Eurostar trains from Paris and Brussels will terminate at St Pancras. 

The Central London section of the Thameslink line has been closed for nine months while the 400-yard box has been built beneath St Pancras. Union Railways, the company building it, offered to start fitting it out while the line was closed. 

But the Government would not make a committment to funding the project and the box will lie empty indefinitely. 

Thameslink trains will start running through the box from May 16 but will not be able to stop there because there are no station facilities. Union Railways said it would take at least two years to build the station and that, with funding still uncertain, it was unlikely to be ready until 2008 at the earliest. 

Paul Charles, Eurostar communications director, said: "It is extremely frustrating that the new Thameslink station will not be ready for when Eurostar starts running to St Pancras. This was meant to be the showpiece hub for the 21st century but without Thameslink it will lose some of its shine." 

Brian Cooke, chairman of the London Transport Users Committee, wrote yesterday to Mike Mitchell, the Government's director-general of railways, demanding an immediate decision on funding the station. "This is the last piece in the jigsaw of this huge interchange and it's a great shame that the Government has not yet given the go-ahead," he said. "The Pounds 60 million to Pounds 70 million it would cost is petty cash compared with the Pounds 5 billion being spent on CTRL. 

Passengers travelling on Thameslink from Gatwick and Luton to St Pancras will be hugely inconvenienced." 

The delay means that Thameslink passengers, who have already endured 35 weeks of disruption, face more line closures when the box is eventually fitted out. The delay is expected to add at least Pounds 10 million to the total cost of the project. Transport for London is drawing up an emergency plan to rescue the scheme and is considering whether it can find the Pounds 70 million from its own budget. 

But it remains unclear whether TfL could find a contractor able to complete the work by the summer of 2007. 

The Department for Transport said: "We need to look further at options for the Thameslink box, including timing."


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## Frog

its a disgrace :bash:


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## nick_taylor

Interesting news, on the otherhand the new Kings Cross Ticket Hall has begun which is slap bang next door to St Pancras.

On another note, this combined station would be pretty immense, especially if its true as the article states that there would be around 100,000 passengers per hour funnelling through the St Pancras Kings Cross uber-interchange of: Circle, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan, Northern, Piccadilly and Victoria Underground lines, Eurostar, Thameslink, Midland Mainline and WAGN commuter & regional trains!!!! Crazy!!!


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## Bitxofo

Silly politicians!!
:bash:


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## nicksanderson

Why does it cost £70 million to tile the walls and put in a couple of escaltors?

The plans to redevelop the space between KX and StP can be seen on www.alwaystouchout.com and are fantastic!


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## Urban Dave

:rofl: In every country politicians are the same rubbish!


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## CharlieP

nick-taylor said:


> Interesting news, on the otherhand the new Kings Cross Ticket Hall has begun which is slap bang next door to St Pancras.
> 
> On another note, this combined station would be pretty immense, especially if its true as the article states that there would be around 100,000 passengers per hour funnelling through the St Pancras Kings Cross uber-interchange of: Circle, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan, Northern, Piccadilly and Victoria Underground lines, Eurostar, Thameslink, Midland Mainline and WAGN commuter & regional trains!!!! Crazy!!!


I went down to London a month ago - next to the stairs down to the Underground from the concourse at Kings Cross there were a number of 3D illustrations of the new ticket halls which looked very impressive, but I had to leg it to catch my train so didn't get the chance to stop and have a proper look. Does anybody know where they (or any similar ones) are online?


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## LondonerUpNorth

The completed station will be mighty impressive, 9 levels in total I think! Hopefully now with Labour back in the funding should come soon. Typical polititians though! Sigh...


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## nick_taylor

View of the new station in question - picture taken 27/04/2005


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## samsonyuen

I hope funding gets freed up for this. If you're going to start a job, finish it.


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## SE9

*London Overground Trains*

These trains are lesser known (worldwide) than the undergound trains. They mainly serve the London suburbs, and some go out into the London metro region. They operate from major terminus' like Charing Cross, Victoria, Liverpool Street, Paddington and Kings Cross/St.Pancras etc.

The network is very extensive. On the map below, the overground lines are shown in Black & White. (the underground lines are shown in colour)













South Eastern Trains operate suburban rail services for South East London and the county of Kent. Here is how their rolling stock has changed over the years:


*British Rail Class 411 (1963) [to be withdrawn from service this year]*












*British Rail Class 421 (1972) [withdrawn from service in 2004]*




















*British Rail Class 423 (1974) [to be withdrawn from service this year]*




















*British Rail Class 508 (1980) [withdrawn from Southern London service because of unpopularity]*




















*British Rail Class 465 "networker" (1991) [still in operation]*




















*British Rail Class 365 (1994) [transferred to another company in 2004]*





















*British Rail Classes 375 and 376 "electrostar" and "suburban electrostar" (2005) [in operation]*























Here are trains from other London Metro Operators:

*c2c*




























*Anglia*









*
Thames Trains*


















*
South Western*


















*

Chiltern*


















*
Heathrow Express*


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## chiccoplease

I bet you had trouble searching for these pics. The newer trains are a rarity in London. How many are there? Two?


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## nick_taylor

chiccoplease said:


> I bet you had trouble searching for these pics. The newer trains are a rarity in London. How many are there? Two?


Thats 1 more than Germany though!








A large variety of London operating trains - inc some unique trains on scenic tours that set off from London 




















































































































































































































































































A better rail map that shows the overground lines better than hidden behind in the previous map example.


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## nick_taylor




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## SE9

^^yep that 1 is better


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## Bitxofo

Great photos and wonderful maps!
kay:
Thanks to everybody!!
:wink2:


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## chiccoplease

nick-taylor said:


> Thats 1 more than Germany though!
> 
> 
> A better rail map that shows the overground lines better than hidden behind in the previous map example.


No need to bring up Germany and post Eurostar pictures to prove how modern the trains in the UK are (lol). This thread is about the overground trains in London..


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## nick_taylor

chiccoplease said:


> No need to bring up Germany and post Eurostar pictures to prove how modern the trains in the UK are (lol). This thread is about the overground trains in London..


Technically Eurostar is an overground train - it operates within London and across London. When the CTRL is complete it will stop at 2 stations within the city proper. Also the Eurostar is far from new, there are other rolling stock, mainly that of South-West Trains which I use which offer a far nicer ride.


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## IshikawajimaHarima

these are so colorful and tasteless trains..











is this newest? ugly face but windows and doors are nice..











this is cool...


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## JDRS

These are Chiltern line trains.


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## Trainman Dave

I understnd that the DLR franchise is vertically integrated, i.e. the same company built and maintains the tracks as well as operating the Vehicles on the route. 

London Overground tracks are maintained by Network Rail and operated by MTR/Laing, i.e it not a vertically integrated franchise.


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## iampuking

Trainman Dave said:


> I understnd that the DLR franchise is vertically integrated, i.e. the same company built and maintains the tracks as well as operating the Vehicles on the route.
> 
> London Overground tracks are maintained by Network Rail and operated by MTR/Laing, i.e it not a vertically integrated franchise.


I didn't know what you meant by "vertically integrated", sorry, but I don't know all this business lingo.

What exactly are the unions complaining about? Are they claiming that this is the first sign of a long line to full privatisation?

I'm still unclear over what they mean by "operating", does that mean they manage the staff, timetables etc? But do TfL still "overlook" everything to make sure they don't step out of line?


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## Trainman Dave

TfL is the franchising authority for local transport in London, so it "overlooks" all the franchisees.

However it also operates the London Underground (i.e. the running of the trains) and this is not franchised to a private company (TOC). TfL is a public sector organization. As the East London Line was a part of the London Underground system, it was operated by public employees. TfL is removing the ELL from LU (i.e. publically operated) and transferring it to London Overground which is franchised to the MTR/Laing (a TOC). Thus "privatizing" those jobs which are now public sector jobs. That is what the unions are complaining about! They don't want to loose the benefits of public employment! They are also afraid that TfL may try privatize other sections of the LU

Vertical Integration is phrase to describe the integration of all components of a railway into a single company. BR was "vertically integrated" but privatization tore that all appart into separate organizations responsible for operation the trains (the TOCs), organizations reposponsible for owning the trains (the ROSCOs) and and Network Rail which owns and maintains the tracks.

In contrast one company, built the DLR tracks, maintains them and operates the trains, thus it is vertically integrated. One of the very few transportation operations left in the UK which is.


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## iampuking

Trainman Dave said:


> TfL is the franchising authority for local transport in London, so it "overlooks" all the franchisees.
> 
> However it also operates the London Underground (i.e. the running of the trains) and this is not franchised to a private company (TOC). TfL is a public sector organization. As the East London Line was a part of the London Underground system, it was operated by public employees. TfL is removing the ELL from LU (i.e. publically operated) and transferrring it to London Overground which is franchised to the MTR/Kaing (a TOC). Thus "privatizing" those jobs which are now public sector jobs. That is what the unions are complaing about! They don't to loose the benefits of public employment! THey are also affraid that TfL may try privatize other sections of the LU
> 
> Vertical Integration is phrase to describe the integration of all components of a railway into a single company. BR was "vertically integrated" but privatization tore that all appart into separate organizations responsible for operation the trains (the TOCs), organizations reposponsible for owning the trains (the ROSCOs) and and Network Rail which owns and maintains the tracks.
> 
> In contrast one company, built the DLR tracks, maintains them and operates the trains, thus it is vertically integrated. One of the very few transportation operations left in the UK which is.


Really useful, thanks a bunch!


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## sarflonlad

*London's Crossrail ("RER") Finally Gets the Go Ahead*

From the BBC:



> Crossrail gets the green signal
> 
> Construction on Crossrail would start in 2010
> The £16bn Crossrail scheme to build a new rail line through the centre of London has been given the go-ahead by Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
> Construction for the link - connecting Maidenhead, Berkshire, to Essex through London - will start in 2010.
> 
> Train services are expected to be running in a decade.
> 
> The government is providing a third of the money with the rest made up from borrowing against future fares and a levy on London business rates.
> 
> Mr Brown said the project was of "enormous importance, not just for London but for the whole country" and would generate an additional 30,000 jobs for the city.
> 
> Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly said the project had "eluded all previous governments" due to the funding gap and that the scheme would leave a lasting transport legacy.
> 
> Crossrail was first proposed in the 1980s, but supporters have had difficulty in securing the funding.
> 
> 'Giant jigsaw'
> 
> Describing the move as a "internationally recognisable vote of confidence" in London's economy, Mayor Ken Livingstone said: "Crossrail is not just a transport scheme, it is the key to the next 20 years of economic development of London."
> 
> "Crossrail will provide the transport underpinning for the greatest centres of London's business... as well as linking these areas of high jobs growth to the areas of greatest deprivation in east London and opening up the areas of new housing development in the Thames Gateway."
> 
> 
> See map of Crossrail route
> Baroness Valentine, chief executive of business group London First, said the project was like a "piecing together a giant jigsaw".
> 
> "Crucially for London's future, when Chinese and Indian businesses consider where to site their European HQs, they will see in London a world city investing in its future."
> 
> Crossrail will provide 24 trains an hour into the heart of London from the east and west, improving rail links to the West End, the City and the Docklands business district.
> 
> As well as adding capacity to London's overcrowded tube network, it will improve links to Heathrow and other airports.
> 
> The bulk of the construction will involve digging two 10-mile tunnels deep under central London between Paddington and Stratford stations.
> 
> The government says the cost of the scheme is outweighed by the economic benefit - calculated at £20bn.
> 
> Earlier this week, the City of London Corporation agreed to help meet a funding gap that was holding back the scheme.
> 
> The authority voted to support "a financial contribution" to the project, which had stalled over a shortfall of up to £400m.
> 
> After nearly 20 years, it may be that Crossrail joins the other major cross-capital route, Thameslink, in finally achieving financing.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> High-speed link
> Planned operational date 2015
> From Maidenhead and Heathrow in west
> From Shenfield and Abbey Wood in east
> Through central London tunnels
> New stations at Paddington, Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon, Liverpool Street, Whitechapel and Canary Wharf


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## sarflonlad

*The Proposed London 2016 Transport Map*

The Purple Line dotted line through the Centre is the new Crossrail Line.


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## sarflonlad

*Route in Detail*


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## GNU

Great, right now it reall takes time to cross the city with the Circle Line or the other train lines.


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## Tubeman

If the diggers moved in tomorrow I'd be positive about this, but the 'starting in 2010' thing doesn't reassure me one bit.


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## sarflonlad

Tubeman said:


> If the diggers moved in tomorrow I'd be positive about this, but the 'starting in 2010' thing doesn't reassure me one bit.


They've already dug some bore holes 

I'd rather it doesn't start for another decade to be honest.

You could do so much more for £16bn/$32bn.


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## iampuking

Why is it starting construction so late?

Also, won't it effectively make the Central line obsolete?

And what the hell has happenned to the tube map?!?


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## Evil Bert

I live near slough and finding it hard to see the point of this network stopping at so many places like Iver and Langley.

I could easily get a first great western that takes me staight into london padington in 25 mins and then change for an underground and still prob beat the cross rail into central london.

I'm only just knit picking at this, it is probably going to benifit isolated areas much better.


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## eusebius

^^ Er, my guess would be that crossrail's purpose is not to only serve commuters travelling into the city but to offer cross (the city) rail connections. E.g. you live in Slough and travel to Romford.


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## Evil Bert

Then my point would be, why not start crossrail at paddington and perhaps save the rail line from having slower trains stopping more frequently in favour of High speed trains straight from major towns?


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## Tubeman

iampuking said:


> Why is it starting construction so late?
> 
> Also, won't it effectively make the Central line obsolete?
> 
> And what the hell has happenned to the tube map?!?


Re: the Central Line... Not really

Crossrail won't be competing for any suburban Central line commuters except for perhaps at Ealing Broadway and Stratford, everywhere else to West Ruslip or at the Eastern end of the line will be untouched by Crossrail competition. One great benefit would be to take the strain off the Stratford - Bank section, with hopefully a significant number of Central line customers transferring onto Crossrail at Stratford.

That's the whole point of a scheme like Crossrail: to take the strain off east-west Tube lines... I certainly don't think the Central line would become 'obsolete' by any stretch of the imagination.


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## Tubeman

Evil Bert said:


> I live near slough and finding it hard to see the point of this network stopping at so many places like Iver and Langley.
> 
> I could easily get a first great western that takes me staight into london padington in 25 mins and then change for an underground and still prob beat the cross rail into central london.
> 
> I'm only just knit picking at this, it is probably going to benifit isolated areas much better.


There's no reason why Crossrail can't run fast and slow services as the mainlines at each end (GWR ex-Paddington and GER ex-Liverpool Street) are both quadruple and already run fast, semi-fast and slow services.

You could have the Gidea Park all stations service linked up with the Greenford all stations service to create a 'slow' all stations Crossrail running alongside fast services perhaps stopping Reading / Slough / Ealing Broadway and Stratford / Ilford / Romford / Billericay / Shenfield only.


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## Grygry

sarflonlad said:


>


Cool to see so much dotted lines on this map, man!

I lived in London from 1996 to 2000 and this Greater London Authority ant the subsequent investment in transports is one of the things this city needed most.

A really big project, I am kind of impressed to see how it got financially backed. Paris took 20 years to contemplate Orbitale (a round Paris underground) and it is still a preliminary project (called Metropherique nowadays!). I heard different figures : cost of 16bn pounds, and benefits of 30bn quids over 50 years (or am I confused with euros???)

Evil Bert, I don't think any sound town planning policy would recommend fast commuting transports over such long distances, and encourage city workers to live in Slough! Anyway, you only are ten stops away from Paddington so it's not that bad isn't it?


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## ChrisZwolle

That's very expensive. How long would this one be?


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## sweek

Chriszwolle said:


> That's very expensive. How long would this one be?


16 km of tunnels, 60 km total, and 38 stations.


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## Tubeman

sweek said:


> 16 km of tunnels, 60 km total, and 38 stations.


That's a little misleading... I count only 7 actually new stations (as in new platforms):

Paddington
Bond Street
Tottenham Court Road
Farringdon
Liverpool Street
Whitechapel
Isle of Dogs


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## GNU

Is it really necessary to have stations in Bond Street and Tottenham Court Road at the same time?
I would imagine that one sation in this area should be sufficient.


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## Acemcbuller

GNU said:


> Is it really necessary to have stations in Bond Street and Tottenham Court Road at the same time?
> I would imagine that one station in this area should be sufficient.


If there were not two station it would only increase the existing overcrowding of the middle part of the central line. This way as well as the central line it connects to two other North-South lines (Jubilee and Northern). This will improve access to Crossrail and distribution of people arriving ion it.
It would be nice to link to the Victoria line as well but I am guessing that since Oxford Circus is already overcrowded and it would it was ruled out


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## lasdun

platform overcrowding was the problem at oxford circus, but to be honest, the streets above also can not take any more people around the juntction. Bond street and TCR seem to be a great solution. Interchange with Crossrail Two at TCR will make the victoria unimportant anyway.

Part of me thinks that they should rename bond street or tcr as "oxford street" as I am sure that a lot of the passengers at Ox circus are looking for the shops.


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## Xusein

Will Crossrail be part of the London Overground network, when finished?


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## Gil

Tubeman said:


> That's a little misleading... I count only 7 actually new stations (as in new platforms):
> 
> Paddington
> Bond Street
> Tottenham Court Road
> Farringdon
> Liverpool Street
> Whitechapel
> Isle of Dogs


The map only shows the central section of the Underground Network, so of course you can't see all of the stations on the map that was posted. A few of the stations near the termini are indicated on the map in the first post.


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## iampuking

TenRot said:


> Will Crossrail be part of the London Overground network, when finished?


Nope, Crossrail goes through the centre, Overground goes round the outside... They're not related and are completely different systems.


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## Martin S

Crossrail is not intended as an RER. It will be a service of stopping trains with relatively short distances between the stations. Someone travelling from Maidenhead to Canary Wharf will stop at 20 stations on route.

Effectively, Crossrail is a main line gauge tube line. It's great advantage will be its larger size and capacity.


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## sweek

Tubeman said:


> That's a little misleading... I count only 7 actually new stations (as in new platforms):
> 
> Paddington
> Bond Street
> Tottenham Court Road
> Farringdon
> Liverpool Street
> Whitechapel
> Isle of Dogs


Well, yes. And of course a lot of the track isn't new either; it will be taking over the slow lines west of Paddington. Just to clarify.


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## Cherguevara

Won't Woolwich be new, hence all the hoo hah about who has to pay for it?


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## iampuking

And aren't some overground stations going to be extensively 'modernised'?


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## Electrify

So is this going to be part of the Tube, National Rail, or its own special network???


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## iampuking

National Rail I think.


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## Tubeman

Gil said:


> The map only shows the central section of the Underground Network, so of course you can't see all of the stations on the map that was posted. A few of the stations near the termini are indicated on the map in the first post.


Read my post dear :|


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## Tubeman

Cherguevara said:


> Won't Woolwich be new, hence all the hoo hah about who has to pay for it?


The Woolwich station is unlikely I fear


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## Tubeman

Electrify said:


> So is this going to be part of the Tube, National Rail, or its own special network???


NR


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## Cherguevara

> Woolwich
> 
> There was demand for a station, located in Woolwich, to be added to the bill, but the cost for this new station to be built would have been too great, and so, was rejected by the government initially. However, after talks between Greenwich council and Berkeley Homes on how to find the £162 million required, plans for a Crossrail station at Woolwich were resubmitted to the Secretary of State.[11] On the 22nd March 2007 the government announced that Woolwich would be reintroduced into the bill.[12]
> 
> The station is currently planned to be situated between two stations that are currently on the bill on the Abbey Wood branch: Custom House and Abbey Wood.


Although it is wikipedia, so pinches of salt are due.


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## Xusein

iampuking said:


> Nope, Crossrail goes through the centre, Overground goes round the outside... They're not related and are completely different systems.


I guess I wasn't very clear, sorry...I meant will Crossrail be maintained by TfL and treated as part of the Overground network or has that not been figured out yet (It's still a long way off until completion).


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## Tubeman

TenRot said:


> I guess I wasn't very clear, sorry...I meant will Crossrail be maintained by TfL and treated as part of the Overground network or has that not been figured out yet (It's still a long way off until completion).


I wouldn't be surprised if TFL weigh in with a lot of influence over Crossrail operations, if not ultimate control. It will have to be a franchise in its own right, so it may well end up with TFL finding a partner to bid for it with (like MTR for Overground).


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## trainrover

Tubeman said:


> If the diggers moved in tomorrow I'd be positive about this, but the 'starting in 2010' thing doesn't reassure me one bit.


Me neither, especially when reading nothing more than some intention in the following excerpt from the posted article:


> Construction on Crossrail would start in 2010


Sorry, but "would" signifies no go-ahead. London needs these crossrail lines real bad........what's become of the proposed north-south line?


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## iampuking

North-south line? We aren't in Singapore! It's called the "Chelney line" or "Chelsea-Hackney line" or maybe Crossrail 2 :|

And nothing has become of it unfortunately.


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## Tubeman

Tubeman said:


> I wouldn't be surprised if TFL weigh in with a lot of influence over Crossrail operations, if not ultimate control. It will have to be a franchise in its own right, so it may well end up with TFL finding a partner to bid for it with (like MTR for Overground).


I read today that full control of Crossrail is being handed to the Mayor (therefore TFL)


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## Xusein

^^ I guess my question is answered.


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## iampuking

Tubeman said:


> I read today that full control of Crossrail is being handed to the Mayor (therefore TFL)


Does that mean it'll get a roundel? :nuts:


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## Tubeman

iampuking said:


> Does that mean it'll get a roundel? :nuts:



Wouldn't surprise me, although they'll be running out of colour combinations for all these roundels. I think they should all be 'proper' blue bar / red ring like the Underground, with the mode written across the bar (i.e. Streets, DLR, Rivertaxi, Overground, Crossrail etc)... all the different colour roundels look sacriligeous to the original design.


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## Castle_Bravo

Actually it doesn't look like the RER system in Paris. 38stations-60 km, it sounds more like a tube line, so what's the difference? Will there be double decker trains or something like that?


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## Minato ku

Actually it look similar at the RER A.

RER A Frequency 90's in rush hour


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## iampuking

Castle_Bravo said:


> Actually it doesn't look like the RER system in Paris. 38stations-60 km, it sounds more like a tube line, so what's the difference? Will there be double decker trains or something like that?


Have you ever been on a tube line? I think you'll find full sized cars and 20 foot wide tunnels are a bit of a rarity.


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## Tubeman

Castle_Bravo said:


> Actually it doesn't look like the RER system in Paris. 38stations-60 km, it sounds more like a tube line, so what's the difference? Will there be double decker trains or something like that?


It's completely in keeping with the RER concept: linking suburban mainline routes via new tunnels under the city centre. The difference with the Tube is it's built to mainline loading gauges, 25Kv AC OLE, and links existing suburban mainline routes at either end.


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## sarflonlad

I don't think they'll use a roundel to be honest. Them in those home counties won't want to see Red Ken penetrating their lands. 










^^

This to me seems a perfect logo to use but perhaps adapt it slightly. It looks not quite National Rail - it has curves... widen the central bar and put 'CROSSRAIL' there.


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## iampuking

I like the logo, it's a bit like the BR logo but has a "Crossrail spin" on it. Not mad keen on the font or the purple lettering for "rail" though.


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## micro

sarflonlad said:


> I don't think they'll use a roundel to be honest. Them in those home counties won't want to see Red Ken penetrating their lands.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ^^
> 
> This to me seems a perfect logo to use but perhaps adapt it slightly. It looks not quite National Rail - it has curves... widen the central bar and put 'CROSSRAIL' there.


You mean something like this:







or this:







?


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## Tubeman

Love it, that's really cool! kay:


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## sarflonlad

micro said:


> You mean something like this:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> or this:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ?


Very cheeky!

Well done.


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## iampuking

That could work!


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## fishcatdogbird

Tubeman said:


> Love it, that's really cool! kay:


Agree, excellent!


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## iampuking

Actually looking at it again, I hate it.


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## Minato ku

I agree with iampuking, I don't like these logo. hno:


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## iampuking

sarflonlad said:


> I don't think they'll use a roundel to be honest. Them in those home counties won't want to see Red Ken penetrating their lands.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ^^
> 
> This to me seems a perfect logo to use but perhaps adapt it slightly. It looks not quite National Rail - it has curves... widen the central bar and put 'CROSSRAIL' there.


I think they should ditch the bit at the bottom that says "Crossrail" and just have the logo.

It would look more simple and classic, much like the London Underground roundel and British Rail logo


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## Tubeman

To me the BR logo looks really rubbish and 1970's


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## iampuking

I disagree, it's a design classic!

It could do with a more contemporary background, so that isn't the best of photos.


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## sarflonlad

*LONDON | Crossrail*

*Crossrail - London's new hybrid Metro/Suburban rail line*

Crossrail gets out of the sidings after two decades
Robert Mendick and Katharine Barney
15.05.09

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23692545-details/Crossrail+gets+out+of+the+sidings+after+20+years/article.do?expand=true#StartComments

Work started today on a new railway under London that will transform travel across the capital.

Crossrail, the rail link that joins east and west London, is finally getting built after 20 years of wrangling and at a cost of at least £16 billion.

Gordon Brown today hailed the start of construction as a historic moment for the city. He said: “Many people said it would never be built, but today we are celebrating a defining moment for London, as Crossrail's construction gets under way.”

London Mayor Boris Johnson this morning pressed the button that drove the first concrete pile into place on a building site at Canary Wharf. It is the first stage in a massive building project — the largest in Europe — that will see two huge tunnels bored about 100 feet below London. If all goes to plan, the high-speed rail link, joining Maidenhead in Berkshire with Shenfield in Essex along 73 miles of track, should be completed by 2017.

It will see new stations the size of cathedrals built at Canary Wharf, Paddington, Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon, Liverpool Street and Whitechapel. The project, described as “epic” in scale, will employ as many as 14,000 people.












When completed, Crossrail will be capable of operating 24 trains an hour at peak, each travelling at up to 100mph. Mr Brown said: “Crossrail will not only mean faster journey times across the capital and beyond, it will also bring a massive economic boost to the city, creating thousands of jobs and adding at least £20 billion to our economy.”

Crossrail first received official backing as far back as 1989 when Margaret Thatcher's government published a study advocating an east-west service. Its then projected cost was £900 million.

But Crossrail's chances of ever being built appeared to have vanished when in 1994 the Conservative government scrapped it on cost grounds. It was periodically revived in the following decade but finally got the green light in October 2007, when — only days before he was expected to call a general election which he shied away from — Mr Brown officially gave it the go-ahead.

Mr Johnson said today: “The years of hesitation, irresolution and vacillation are over, the shovels have tasted earth and the construction of a railway that is crucial to the economic prosperity of this great city has begun.

“This will create and support thousands of jobs and relieve congestion. When the first of Crossrail's chariots glides smoothly along its lines it will change the face of transport for ever.”

The scheme, which also includes a section running through to Abbey Wood in south-east London and a spur line to Heathrow, will be funded by central government, Transport for London and the private sector.

But Baroness Valentine, chief executive of business group London First, said: “Crossrail will bring 72,000 people per hour at peak time to and from the capital's centre, linking Heathrow directly to Canary Wharf and the Thames Gateway to the City and the West End. It will add 10 per cent to London's rail capacity.

“Some may ask if we can afford it. It's the wrong question. Can we afford not to build Crossrail?”










Click for bigger image


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## MelbourneCity

Great News! Will benefit London immensely. 
Will the line be built to British, or more generous Continental loading gauge?


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## Republica

Apparently the tunnels will be big enough to fit a double decker inside, but its highly unlikely that the overground lines will ever be upgraded to be able to hold double deckers, at least until the line operates at 100% capacity with the best possible overground signalling.


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## Cosmin

Finally! That's good news indeed. Can't wait to see the first construction updates on SSC.


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## city_thing

Makes me so proud of my home town 

I'm just annoyed that Boris is taking all the credit for it. The cheeky git.


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## Falubaz

Finally! I didnt believe it will be built at all. Great news. But ... isnt it a bit too long for just pretty short underground section with only 8 stations? 8 YEARS!!!! ?


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## Zenith

It is far from short.



> joining Maidenhead in Berkshire with Shenfield in Essex along 73 miles of track, should be completed by 2017.


 It will incorporate some of the biggest and finest stations in the world. 



> It will see new stations the size of cathedrals built at Canary Wharf, Paddington, Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon, Liverpool Street and Whitechapel. The project, described as “epic” in scale, will employ as many as 14,000 people.


London has perhaps the most extensive underground network of tunnels of any major city, including an existing tube network, this is some serious engineering. Also you try building something this complex under one of the worlds greatest cities, it's rather busy there you know. It isn't only about what goes on underground, but building overground as well.


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## sarflonlad

Falubaz said:


> Finally! I didnt believe it will be built at all. Great news. But ... isnt it a bit too long for just pretty short underground section with only 8 stations? 8 YEARS!!!! ?


Yeah. That's British Planning laws for you....

Of course you'll hear the city is full of underground tunnels etc. No doubt that has some effect - but the entire project has been delayed already by 20 years - that had nothing to do with tunnels!


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## Falubaz

Exactly hahahahaha


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## rheintram

Great news! Can't wait to see more renderings of the stations planned.


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## Svartmetall

Excellent stuff! I'm really glad to see that Crossrail is getting off the ground (along with the Manchester Metrolink extnesions too)!

Seems that governments worldwide are being pretty generous with infrastructure projects at the moment - Australia got a load approved too.


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## city_thing

rheintram said:


> Great news! Can't wait to see more renderings of the stations planned.


The renders for many stations are already available somewhere... they're quite flashy. I'll try to hunt them down later.

Property prices around Crossrail stations will sky-rocket.


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## city_thing

Here's a few pictures...

Canary Wharf

















Whitechapel

















Tottenham Court Road

















Paddington










Bond st









Tunnel sizes









www.crossrail.co.uk has a lot more pictures etc.


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## hoosier

Great news!! How well connected with the rest of London's rail transit system will Crossrail be? Are there going to be interchange stations with major underground lines or intercity rail stations?

Also, is there a possibility that Crossrail could be linked in with future HSR lines?


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## city_thing

^^ The answer's right in front of you 



sarflonlad said:


> *Crossrail - London's new hybrid Metro/Suburban rail line*


There's a few mock-up maps available over the internet showing the level of connecting - time will tell how well Crossrail/Tube will work though.

Crossrail is shown as the thick purple line in this map










And it's the dashed purple line in this one.










So I would say that it's going to connect up to existing transport nodes brilliantly. The tube stations it's connecting to are all very important interchanges in the heart of central London. Crossrail, without a doubt, will revolutionise travel in London. London has an enormous overground network as well, so it will be interesting to see how well Crossrail connects with it.


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## jarbury

Great news this has construction underway. 72,000 people per hour is amazing capacity - are the trains going to be huge or something?


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## kegan

^^ Trains are planned to be up to 12 cars long and built to fit existing loading gauge on the GE and GW main lines (so no bigger than standard UK rolling stock). 

12 cars trains at 24tph ...


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## ajw373

sarflonlad said:


> Yeah. That's British Planning laws for you....
> 
> Of course you'll hear the city is full of underground tunnels etc. No doubt that has some effect - but the entire project has been delayed already by 20 years - that had nothing to do with tunnels!


No the 20 year delay had a lot to do with the febile short sighted governments and the media that seem to have run this country since the end of WWII.

Even with Crossrail there were calls the other day to call it off due to the econimic crisis. Even the BBC news was questining the need for it at the moment and saying the money could be better spent on the tube. If anything that is all the more reason to push on. Use the money now to stimulate the building industry now and reap the benifits in 8 years time. The tube needs money too, but in many ways Cross rail should releive pressure on the tube, especially through the Westend.


PS Are the existing lines to Shenfield already electified at 25KV AC or are they 1.5KV DC? If 1.5KV DC are there plans to upgrade this to 25KV AC or use dual voltage EMUs?


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## Gag Halfrunt

^^ From Wikipedia:


> In the 1930s plans were made by the LNER to electrify the suburban lines from Liverpool Street to Shenfield at 1500 V 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 later being extended to Chelmsford in 1956 and finally to Norwich by 1986.
> 
> The British Railways 1955 Modernisation Plan called for overhead line systems in Great Britain to be standardised at 25 kV AC. However, due to low clearances under bridges the route was electrified at 6.25 kV AC. The section between Liverpool Street and Southend Victoria was completed in November 1960. Extensive testing showed that smaller electrical clearances could be tolerated for the 25 kV system than originally thought necessary. As a result it was now possible to increase the voltage without having to either raise bridges or lower the tracks along the route to obtain larger clearances. The route between Liverpool Street and Southend Victoria was converted to 25 kV AC between 1976 and 1980.


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## iampuking

kegan said:


> ^^ Trains are planned to be up to 12 cars long and built to fit existing loading gauge on the GE and GW main lines (so no bigger than standard UK rolling stock).
> 
> 12 cars trains at 24tph ...


240m trains by the way. Longer than the comparable RER trains which are 200m I believe. They're also nearly twice as long as the longest LU trains with are 130m, and of course they will be significantly wider.

What worries me is that the trains will have only 2 doors per car, and a transverse seating layout to please the suburban whiners who insist on having seats for the entire journey at the expence of a high frequency inner city service...


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## rheintram

sarflonlad said:


> These are the words of a man who has never traveled on LU!
> 
> It reaches way in to the 40s+ in temperature during the summer months on LU. The humidity is also insanely high!


I travelled LU several times. But keep in mind how old the tube is. Building standards were different back then. Also the tube has many very small and narrow tunnels and small stairways which limits airflow. Most modern systems are not a/ced (I'm talking about the stations not the trains), yet are built so there is a constant exchange of air, either naturally (through the architecture) or artifcially.

edit: If I'm correct most LU trains are not a/ced. And that's where heat is usually the biggest problem.


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## Republica

Theyll put aircon in the stations for crossrail. They just have to. These tunnels are a long way down compared to a normal metro line and will be very busy. Any problems with heat in stations would be highly embarassing for TfL


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## ajw373

micro said:


> For all the tourists, Crossrail should have a stop at Oxford Circus.



Well actually Oxford Circus tube will more or less connect with the Bond Street Station as one of the exists is very near. Also it would be stupid to have so many stops so close together.

Besides Cross rail is a commuter line not for tourists or other short trips. For them the tube and the buses will be a much better idea.


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## hoosier

It's great that Crossrail will have a connection to Stratford International and the Eurostar trains. Would it be possible for the Eurostars to transfer to Crossrail from HS1 as part of a future high speed line from London to Birmingham-Manchester-Glasgow?


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## sweek

hoosier said:


> It's great that Crossrail will have a connection to Stratford International and the Eurostar trains. Would it be possible for the Eurostars to transfer to Crossrail from HS1 as part of a future high speed line from London to Birmingham-Manchester-Glasgow?


Ehh... no. Crossrail will never have anything to do with any sort of high speed line. Long distance high speed trains don't mix well with metro-style frequent services. Crossrail will be pretty much full capacity from the start, with 24 trains per hour through the central section.


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## rheintram

hoosier said:


> It's great that Crossrail will have a connection to Stratford International and the Eurostar trains. Would it be possible for the Eurostars to transfer to Crossrail from HS1 as part of a future high speed line from London to Birmingham-Manchester-Glasgow?


technically it would be, they are both built according to the same standards, but I don't know if they are actually connected.


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## ajw373

rheintram said:


> technically it would be, they are both built according to the same standards, but I don't know if they are actually connected.


I don't think there is any connection around Statford from HS1 to the main lines, except maybe through the depot.

If such a link existed it would be a good idea to run some domestic high speed trains through it. But in doing so it would take capacity away from the service it is designed to run, so in many ways it is a waste.

As for Eurostars to the North, the question is why? Once they get out of Paddington how are they expected to get to the North of the Country. Maybe through Oxford, if the line was electrified? Basicly there is no need for them to do that.


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## iampuking

city_thing said:


> Here's a few pictures...
> 
> Canary Wharf
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> www.crossrail.co.uk has a lot more pictures etc.


Here are some more images, courtesy of MackenzieBlu at flickr.

Ealing Broadway










Paddington










Bond Street










Tottenham Court Road




























Moorgate










Whitechapel










Ilford










*3D Station images*

Tottenham Court Road










Moorgate/Liverpool Street - i'm not happy that passengers transferring to the Central line will have to go all the way up to ticket hall level and then back down! Bigger version here.










Liverpool Street Ticket Hall (Crossrail in blue)










Farringdon/Barbican










Oh yes, and here is an image of a train mock-up for Crossrail, and what do you know; 2 doors!










Heres another one


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## Republica

There must be a reason they are insisting on 2 doors...


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## thun

That's really strange for such a suburb line.
Although I have to admit that the projecy itself is just impressive.


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## Gag Halfrunt

Two doors per side are absolutely standard for British trains on sururban commuter lines.


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## mrmoopt

Gag Halfrunt said:


> Two doors per side are absolutely standard for British trains on sururban commuter lines.


We know 2 doors are bare mininum, but the previous poster was wandering why not more than 2 doors?

It comes down to maintenance and costs. Less doors, less wear and tear, less faults. It's a cheap way to cram more seating instead of making it more standing room friendly. An inherited culture from commuting lines where passengers insists on a seat.

The same situation is the same here in Melbourne. People are not willing to see more longitudinal seats, yet they complain about cramped conditions.


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## thun

There must be a reason, obviously.
E. g. 3 doors are standard on German S-bahn trains which run on longer services (up to an hour from start to the centre) without any problems.
Regarding the fact that the system will have to handle huge amounts of traffic and that an extra door wouldn't be much of a problem maintenancewise, why not adding one more?


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## mrmoopt

thun said:


> There must be a reason, obviously.
> E. g. 3 doors are standard on German S-bahn trains which run on longer services (up to an hour from start to the centre) without any problems.
> Regarding the fact that the system will have to handle huge amounts of traffic and that an extra door wouldn't be much of a problem maintenancewise, why not adding one more?


Because, as I have posted, impedes on the need for commuters that want a seat. They don't care whether they get a seat or not, its more the provision of one. The more doors there are, it seems, the less inviting it is for passengers from commuting areas. This is what I've found from observation.


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## sweek

The PED cost would also go up if we went for three doors... I'd still like to see them, though.


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## mrmoopt

I thought crossrail was to be served by trains of different types from different operators?


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## iampuking

cal_t said:


> I thought crossrail was to be served by trains of different types from different operators?


Nope. It will be self contained.


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## rheintram

Crossrail will be a hybrid between a commuter and a metro system (similar to S-Bahns), hence I think it would be smarter to go for a more flexible system. Not two doors per coach, but areas with more than two and a lot of standing space - which would mostly be used by inner city users - and coaches with only two doors and mostly seating space. For example the both ends of the trains could be the those with mostly seating and the core parts with more standing space.


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## sarflonlad

rheintram said:


> Crossrail will be a hybrid between a commuter and a metro system (similar to S-Bahns), hence I think it would be smarter to go for a more flexible system. Not two doors per coach, but areas with more than two and a lot of standing space - which would mostly be used by inner city users - and coaches with only two doors and mostly seating space. For example the both ends of the trains could be the those with mostly seating and the core parts with more standing space.


It's not a hybrid.

It's a commuter train without a central terminus. Something most, but not all, commuter trains have in London. London Termini being one of main reasons tube routes go where they do - to connect them. Crossrail stops people changing on to the tube.

So no, it's not like an S-Bahn. An S-Bahn is more like a metro than a commuter train.


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## lightrail

sarflonlad said:


> It's not a hybrid.
> 
> It's a commuter train without a central terminus. Something most, but not all, commuter trains have in London. London Termini being one of main reasons tube routes go where they do - to connect them. Crossrail stops people changing on to the tube.
> 
> So no, it's not like an S-Bahn. An S-Bahn is more like a metro than a commuter train.


Closest thing to Crossrail in the UK is Thameslink through London, the Merseyrail System in Liverpool and the Glasgow Northern Electric "Blue" trains.

Thameslink is a north-south rail system through central London via the SNow Hill Tunnel. Trains run as far south as the South Coast and as far north as Bedford.

Merseyrail Wirral Line has several branches, all converging into the a deep level tube tunnel under central Liverpool; the Northern Line runs north to south in a sub-surface tunnel under central Liverpool.

In Glasgow there are two east-west subsurface lines with electric trains to well outside Glasgow.

And BTW - Crossrail is such a lame name - hopefully, they come up with something more interesting than that.


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## thun

> So no, it's not like an S-Bahn. An S-Bahn is more like a metro than a commuter train.


That's not true, I would say a typical S-Bahn (or Paris RER) works the same way as Crossrail: Running on normal tracks as a commuter train out of town (up to, let's say, 50km from the city), while the tunnel in the city centre is completely comparable to a metro (in terms of station density, design, links to other transports, time the train is calling, etc.), at least for the systems with tunnels (Munich, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Hamburg, partly Berlin).
And the S-Bahn is run with three-doored coaches, like an underground which works perfectly.

Therefore, Rheintrams idea of combining two and three-doored coaches would be a good compromise IMO.


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## jarbury

Crossrail definitely seems like a London version of RER A.


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## sweek

sarflonlad said:


> It's not a hybrid.
> 
> It's a commuter train without a central terminus. Something most, but not all, commuter trains have in London. London Termini being one of main reasons tube routes go where they do - to connect them. Crossrail stops people changing on to the tube.
> 
> So no, it's not like an S-Bahn. An S-Bahn is more like a metro than a commuter train.


It's more than that, it really is like a metro with very high frequencies and a core section with 24 trains per hour that will absolutely be used in the same way as the tube is.

What's your definition of an s-bahn like system then?


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## Svartmetall

There isn't a solid definition of S-bahn. There is a huge difference between the Frankfurt, Munich and Rhein-Ruhr S-bahn's and the Hamburg and Berlin S-bahn's. The latter two are run on third rail and really are a metro system, whereas the former group are quite clearly a frequent commuter rail with a common shared section in both Frankfurt and Munich and a fully polycentric network in the Rhein-Ruhr. 

You could not get more different systems that fit under one name if you tried!


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## thun

As, I said, it should be quite comparable to Munich, Frankfurt and Stuttgart S-Bahn networks: They have a central tunnel which all lines use and therefore very high frequencies on the core section (e. g. in Munich the tunnel was refitted and now has a capacity of30 trains/hour in regular service).

Therefore, making stops at the core stations as short as possible is esential for the reliability. If one train has to wait for, lets say, half a minute longer then the whole schedule gets delayed (Munich is having this problem for years now). So, they should really think about 3-door-coaches.


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## sarflonlad

lightrail said:


> Closest thing to Crossrail in the UK is Thameslink through London, the Merseyrail System in Liverpool and the Glasgow Northern Electric "Blue" trains.
> 
> Thameslink is a north-south rail system through central London via the SNow Hill Tunnel. Trains run as far south as the South Coast and as far north as Bedford.
> 
> Merseyrail Wirral Line has several branches, all converging into the a deep level tube tunnel under central Liverpool; the Northern Line runs north to south in a sub-surface tunnel under central Liverpool.
> 
> In Glasgow there are two east-west subsurface lines with electric trains to well outside Glasgow.
> 
> And BTW - Crossrail is such a lame name - hopefully, they come up with something more interesting than that.


More like a hybrid regional bahn and s-bahn then.

Crossrail. I guess not a great name. Though locals tend to develop idiosyncratic names for all things urban. The Tube. The Clockwork Orange. The Gherkin. etc. Wonder what Crossrail will be called?


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## sarflonlad

sweek said:


> It's more than that, it really is like a metro with very high frequencies and a core section with 24 trains per hour that will absolutely be used in the same way as the tube is.
> 
> What's your definition of an s-bahn like system then?


Dunno. The S-bahn in Berlin is very different from other supposed S-Bahns in Germany.

I very much doubt we will see people transferring from the tube on to Crossrail in the central section. At least to me, the whole concept is about getting those out of town, across the town without the need to change to the tube at Paddington and other termini.


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## iampuking

Why is everyone arguing over names and definitions, it really is futile. What is clear however, is that 2 doors per car per side will be insufficient on Crossrail trains. 



sarflonlad said:


> I very much doubt we will see people transferring from the tube on to Crossrail in the central section..


Rubbish. Why would passengers go a longer way on the Tube when Crossrail is quicker?


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## ajw373

iampuking said:


> Rubbish. Why would passengers go a longer way on the Tube when Crossrail is quicker?


Who said crossrail will be quicker? The bottom line is cross rail is designed to get people into the central part of town from the suburbs and counties near London. For travel around the city the tube will always be a much better option.


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## Coccodrillo

Paris' RER is used also for travel within the City. That's why line 14 has been built.


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## mtj73

iampuking said:


> What is clear however, is that 2 doors per car per side will be insufficient on Crossrail trains.


I am not so sure about that
If you take the Crossrail section through central London there are 7 stations between Ealing broadway and Stratford, but on the Central line which more or less runs parallel there are 21 stations. Dwell times will not be such an issue on low density station spacing. 

It does suggest you are right about crossrail being quicker though.


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## sweek

ajw373 said:


> Who said crossrail will be quicker? The bottom line is cross rail is designed to get people into the central part of town from the suburbs and counties near London. For travel around the city the tube will always be a much better option.


What about Padidngton to the West End or Canary Wharf? A very common trip. Or anywhere along the Eastern end of the Central Line to Heathrow? Canary Wharf to Ealing Broadway? Farringdon to Tottenham Court Road? There are so many common trips within London like these that people will definitely start using Crossrail for.


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## Minato ku

mtj73 said:


> I am not so sure about that
> If you take the Crossrail section through central London there are 7 stations between Ealing broadway and Stratford, but on the Central line which more or less runs parallel there are 21 stations. Dwell times will not be such an issue on low density station spacing.
> 
> It does suggest you are right about crossrail being quicker though.


A lower density of station mean more people taking the train by station, don't forget that all these 7 stations are big interchange hub.
Dwell times will be an issue. With only two doors per cars, I think that 80,000 passengers per hours is impossible and 24 tph will be difficult to do.


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## ajw373

sweek said:


> What about Padidngton to the West End or Canary Wharf? A very common trip. Or anywhere along the Eastern end of the Central Line to Heathrow? Canary Wharf to Ealing Broadway? Farringdon to Tottenham Court Road? There are so many common trips within London like these that people will definitely start using Crossrail for.



Yeah there are some times where it might make sense but Crossrail isn't designed as a replacement to the tube. The main purpose is to get people into the central area from the suburbs and home counties without the need for THEM to change to tube and yes clearly vice versa.


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## iampuking

ajw373 said:


> Yeah there are some times where it might make sense but Crossrail isn't designed as a replacement to the tube. The main purpose is to get people into the central area from the suburbs and home counties without the need for THEM to change to tube and yes clearly vice versa.


Just because it's designed for that does not mean that will be its sole use...


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## ajw373

iampuking said:


> Just because it's designed for that does not mean that will be its sole use...


Never said sole use. People will use it for what ever they like, but the bulk will be using it as I said to get from the outter lying areas to the city, ie as it is designed.


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## sweek

ajw373 said:


> Never said sole use. People will use it for what ever they like, but the bulk will be using it as I said to get from the outter lying areas to the city, ie as it is designed.


And that's not a bad thing, is it? It still relieves capacity from the more inner-London lines.


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## ajw373

sweek said:


> And that's not a bad thing, is it? It still relieves capacity from the more inner-London lines.



No it isn't a bad thing, it is the whole idea of it, hence why I reckon those in the city area's will still be (in most cases) better off getting the tube, leaving Crossrail to the longer distance commuter.


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## streetquark

sarflonlad said:


> Crossrail. I guess not a great name. Though locals tend to develop idiosyncratic names for all things urban. The Tube. The Clockwork Orange. The Gherkin. etc. Wonder what Crossrail will be called?


The Sardine :dance2:


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## Minato ku

^^ With only two doors per cars and transversal seats, this is sure. :lol:


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## iampuking

Got the Thameslink at rush hour today because of the tube strike... Dwell times were noticeably longer compared to the tube at Kings Cross, and it wasn't even jam packed. Most likely because of the seating and door layout... I'm guessing that the 'Thameslink programme' is being designed by politicians and therefore they haven't a clue about what kind of layout is effective for 24tph and more.


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## MelbourneCity

Will the new Thameslink trains have 4 doors per carriage, as present on the 319s, or 6, or even 8?
If Thameslink units have more doors, there is no reason why Crossrail also should not have a greater number of doors.


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## iampuking

The specification for the new Thameslink trains asks for 2 sets of doors per car per side, like the current 319s. AFAIK, Crossrail will use the same trains as Thameslink when it begins service.


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## aquablue

Regarding using the tube over crossrail, I'm sure some people would prefer to use crossrail instead of the central line given they will use fullsize stock and it might be a more pleasant ride.


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## rheintram

aquablue said:


> Regarding using the tube over crossrail, I'm sure some people would prefer to use crossrail instead of the central line given they will use fullsize stock and it might be a more pleasant ride.


I agree. However, other things have to be put into consideration as well:
- Which line/stations are more easily accessible?
- Waiting time
- Interchange options etc.

Usually daily commuters are very quick at finding out, which way is the shortest. In many cities you can see, that commuters often use trams instead of metro systems, because while they are slower, quite often you need to change less. However, I'm sure crossrail will become a valueable addition also to innercity transport and might just shorten travel time to work for many people.


----------



## aquablue

That's one thing London really lacks...they could do with trams as an alternative to the tube and busses.


----------



## ajw373

aquablue said:


> That's one thing London really lacks...they could do with trams as an alternative to the tube and busses.


Crossrail is all about bringing people in from the outer reaches without the need for them to change modes. Trams will not do that. 

BTW London does have trams, out in the southern suburbs.


----------



## ajw373

rheintram said:


> I agree. However, other things have to be put into consideration as well:
> - Which line/stations are more easily accessible?
> - Waiting time
> - Interchange options etc.
> 
> Usually daily commuters are very quick at finding out, which way is the shortest. In many cities you can see, that commuters often use trams instead of metro systems, because while they are slower, quite often you need to change less. However, I'm sure crossrail will become a valueable addition also to innercity transport and might just shorten travel time to work for many people.


The tube will remain as the mode of choice for people wanting quick short trips.

Crossrail will cater for those wanting to come from or go to places further along the line. Just like the RER in Paris.


----------



## aquablue

ajw373 said:


> The tube will remain as the mode of choice for people wanting quick short trips.
> 
> Crossrail will cater for those wanting to come from or go to places further along the line. Just like the RER in Paris.


I for one would go out of my way to use the more comfortable crossrail even to go from paddington to oxford street instead of the tube.

The RER's rolling stock is pityful and ancient compared to the nice new trains London is getting --- its rolling stock is horribly outdated looking.


----------



## iampuking

Since Paris gets seperate threads for the RER and Metro, I figured a seperate thread for the Tube/DLR and Overground/Thameslink would be necessary. I have moved all the info from the "LONDON | New Stations" and "LONDON | New Trains" regarding the Overground/Thameslink from there to here. I think that this thread can be a combination between news updates and discussion. New infastructure/trains that is open to the public will be added by me to the first post, and individual posts within the thread can be update pics from behind the scenes, for instance the inauguration a new bridge for the future Thameslink programme.

*London Overground*

The London Overground is a medium capacity urban rail system. It's core network is a soon-to-be-completed loop around Inner London with spurs coming off of the loop at several points. Because of the layout of the tracks at Clapham Junction and Dalston Junction, trains will not do a full loop of the system.

It is operated by a private rail franchise and the tracks and infastructure are maintained by a public company called Network rail. It was created in order to brand several different lines together under an umbrella term of London Overground and to therefore increase the quality and ridership. 

Most of the route, as the name suggests, is above ground. However, the eastern arm of the system is soon to be opened which will utilise a section of railway known as the East London Railway, this runs from Whitechapel to Surrey Quays and is fully underground, having previously been a under used underground line. The East London Railway is connected to the rest of the network by a new section of railway that utilises an old viaduct through the Inner London areas of Hoxton and Shoreditch. It is due to open mid 2010. South of the East London Railway the trains off of the new section will use established NR routes, opening up swathes of South London to North London and completing the loop around London. As well as new routes, the system's rolling stock is currently being replaced and frequency being increased.

*System*










Richmond Station:

satguru at Flickr









Willesden Junction Station:

ca1951rr at Flickr









Highbury & Islington Station:

Harjinder Singh at Flickr









Stratford Station:

Harjinder Singh at Flickr









*Station Upgrades*

*Shepherd's Bush Overground Station*

Opened: 28th of September, 2008.

The first of the stations to be opened to serve Westfield shopping centre in West London. It was built on an existing section of track known as the West London line, part of the (nearly) orbital London Overground network. The line runs between Willesden Junction and Clapham Junction, the station is in between Kensington (Olympia) and Willesden Junction. Not only does the station serve the shopping centre but the Central line station of the same name (see info below), which is just 100m across the road. Currently the station only sees trains every half an hour, but this is set to increase in the future.

The station's opening was delayed by almost a year because of a risible argument over the platform width. I think the original station was set to be served by a private company (Silverlink) but during the construction this company was handed over to TfL, a public company that runs much of London's transport network, and re-branded as London Overground. The station itself was funded by the developers of the shopping centre (Westfield) and they built one of the platforms incredibly narrow. TfL refused to run trains into it unless Westfield widened the platform. They gave in and had to rebuild the entire platform as they could not have this valuable transport link not serving their shopping centre.

The station's ticket hall is an uninspiring glass and steel box, and the platforms are dull concrete affairs, but there isn't much to expect when the station is sandwiched between a motorway and a massive shopping centre...

Entrance:










Ticket hall:










Overbridge, looking southbound:










Platforms:










*New London Overground platforms at Stratford*

Opened: 15th of April, 2009.

These new platforms replaced the existing Overground platforms at the 'low level' section of the station. The old 'low level' platforms are needed by the DLR as the DLR is being extended along a piece of track formerly used by London Overground (but with a different identity) this DLR route will come from Canning Town. The new platforms have been constructed to the north of the station, and are accessed by a spur off of the former route. The new platforms are of the island type and can accomodate 6 car trains but currently the trains are 3 cars. They are bay platforms and there is a crossover to the west of them for trains to reverse.

The platforms features a short canopy that is, like most new developments in London, bland. There is a lift for disabled access, and stairs for the able-bodied. The lift and stairs lead to an underground subway which is used to access the rest of the station.

Old platforms:

Mackenzie 377 at Flickr









New Platforms:










New Platforms from afar:

Harjinder Singh - Man in Blue at Flickr









*Imperial Wharf Station*

Opened: 27th of September, 2009.

This station was built in order to serve an up-and-coming brownfield site. Calls for a new station have existed for 15 years and a private investor involved with building apartment blocks in the local area agreed to fund the building of this station. The adjacent area is largely unserved by public transport and so this station is desperately needed. The station is served by Southern commuter rail services and London Overground orbital rail services, both operate half-hourly on this route which is know as the West London line, but services are intended to increase in frequency in the next few years. London Overground now run their brand new Class 378 trains into the station, view one of them arriving into the station here. Not far along the line is Shepherd's Bush station which opened nearly exactly a year ago and was featured in this thread. This is all part of a process of Transport For London in turning the West London line into an important rail artery.

The station is situated on a viaduct, the ticket hall is at street level and sits underneath the viaduct, entrances to the ticket hall are from either side. The lifts are on either side of the viaduct and the stairs spiral around the lift shafts, the whole thing is clad in translucent blue-green glass. Passengers have to pass through ticket barriers to enter the stairs/lifts. The lifts offer step-free access for the disabled, handicapped, and those with bags and children. The platforms are sheltered by a short blue-green canopy at the ticket hall end. The station is also one of the few London Overground stations to extensively feature the new London Overground roundel.

Entrance:

tompagenet at Flickr









Platforms:

tompagenet at Flickr









*East London Railway Extension and Refurbishment*

Opened: 27th of April, 2010.

Many proposals to extend the existing East London line had been bandied about up until the early 21st century. In the 21st century mayor of london Ken Livingstone wanted to build an extension in order to provide transport links to an area of London that had been deprived of them for decades. He also wanted the 'Orbirail' concept to be fulfilled; a secondary ring around Central London that would allow passengers to avoid travelling through it. Ken Livingstone proposed that the extension would be funded by private enterprise and so it was finalised.

The proposal involved extending the existing East London Underground line (New Cross/New Cross Gate - Whitechapel) northwards along existing but abandoned railway infrastructure known as the Kingsway Viaduct. And southwards along existing National Rail South London commuter lines. In 2012, the line will also be extended along the existing NR route called the South London line to Clapham Junction. This means that there will be a full loop of London operated by London Overground, a train company under the Transport for London umbrella. Because it is operated by London Overground it is under the common Oyster ticket fare.

Major construction work started on the project in 2008. It required the closing of the East London line for 3 years from 2007 the aging A Stock which used the old line at this time was replaced. It involved building several new bridges and 4 new stations. Once leaving the existing East London Railway line at Whitechapel the tracks climb out of the sub-surface cutting and onto a bridge over the main line tracks out of the major railway terminus London Liverpool Street. The line then stops at Shoreditch High Street, a stations that replaces the old Shoreditch station on the East London line which had one of the lowest usages of any London Underground station. This was mostly attributed to it being in a inaccessible area away from the populated area of Shoreditch, and because it was on a largely badly connected stub line. The station at Shoreditch High Street is on a viaduct in a brownfield site, therefore, to inhibit future development work around the station without the station having to close, it is entirely enclosed in concrete, giving the impression it is an Underground station.

After Shoreditch the line curves northwards and joins the Victorian Kingsway Viaduct. This viaduct previously served commuter trains from Broad Street station which sat adjacent to the aforementioned Liverpool Street terminus. It closed because of low passenger usage. To allow the viaduct to be used by trains again it required the rebuilding and refurbishment of several sections of the bridge. The next station on the line is Hoxton. It is the first station to be built which didn't already exist. It features a ticket hall that opens on both sides underneath the railway arches. The next station along the line is Haggerston, a completely new station on the site of a long-closed station of the same name. The platforms are in a similar glass and metal style as Hoxton station. The ticket hall is in a beige building which deliberately mimics Charles Holden designed art deco station buildings built for London Underground in the twenties, thirties and fourties. The next station northwards is called Dalston Junction and is subterranean. It is proposed that commercial developments will be built on top of the station in the future. The ticket hall opens on both sides, one of the entrances is to provide easy access to a bus station that is to built there. The other side is a main street entrance. Passengers pass through the ticket hall which, unlike on the DLR, has ticket gates. They then descend stairs in front of a massive London Overground roundel to the subterranean platforms. This station has four platforms, the two inner platforms are terminus platforms and the two on the outside are through platforms aiming to be opened when the line is extended northward via spurs to the existing North London line in 2011. Like all new stations on the route, the colour scheme is orange and there is full access for the disabled.

The stations on the rest of the line have been around for over a century and have been refurbished. However, this was not that necessary as the line itself had already been refurbished in the nineties when a connection with the Jubilee line Extension at Canada Water was built. The existing section of line has had it's signalling and track replaced to National Rail standards, instead of London Underground standards that it previously adhered to. At Whitechapel a new footbridge was built over the tracks. This station is a rarity on London's network as the 'London Overground' passes beneath the 'London Underground'. Also, at Shadwell a new entrance was built to provide quicker interchange to the DLR station of the same name. South of Surrey Quays, a flying junction has been created in order to allow the service to be extended to Clapham Junction in 2012, as previously mentioned. At New Cross Gate, a flyover had to be built over the current commuter routes, as the 'slow' lines which the London Overground has been extended over were on the outside of the formation, with the fast tracks in the middle. A view of the whole project is available here. The frequency of the line is as follows: 

12tph Dalston Junction - Surrey Quays
8tph Surrey Quays - Sydenham
4tph on the branches.

From 2012

16tph Dalston Junction - Surrey Quays
8tph Dalston Junction - Highbury & Islington
8tph Surrey Quays - Sydenham
4tph on the branches.

All routes are travelled by brand new four car (80m) Class 378s.

Infastructure:

Tracks out of Dalston Junction station and onto the Kingsway Viaduct

Normal For Norfolk at Flickr









Route around the Shoreditch area:

diamond geezer at Flickr









diamond geezer at Flickr









Bridge over Shoreditch High Street itself:

wirewiping at Flickr









Bridge over the mainlines out of Liverpool Street terminus:

wirewiping at Flickr









wirewiping at Flickr









Flyover at New Cross Gate:

unravelled at Flickr









Stations:

Dalston Junction Entrance:

Normal For Norfolk at Flickr









Dalston Junction Ticket Hall:

macspite at Flickr









Adam UXB Smith at Flickr









Dalston Junction Platforms:

quarkadia at Flickr









Haggerston Entrance:

tompagenet at Flickr









Haggerston Ticket Hall:

Cybermyth13 at Flickr









macspite at Flickr









tompagenet at Flickr









Haggerston Platforms:

tompagenet at Flickr









Hoxton Entrance:

tompagenet at Flickr









MiEs L. at Flickr









Hoxton Ticket Hall:

macspite at Flickr









macspite at Flickr









Hoxton Platforms:

darquati at Flickr









Hoxton View:

tompagenet at Flickr









Shoreditch High Street Entrance:

maethorechannen at Flickr









Shoreditch High Street Ticket Hall:

tompagenet at Flickr









chimpomatic at Flickr









Shoreditch High Street Platforms:

tompagenet at Flickr









Refurbished Whitechapel Platforms:

tompagenet at Flickr









Refurbished Shadwell Entrance:

tompagenet at Flickr









Refurbished Shadwell Platforms:

tompagenet at Flickr









Refurbished Wapping Entrance:

Martin Deutsch at Flickr









Refurbished Wapping Ticket Hall:

macspite at Flickr









Refurbished Wapping Platforms:

tompagenet at Flickr









Refurbished Rotherhithe Entrance:

tompagenet at Flickr









Refurbished Rotherhithe Platforms:

tompagenet at Flickr









Refurbished Canada Water Platforms:

tompagenet at Flickr









Refurbished Surrey Quays Entrance:

Ewan-M at Flickr









Refurbished Surrey Quays Ticket Hall:

macspite at Flickr









Refurbished Surrey Quays Platforms:

wirewiping at Flickr









New Cross Platform:

tompagenet at Flickr









New Cross Gate Platform:

tompagenet at Flickr









*Train Updates*

*New London Overground trains (British Rail Class 378 + British Rail Class 170)*

First Passenger Journey: 29th July, 2009/10th July, 2010.

The Class 378s are needed to replace the dated Class 313s in use on most of the London Overground. These trains are dual voltage as the network uses overhead wires and third rail electrification. They feature improved passenger security, OPO (one person operation), air-conditioning, "tube"-style interior with longitudinal seating (intended to make the network more urban in appearance) and are fully walk-through. They are a re-design of existing trains currently in service elsewhere in the UK known as Electrostars, the 378s will be known imaginatively as Capitalstars. The trains are painted in the brand new London Overground livery, the colour theme being orange. This theme is repeated in the interior of the trains and is rather retro, reminiscent of unrefurbished D Stock trains on London Underground's District line. The trains are currently 3-cars but will be increased to 4-cars in 2011. A sub-fleet of 378s will operate on the extended East London Railway when it opens in 2010, but will not be dual voltage, being electrified solely via third rail. 

The Class 170s are diesel trains intended to operate on the "GOBLIN" service from Gospel Oak to Barking, they are 2 car trains and are not a new design, instead they are a new batch of existing trains (Turbostars) already operating in the UK. They will be branded in a similar manner to the new Class 378s, however they have no entered service and therefore there are no pictures available. If you want to view them, search for Class 170s and imagine them painted in the London Overground colours.

*Old Trains (British Rail Class 313s)*

Exterior:

mattbuck4950 at Flickr









Interior:

markhillary at Flickr









Video:






*New Trains (British Rail Class 378s)*

Exterior:

Electrostar Lewis at Flickr









Interior:

Richard Forward at Flickr









tompagenet at Flickr









Video:











*Old Trains (British Rail Class 150s)*

Exterior:

Dan86401 at Flickr









Video:






*New Trains (British Rail Class 172s)*

Exterior:

Richard and Gill at Flickr









Video:






*Thameslink*

Thameslink is a suburban/main line railway route that is unique in that it travels directly through Central London, much like the Paris RER. The route uses the National Rail Midland Mainline south of Bedford and nearly the entire National Rail Brighton Mainline.

The route through Central London consists of a combination between existing rights of way that existed from the Victorian times (Blackfriars station/bridge, Farringdon station - Kings Cross section) and sections opened when the whole route was inaugurated in 1988 (City Thameslink station). This piecemeal nature in the development of the route means that there are several steep gradients and tight curves when travelling through Central London and therefore the trains rarely reach a particularly high speed. The line offers interchange with several London Underground lines at Kings Cross St Pancras, Farringdon, Blackfiars and London Bridge and has easy access to the City at City Thameslink station.

The line itself is undergoing major regeneration in order to increase it's capacity from 8-10tph (4-8 car trains) to 24tph (8-12 car trains) in the peaks and to open it up to new destinations in the North and South. This involves construction works at every station on the Central London section except City Thameslink, having been long enough for 12 car trains since it opened in the eighties. Currently, the only station ready for 12 car trains is Kings Cross (Low Level) which replaced the old station in early 2008. To increase capacity it is also necessary to eliminate bottlenecks in the southern section of the route, this involves demolishing several old buildings in the Borough area of London in order to build a new viaduct to carry the trains.

System (light blue and dark purple is already operating, pink is future):










Luton Station:

Steve Simmonds at Flickr









West Hampstead Station:

Luanne McCall at Flickr









Kings Cross (Low Level) Station:

IanVisits at Flickr









Route between Kings Cross and Farringdon where the Underground lines pass over the Thameslink route:

oobrien at Flickr









Farringdon Station:

Harjinder Singh - Man in Blue at Flickr









City Thameslink Station:

Mackenzie 377 at Flickr









Route between City Thameslink and Blackfriars:

tompagenet at Flickr









Blackfriars Station:

Mackenzie 377 at Flickr









Bridge over the Thames between Blackfriars and London Bridge:

jovike at Flickr









London Bridge Station:

marky1969 at Flickr









Gatwick Airport Station:

seadipper at Flickr









Brighton Station:

 Elsie esq. at Flickr









*Station Updates*

*St Pancras (Low Level) Station*

Opened: 9th of December, 2007.

This is a re-sited station. The original Thameslink station was opened with the rest of the route in 1988. The old station had short, narrow platforms, that were open to the elements and too short for 12 car trains (for the Thameslink Programme), poor access for disabled and was unintegrated with the intercity stations at Kings Cross and St Pancras (the latter was undergoing expansion for Eurostar services). However, it had direct access to the Victoria tube line. The original station could not be expanded without affecting the Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines beside it, so it had to be re-sited.

The new station was built in a 'cut-and-cover' box underneath the new section of St Pancras station. It is large and spacious, but rather stark and utilitarian, reminding me of an RER station. The old ticket hall is used as an extra entrance to the tube station at King's Cross to the Victoria line. The old platforms will remain and be used as a means of emergency escape.

Old station entrance:










Old station platforms:










Old station interchange tunnel to the Victoria line:










New station entrance:










New station overbridge:










New station platforms:










*Mitcham Eastfields Station*

Opened: 2nd of June, 2008.

Built to serve an area poorly served by public transport. The station features a bland modular design by network rail and unusual staggered platforms. The platforms were built in this way because of the level crossing; trains cross over the crossing before stopping at the station, this means road traffic is less disrupted. The station typically has 4 trains per hour per direction off peak.

Platforms with level crossing between:

richardavis at Flickr









*Train Updates*

*New Thameslink Trains (British Rail Class 377s)*

First Passenger Journey: 27th February, 2009.

Thameslink acquired 23 x 4 car units of Class 377s in order to replace some of the dated Class 319 trains that were made for the Thameslink route when it first opened in the eighties. As well as replacing some carriages, they are too increasing the size of the Thameslink fleet meaning that only 6 trains during the peak hours are 4 cars long as opposed to 8 cars long. These units are intended as a stop-gap measurement before a fleet of NXEMUs (Next Generation Electric Multiple Units) which will replace all trains on Thameslink and will be solely in 8 car or 12 car legnths. These units are said to be the same as the ones on order for Crossrail.

The units are painted in the purple and pink livery of First Capital Connect, a private company that operates the system and others around North London. The trains are fully air conditioned and have access for the disabled. The trains are also fully walkthrough, but there are small passages as gaps between the carriages rather than a continual carriage. The trains are dual voltage meaning they can operate on the 25V AC overhead wire supply in North London and the 750V DC third rail supply in South London, the switchover between the two supplies is done at Farringdon station.

*Old Trains (British Rail Class 319s)*

Exterior:

Matthew Black at Flickr









Interior:

mattbuck4950 at Flickr









Video:






*New Trains (British Rail Class 377s)*

Exterior:

Juliang's Pix at Flickr









Interior:

Matthew Black at Flickr









Video:






*Crossrail*

Give it 7 years.


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## Manchester Planner

I would also add the fairly short Great Northern & City Line:



















It's like a tube line - in fact it was for a time part of the Metropolitan and then the Northern lines of the Underground. Today it's part of the national rail network.


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## Manchester Planner

iampuking said:


> *Crossrail*
> 
> Give it 7 years.


:lol: Quite, but for now, maps of the route, etc, can be found here:

http://www.crossrail.co.uk/the-railway/crossrail-maps










(red is under ground, blue is above ground)


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## iampuking

Manchester Planner said:


> I would also add the fairly short Great Northern & City Line:
> 
> 
> 
> It's like a tube line - in fact it was for a time part of the Metropolitan and then the Northern lines of the Underground. Today it's part of the national rail network.


I'm not sure... It's essentially a suburban NR line that goes underground for the last few stations... It doesn't go through London, or is solely in the London boundary.


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## Manchester Planner

I'm thinking along the lines of the characteristics of the line - it's not Underground/DLR and it's not a heavy, surface mainline. But yes, it's now part of the national railways, although it was until quite recently its own little underground line, with trains running Moorgate-Finsbury Park!

Ah well, I thought it worth a mention, as a _sui generis_ line, though I suppose it doesn't really fit in this thread. Oh hum!


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## NCT

I travelled on the GER today between Stratford and Romford on a stopping service. The train seemed to weave side to side all over the place and I'm not sure if the suburban and intercity services run on their own dedicated lines? I guess in the future Crossrail will be separate from the mainline GER services, like the District and C2C?


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## iampuking

NCT said:


> I travelled on the GER today between Stratford and Romford on a stopping service. The train seemed to weave side to side all over the place and I'm not sure if the suburban and intercity services run on their own dedicated lines? I guess in the future Crossrail will be separate from the mainline GER services, like the District and C2C?


Well I believe the GER has four tracks and has two "fast" and two "slow" so I don't think the suburban and intercity lines are seperated per se. Crossrail will just run on the current "slow" lines.


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## iampuking

Manchester Planner said:


> I'm thinking along the lines of the characteristics of the line - it's not Underground/DLR and it's not a heavy, surface mainline. But yes, it's now part of the national railways, although it was until quite recently its own little underground line, with trains running Moorgate-Finsbury Park!
> 
> Ah well, I thought it worth a mention, as a _sui generis_ line, though I suppose it doesn't really fit in this thread. Oh hum!


I guess with the cross-platform interchange at Highbury & Islington with the Victoria line also makes it seem more "tubey", but I don't think there is any point adding it here especially when you consider it has absolutely no developments for the future...


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## NCT

iampuking said:


> Well I believe the GER has four tracks and has two "fast" and two "slow" so I don't think the suburban and intercity lines are seperated per se. Crossrail will just run on the current "slow" lines.


The thing is I'm not entirely sure the trains stick to their respective fast and slow lines at the moment? I seem to recall seeing faster trains passing on both my left and right, unless there are other explanations?


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## iampuking

NCT said:


> The thing is I'm not entirely sure the trains stick to their respective fast and slow lines at the moment? I seem to recall seeing faster trains passing on both my left and right, unless there are other explanations?


I'm not the best person to ask (Tubeman is) but i'd assume it might have something to do with engineering works? Also, you might be unsure of what the fast lines actually are, sometimes they're on the outside and other times they're on the inside of the track formation.


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## CairnsTony

I heard somewhere that the Tories (if they came to power) would 'review' Crossrail as part of their plans for spending cuts, possibly cancelling it altogether. How true or accurate do UK posters reckon this is? Or is the project too far advanced for this to be likely?

It would be very sad for London and the South-East as a whole if the project was cancelled. I'd be interested to hear others' views on this.


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## Tubeman

The set-up on the GER main line is Down-Up-Down-Up (quadruple route can also be Down-Down-Up-Up). On the London side of the Ilford flyover the 'slow' lines are south of the 'fast', switching round via the Ilford flyover such that the 'slow' are north of the 'fast' between there and Shenfield. Between Stratford and Forest Gate Junction all lines are also signalled reversibly.

There's a proliferation of crossovers on the line, so it's perfectly possible that due to engineering works there was a measure of weaving between tracks, or even running in the 'wrong' direction on reversible roads.


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## Manchester Planner

CairnsTony said:


> I heard somewhere that the Tories (if they came to power) would 'review' Crossrail as part of their plans for spending cuts, possibly cancelling it altogether. How true or accurate do UK posters reckon this is? Or is the project too far advanced for this to be likely?
> 
> It would be very sad for London and the South-East as a whole if the project was cancelled. I'd be interested to hear others' views on this.


Crossrail is being built as we type. It's not going to be cancelled. There may be issues with funding, but they will be addressed.


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## poshbakerloo

pretty interesting huh


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## CairnsTony

Manchester Planner said:


> Crossrail is being built as we type. It's not going to be cancelled. There may be issues with funding, but they will be addressed.


Thanks, that's reassuring. I may be on the other side of the world these days, but I still have more than a passing interest in what goes on there. 

Can't wait to see it finished; judging by the scale of the build, it promises to be pretty spectacular.


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## iampuking

Pics of new East London Railway extension infastructure where the line joins the traditional lines at New Cross


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## poshbakerloo

Manchester Planner said:


> Crossrail is being built as we type. It's not going to be cancelled. There may be issues with funding, but they will be addressed.


Ooh good to know, but it will be ages yet! until its ready, its a huge project!


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## iampuking

Info regarding new Class 172s for the Gospel Oak - Barking Overground service. These trains are diesel with two cars.


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## PortoNuts

Clayduck said:


> These are the shots that I captured today:
> 
> 3 Posters (apologies if already posted - I hadn't seen them here):
> 
> 
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> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Photos of the site:
> Western end of the cofferdam (facing eastward)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Water on the left is outside the cofferdam, on the right is inside
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> 
> Inside the cofferdam:


^^


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## iampuking

Video showing the refurbished Shadwell station for London Overground which also has a brand new entrance (btw does anyone know anything about this?):






Slideshow showing new and recent infastructure on the DLR and several images of the new and refurbished East London Railway Overground stations, more pics are also here.


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## iampuking

Videos of the new 378 trains on new East London Railway infastructure:


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## sergioib

Does anyone know if the new East London line will definitely be open by June 2010 or if it might suffer a delay? How are works going? Will it be part of the Oyster zone, being able to travel as I would travel within zone 1 or 2 in any other part of London if I used the tube?


----------



## PortoNuts

From the latest news I've read, it's due to reopen in May.


----------



## sergioib

That's not too bad! I thought they'd be done by June, so fingers crossed!

Are they gonna use their new rolling stock from the reopening?


----------



## Tubeman

sergioib said:


> That's not too bad! I thought they'd be done by June, so fingers crossed!
> 
> Are they gonna use their new rolling stock from the reopening?


Yes


----------



## iampuking

sergioib said:


> Does anyone know if the new East London line will definitely be open by June 2010 or if it might suffer a delay? How are works going? Will it be part of the Oyster zone, being able to travel as I would travel within zone 1 or 2 in any other part of London if I used the tube?


Yes, to the last question.


----------



## MelbourneCity

It looks fantastic in those videos, thanks!
The Capitalstars also look very good - big improvement on the 313s!
I noticed in the videos the 378s have provisions in the roof for pantographs to be installed at a later date if required.


----------



## iampuking

MelbourneCity said:


> It looks fantastic in those videos, thanks!
> The Capitalstars also look very good - big improvement on the 313s!
> I noticed in the videos the 378s have provisions in the roof for pantographs to be installed at a later date if required.


Actually, the 3-car Class 378s on the North London line already have pantographs and do use them. The North London line is dual voltage.

The 4 car 378s on the East London route don't need them as the whole route (Highbury & Islington - West Croydon) will be third rail.


----------



## ajw373

MelbourneCity said:


> It looks fantastic in those videos, thanks!
> The Capitalstars also look very good - big improvement on the 313s!
> I noticed in the videos the 378s have provisions in the roof for pantographs to be installed at a later date if required.


All Electrostars have them as it is part of the body shell design. As for them being an improvement, I don't think the passengers are that impressed with the silly seating that has been placed in them to allow more standing space.


----------



## ladyb

Hello everyone. I have only just joined, but have visited a few times before. This is just such a fantastic site with lots of beautiful photos.

Anyway, I see that a couple of my vids are referenced here - the New Cross ones and I am really pleased. I have an update on the work going on at New Cross, which is that the old train shed is being demolished. Does anybody know what, if anything, will stand on the site.

Rumour has it that the service might resume as early as April (I had a quick chat with one of the test drivers at New Cross Gate), but otherwise it will be May. I can hardly wait and plan to ride the first train out of New Cross to Dalston, and back to West Croydon.


----------



## iampuking

Pics of the refurbished stations at Wapping and Rotherhithe and the Thames Tunnel which was having an open day.


----------



## Manchester Planner

I'm glad Rotherhithe and Wapping are being kept.


----------



## iampuking

Pics of the new depot at New Cross for the ELL.


----------



## makita09

MelbourneCity said:


> I noticed in the videos the 378s have provisions in the roof for pantographs to be installed at a later date if required.


All new mainlin electric multiple units in the UK have pantograph recesses, whether or not they are needed, since the end of the '90s


----------



## lucaf1

Map: http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/passenger_services/maps/London_Connections.pdf


----------



## ajw373

makita09 said:


> All new mainlin electric multiple units in the UK have pantograph recesses, whether or not they are needed, since the end of the '90s


Thats a pretty broad statement that isn't quite right. The reason the recesses are there is simply because the train shells are all standard designs. So if they are used only on 3rd rail systems they are left blank.


----------



## iampuking

Pics of the brand new Hoxton, Haggerston, Dalston Junction and Shoreditch High Street stations, as well as the refurbished Shadwell. All for the soon to open East London line extension.


----------



## deasine

I'm surprised they didn't take a few of the renovations even further... but overall, looking quite promising.

Seeing so many spurs and line branches, what is the frequency of the trains?


----------



## ajw373

deasine said:


> I'm surprised they didn't take a few of the renovations even further... but overall, looking quite promising.
> 
> Seeing so many spurs and line branches, what is the frequency of the trains?


The rather odd thing is the map inside the train doesn't appear to show the East London line. Ie where these trains will be running. 

Instead it shows the existing London Overground Network. Then at Shadwell there is the line map showing all the stations South of there, inlcuidng those planned. This of course makes sense, but you would hope before the line opens they will cover up the branches and stations that will open later.

But you are right, it does look very complex with all the branches (of the ELL), wonder what effect this will have in the future when it comes to reliability of the new network?


----------



## iampuking

Dalston - Surrey Quays: 16tph (train every 3 3/4 minutes)
New Cross Gate - Sydenham: 8tph (train every 7 1/2 minutes)
Branches: 4tph (train every 15 minutes)


----------



## deasine

That's actually not too bad.


----------



## CairnsTony

deasine said:


> I'm surprised they didn't take a few of the renovations even further... but overall, looking quite promising.


I think they wanted to retain many historical features such as original brickwork as the East London line is very old. The system itself of course is very modern and looks fantastic. It's going to be a great addition to London's transport infrastructure.


----------



## iampuking

Went on the 378s for the first time the other day. They definately feel very different from both tube trains and traditional NR trains. Does anybody know how many 313s are still to be replaced?


----------



## CairnsTony

I'm curious to know, has any actual tunnel boring started yet on Crossrail?


----------



## iampuking

CairnsTony said:


> I'm curious to know, has any actual tunnel boring started yet on Crossrail?


I think some cut-and-cover sections have be dug but I don't think any bored sections have. Read this thread for better updates.


----------



## ladyb

iampuking said:


> Went on the 378s for the first time the other day. They definately feel very different from both tube trains and traditional NR trains. Does anybody know how many 313s are still to be replaced?


I went on a 378 last year from Stratford to West Hampstead. I didn't like the fact that you can't look out the window, and the ride is quite firm. Still I look forward to the return of the service. Being able to get to Dalston without the long slow crawl from London Bridge on the 149 bus will be good.


----------



## iampuking

ladyb said:


> I went on a 378 last year from Stratford to West Hampstead. I didn't like the fact that you can't look out the window, and the ride is quite firm. Still I look forward to the return of the service. Being able to get to Dalston without the long slow crawl from London Bridge on the 149 bus will be good.


The seats are too hard but I think the ride quality is good.


----------



## paris_nombril

*Overground enhancements*

Related to that subject, I refer to the later link (The International Railway Journal, May 2010):

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/sb/irj0410/#/26


----------



## iampuking

4-car 378s testing at New Cross Gate. New Cross Gate - Dalston services are set to allow passengers from the 15th of April. However it will not be full service.


----------



## iampuking

More pics of new stations and infastructure on the ELL


----------



## iampuking

AFAIK, The London Overground between Dalston and Surrey Quays a week after the opening will operate 16tph with 80m trains. The trains will therefore be a similar legnth to 5-car lines on the Paris Metro, albeit with lower frequency. Will this mean that the route will be a metro line or a light metro line or something else?


----------



## PortoNuts

*East London Line officially opened by Boris Johnson *










*The new East London Line has been opened to the public, forming part of the London Overground network.*

A "preview" service of eight trains an hour will run between New Cross Gate and Dalston Junction, between 0700 BST and 2000 BST, from Monday to Friday. 

Full evening and weekend services will begin on 23 May, when 12 trains will run each hour. 

Trains will travel through Whitechapel station and Shoreditch High Street, a flagship Zone 1 station. 

*Further extension work*

London Mayor Boris Johnson, who officially opened the route, said: "This new railway will bring jobs and opportunities to communities up and down the line, massively improving access for hundreds of thousands of people. 

"This type of investment is essential if London, throwing off the shackles of recession, is to emerge with the ability to grow, prosper, and secure its position at the summit of world cities, to the benefit of all Londoners." 

*Oyster cards can be used on the new trains which have no doors separating the carriages, allowing passengers to walk the length of the train. *

The opening is the first phase of a £1bn extension of the line. 

Labour London Assembly Member Val Shawcross said: "This is a vital rail link that will be welcomed across London. 

"But it's a bit rich for Boris Johnson to try and take credit for it in the middle of the election campaign when it was in fact funded and started by a Labour mayor thanks to Labour government funding." 

Caroline Pidgeon, Liberal Democrat member of the London Assembly, also criticised Mr Johnson. 

"Right in the middle of a general election campaign, the mayor is desperate to claim credit for something he didn't initiate," she said. 

*Engineering works are continuing to extend the East London Line to Highbury and Islington by Spring 2011. An extension of the line to Clapham Junction, in south-west London, is planned by 2012. *

*The line will form part of a planned wider London Overground orbital network, which will allow passengers to travel around London on the line without having to enter central areas of the city. *

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/8620188.stm


----------



## PortoNuts

*East London line’s opening puts Hackney on rail map*

*Millions of Londoners will be able to cross the river by rail from Hackney to New Cross when the revamped East London line reopens today.*

The railway will operate a limited service of eight trains per hour from 7am to 8pm on weekdays from Dalston Junction to New Cross. A full service to West Croydon will open on May 23.

Campaigners welcomed the £1 billion extension of the old East London line but warned that it should be in addition to existing rail services in south London, which are facing cutbacks.

Commuters in south-east London, which is not on the Tube, are particularly poorly served by the public transport network.

The South London line, which runs in a U-shape between Victoria and London Bridge, is under threat from the second phase of the East London line, which will extend to Clapham Junction by 2012. 

Jo deBank, from London Travelwatch, said: “The East London line is great news and will go into areas which are transport poor. 

“But there's still more to be done in south London. We need to make sure that there's still enough transport for people. South London still suffers from not having as much transport as other parts of the capital.” 

Lib-Dem transport spokesman Caroline Pidgeon said: “Phase two is wonderful but ultimately the problem is people were promised it in addition to the South London line, not instead. 

“It will give great connections out to Clapham Junction but people want that as well as routes into Victoria and London Bridge.” *The new East London line will operate a fleet of 20 walk-through air-conditioned trains from Dalston Junction in the north via the City and Docklands to New Cross, Crystal Palace and West Croydon in the south. *

*Four new stations opened today at Dalston Junction, Haggerston, Hoxton and Shoreditch High Street, putting Hackney on the Tube map for the first time. A further 14 stations have been refurbished.*

The line, which is expected to carry 100,000 a day, will be connected to the wider London Overground network — in the north by next spring and in the south by mid-2012 — making an orbital route around the capital. 

The old East London line ran from Shoreditch to New Cross. Shoreditch station closed in 2006 and the rest of the line in December 2007.

The rail-link was due to open two weeks ago but the event was called off at the last minute with Transport for London citing technical difficulties. Experts have cast doubt on the reason for the delay.

Opponents have criticised Boris Johnson for going ahead with the opening during the election campaign and trying to take the credit for a Labour-initiated project. 

The Mayor said: *“This new railway will bring jobs and opportunities to communities up and down the line, massively improving access for hundreds of thousands of people.*

“In this £1 billion upgrade, the old has been fused with the best of the new — the Victorian genius of Brunel's tunnel now comprises part of a network of almost space-age stations.

*“This type of investment is essential if London, throwing off the shackles of recession, is to grow and prosper.”*

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/stand...und-1-billion-east-london-rail-route-opens.do


----------



## Tubeman

PortoNuts said:


> *East London line’s opening puts Hackney on rail map*


Love the misinformed headlines...

So we've just imagined Hackney Central, Wick & Downs, Homerton, Dalston Kingsland, London Fields, and several other existing stations in the borough?!

Even if they meant to say 'Tube map' it's still wrong, because Hackney Central & Wick, Dalston Kingsland and Homerton have appeared on the map, on and off, for years... And the new stations in the borough (none of which mention 'Hackney') appear in exactly the same capacity as those four stations (London Overground).


----------



## iampuking

Hurrah! The ELL has finally re-opened and has now been extended northwards with 4 brand new stations. I'll do a post with explanations and images sometime in the near future, i.e. when I can be arsed.

Tube map now looks like this:


----------



## Falubaz

where's the map?


----------



## SE9

Falubaz said:


> where's the map?


----------



## CairnsTony

I take it that the extension to Croydon is opening later then? Does anyone know if there's a definite opening date for that part of the scheme?


----------



## sweek

CairnsTony said:


> I take it that the extension to Croydon is opening later then? Does anyone know if there's a definite opening date for that part of the scheme?


23rd of May I believe? In about a month... it opens later because the National Rail timetable needs to change as well.


----------



## iampuking

Extension northwards to Highbury & Islington will open in January 2011. Southward extension along to Clapham Junction will open in 2012. Don't know when.

Both of these extensions are only really small spurs onto existing railway infastructure, the major infastructure was the extension that opened this week.



Falubaz said:


> where's the map?


Is the image not showing up?


----------



## deasine

iampuking said:


> Is the image not showing up?


What you linked was a PDF, not an image.


----------



## FabriFlorence

SE9 said:


>


London has a great network but I can't understand why there are so many lines that cross without connections? I think it's very unconfortable.


----------



## sweek

FabriFlorence said:


> London has a great network but I can't understand why there are so many lines that cross without connections? I think it's very unconfortable.


The diagram-style map can be a bit deceiving when it comes to this, but you're right: there are a lot of missing connections. Especially in West London actually which isn't even shown on this map. 

A lot of it is for historical reasons: different rail companies used to compete with each other for business and didn't care about working together. Since then an umber of tunnels have been built to connect stations that were once separate.
Apart from that, cost is obviously a major factor.


----------



## Falubaz

iampuking said:


> ...
> Is the image not showing up?


no its not visible in the post 55, only the one from 57


----------



## iampuking

deasine said:


> What you linked was a PDF, not an image.


Eurgh, well it showed up for me despite this...

Anyway, as a jpg.


----------



## Falubaz

U know what is anoying?
The really poor connection of the overground and underground. There are plenty of spots, where the crossing lines have no interchange stations.


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## iampuking

^^ It's very annoying. That's what we get when our railway system hasn't been centrally planned from the start. Fortunately we're starting to see sense.

I personally think money should be spent on creating a few interchanges on the future London Overground network... These would create hundreds of new corridors that'd take cars off the streets.

1) Camden Road should be linked with Camden Town station. Camden Town station is due for a major rebuild so it should be included in that.
2) York Road on the Piccadilly line should be re-opened. Essentially all this would be is a refurbishment as the station already exists but has been closed for decades. It also already has lifts directly between platform level and ticket hall level. Re-opened York Road would then have an interchange on the London Overground which runs just past it.
3) Hackney Downs station should be linked with Hackney Central via a walkway.
4) Platforms should be built for Brixton station on the South London line (soon to be part of the Overground).
5) Platforms too should be built at Loughborough Junction on the aforementioned South London line to provide interchange with Thameslink which is set to massively increase capacity in the next decade.
6) There should be platforms for London Overground where it crosses the Central line at North Acton.
7) Finally, there should be an interchange with the District and the Piccadilly where it passes beneath them around the Gunnersbury area.


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## CairnsTony

On the GOBLIN line you could add an interchange with Tufnell Park on the northern line and even an interchange with the Piccadilly at Harringey Green Lanes.


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## iampuking

*East London Railway Extension and Refurbishment*

Opened: 27th of April, 2010.

Many proposals to extend the existing East London line had been bandied about up until the early 21st century. In the 21st century mayor of london Ken Livingstone wanted to build an extension in order to provide transport links to an area of London that had been deprived of them for decades. He also wanted the 'Orbirail' concept to be fulfilled; a secondary ring around Central London that would allow passengers to avoid travelling through it. Ken Livingstone proposed that the extension would be funded by private enterprise and so it was finalised.

The proposal involved extending the existing East London Underground line (New Cross/New Cross Gate - Whitechapel) northwards along existing but abandoned railway infrastructure known as the Kingsway Viaduct. And southwards along existing National Rail South London commuter lines. In 2012, the line will also be extended along the existing NR route called the South London line to Clapham Junction. This means that there will be a full loop of London operated by London Overground, a train company under the Transport for London umbrella. Because it is operated by London Overground it is under the common Oyster ticket fare.

Major construction work started on the project in 2008. It required the closing of the East London line for 3 years from 2007 the aging A Stock which used the old line at this time was replaced. It involved building several new bridges and 4 new stations. Once leaving the existing East London Railway line at Whitechapel the tracks climb out of the sub-surface cutting and onto a bridge over the main line tracks out of the major railway terminus London Liverpool Street. The line then stops at Shoreditch High Street, a stations that replaces the old Shoreditch station on the East London line which had one of the lowest usages of any London Underground station. This was mostly attributed to it being in a inaccessible area away from the populated area of Shoreditch, and because it was on a largely badly connected stub line. The station at Shoreditch High Street is on a viaduct in a brownfield site, therefore, to inhibit future development work around the station without the station having to close, it is entirely enclosed in concrete, giving the impression it is an Underground station.

After Shoreditch the line curves northwards and joins the Victorian Kingsway Viaduct. This viaduct previously served commuter trains from Broad Street station which sat adjacent to the aforementioned Liverpool Street terminus. It closed because of low passenger usage. To allow the viaduct to be used by trains again it required the rebuilding and refurbishment of several sections of the bridge. The next station on the line is Hoxton. It is the first station to be built which didn't already exist. It features a ticket hall that opens on both sides underneath the railway arches. The next station along the line is Haggerston, a completely new station on the site of a long-closed station of the same name. The platforms are in a similar glass and metal style as Hoxton station. The ticket hall is in a beige building which deliberately mimics Charles Holden designed art deco station buildings built for London Underground in the twenties, thirties and fourties. The next station northwards is called Dalston Junction and is subterranean. It is proposed that commercial developments will be built on top of the station in the future. The ticket hall opens on both sides, one of the entrances is to provide easy access to a bus station that is to built there. The other side is a main street entrance. Passengers pass through the ticket hall which, unlike on the DLR, has ticket gates. They then descend stairs in front of a massive London Overground roundel to the subterranean platforms. This station has four platforms, the two inner platforms are terminus platforms and the two on the outside are through platforms aiming to be opened when the line is extended northward via spurs to the existing North London line in 2011. Like all new stations on the route, the colour scheme is orange and there is full access for the disabled.

The stations on the rest of the line have been around for over a century and have been refurbished. However, this was not that necessary as the line itself had already been refurbished in the nineties when a connection with the Jubilee line Extension at Canada Water was built. The existing section of line has had it's signalling and track replaced to National Rail standards, instead of London Underground standards that it previously adhered to. At Whitechapel a new footbridge was built over the tracks. This station is a rarity on London's network as the 'London Overground' passes beneath the 'London Underground'. Also, at Shadwell a new entrance was built to provide quicker interchange to the DLR station of the same name. South of Surrey Quays, a flying junction has been created in order to allow the service to be extended to Clapham Junction in 2012, as previously mentioned. At New Cross Gate, a flyover had to be built over the current commuter routes, as the 'slow' lines which the London Overground has been extended over were on the outside of the formation, with the fast tracks in the middle. A view of the whole project is available here. The frequency of the line is as follows: 

12tph Dalston Junction - Surrey Quays
8tph Surrey Quays - Sydenham
4tph on the branches.

From 2012

16tph Dalston Junction - Surrey Quays
8tph Dalston Junction - Highbury & Islington
8tph Surrey Quays - Sydenham
4tph on the branches.

All routes are travelled by brand new four car (80m) Class 378s.

Infastructure:

Tracks out of Dalston Junction station and onto the Kingsway Viaduct

Normal For Norfolk at Flickr









Route around the Shoreditch area:

diamond geezer at Flickr









diamond geezer at Flickr









Bridge over Shoreditch High Street itself:

wirewiping at Flickr









Bridge over the mainlines out of Liverpool Street terminus:

wirewiping at Flickr









wirewiping at Flickr









Flyover at New Cross Gate:

unravelled at Flickr









Stations:

Dalston Junction Entrance:

Normal For Norfolk at Flickr









Dalston Junction Ticket Hall:

macspite at Flickr









Adam UXB Smith at Flickr









Dalston Junction Platforms:

quarkadia at Flickr









Haggerston Entrance:

tompagenet at Flickr









Haggerston Ticket Hall:

Cybermyth13 at Flickr









macspite at Flickr









tompagenet at Flickr









Haggerston Platforms:

tompagenet at Flickr









Hoxton Entrance:

tompagenet at Flickr









MiEs L. at Flickr









Hoxton Ticket Hall:

macspite at Flickr









macspite at Flickr









Hoxton Platforms:

darquati at Flickr









Hoxton View:

tompagenet at Flickr









Shoreditch High Street Entrance:

maethorechannen at Flickr









Shoreditch High Street Ticket Hall:

tompagenet at Flickr









chimpomatic at Flickr









Shoreditch High Street Platforms:

tompagenet at Flickr









Refurbished Whitechapel Platforms:

tompagenet at Flickr









Refurbished Shadwell Entrance:

tompagenet at Flickr









Refurbished Shadwell Platforms:

tompagenet at Flickr









Refurbished Wapping Entrance:

Martin Deutsch at Flickr









Refurbished Wapping Ticket Hall:

macspite at Flickr









Refurbished Wapping Platforms:

tompagenet at Flickr









Refurbished Rotherhithe Entrance:

tompagenet at Flickr









Refurbished Rotherhithe Platforms:

tompagenet at Flickr









Refurbished Canada Water Platforms:

tompagenet at Flickr









Refurbished Surrey Quays Entrance:

Ewan-M at Flickr









Refurbished Surrey Quays Ticket Hall:

macspite at Flickr









Refurbished Surrey Quays Platforms:

wirewiping at Flickr









New Cross Platform:

tompagenet at Flickr









New Cross Gate Platform:

tompagenet at Flickr


----------



## iampuking

How annoying. I write all that and not one comment.


----------



## coreyt

iampuking said:


> How annoying. I write all that and not one comment.


THANK YOU those are some great pictures, looks like a winner to me. London infrastructure is really coming together.


----------



## allurban

iampuking said:


> How annoying. I write all that and not one comment.


great photos - amazing that some people will say that 'elevated' rail lines are an eyesore - but those lines look great to me.

The orange Overground colour gives me a very warm feeling.

Cheers, m


----------



## iampuking

^^ I think the reason the elevated section looks nice is because it's original Victorian. The newer elevated sections of the DLR by comparision are rather unattractive.

Thanks for the comments guys.


----------



## Dan78

iampuking said:


> How annoying. I write all that and not one comment.


Nice photos. I was in London last year and saw the construction going on for the East London Overground in Hoxton. The appearance of some of the new stations leaves a bit to be desired though; the neo-Brutalist styled Shoreditch High Street station looks like it was built to withstand nuclear blasts. Still, it looks better than the old Shoreditch tube station, a "ditch" indeed.


----------



## Tubeman

Dan78 said:


> Nice photos. I was in London last year and saw the construction going on for the East London Overground in Hoxton. The appearance of some of the new stations leaves a bit to be desired though; the neo-Brutalist styled Shoreditch High Street station looks like it was built to withstand nuclear blasts. Still, it looks better than the old Shoreditch tube station, a "ditch" indeed.


Shoreditch High Street is the way it is (in a brutal concrete coffin) because ultimately a huge development (Bishopsgate Goodsyard site) will rise around it... So it looks ugly now, but one day it will look really cool to see trains running right through an office tower (or whatever end up built there). They simply had the foresight to build the covered way now, so that when construction does start, there's no disruption to trains.


----------



## iampuking

I'm not particularly impressed with the platforms at Hoxton or Haggerston myself. Although, I like the ticket halls and stairways.


----------



## ajw373

Tubeman said:


> Shoreditch High Street is the way it is (in a brutal concrete coffin) because ultimately a huge development (Bishopsgate Goodsyard site) will rise around it... So it looks ugly now, but one day it will look really cool to see trains running right through an office tower (or whatever end up built there). They simply had the foresight to build the covered way now, so that when construction does start, there's no disruption to trains.


Are the tracks you can see in the high short of Shordich High Street the old ELL line or part of the district line? If the district line I would say the place looks like an ideal interchange oportunity.


----------



## ajw373

iampuking said:


> I'm not particularly impressed with the platforms at Hoxton or Haggerston myself. Although, I like the ticket halls and stairways.


They look a tad narrow, bit like Shepherds Bush Overground station. Not good if ever there is a large crowd waiting.


----------



## allurban

Tubeman said:


> Shoreditch High Street is the way it is (in a brutal concrete coffin) because ultimately a huge development (Bishopsgate Goodsyard site) will rise around it... So it looks ugly now, but one day it will look really cool to see trains running right through an office tower (or whatever end up built there). They simply had the foresight to build the covered way now, so that when construction does start, there's no disruption to trains.


interesting! Trains running elevated through a building - that is one way to save a dreary design or a glorified people mover* and make it look good 

*Yes, Im talking about you, Detroit People Mover! You're a horrible example of public transport but when I see the train enter and leave buildings - like Joe Louis Arena and the COBO Hall - I cannot help but be impressed.

Cheers, m


----------



## CairnsTony

ajw373 said:


> Are the tracks you can see in the high short of Shordich High Street the old ELL line or part of the district line? If the district line I would say the place looks like an ideal interchange oportunity.


Neither, if it's the photo I think you're referring to. They're the mainline tracks into Liverpool Street Station. Building a station there to interchange with SHS, is really not feasible, not least because it would slow down journeys into and out of Liverpool St and is very close to that terminus anyway.

A feasible future interchange however would be with the Central Line which runs under the station. I think the reason it doesn't exist now is because it would place additional strain on one of the busiest stretches of tube on the whole network. When Crossrail opens and other route options and extra capacity in the area becomes available. perhaps they might look at the possibility of said interchange then.


----------



## trainrover

coreyt said:


> London infrastructure is really coming together.


Its coming-together was ahead of everywhere else even way before your very own first half came to nest in your mum no less than 2 months into your granny's pregnancy 

Now having browsed hundreds of photos revealing my own city's slow-poke infrastructural development of the past odd 150 years, that observation of yours jumps out at me. My city's infrastructure right through the 1950s paled to London's own extent -say- 80 years beforehand...

I wish I'd taken snapshots of the then-spooky, open stairwells at Wapping and Rotherhithe Stations back in the late '70s, grunginess at a premium now...nonetheless, congratulations Londoners!


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## NCT

CairnsTony said:


> Neither, if it's the photo I think you're referring to. They're the mainline tracks into Liverpool Street Station. Building a station there to interchange with SHS, is really not feasible, not least because it would slow down journeys into and out of Liverpool St and is very close to that terminus anyway.
> 
> A feasible future interchange however would be with the Central Line which runs under the station. I think the reason it doesn't exist now is because it would place additional strain on one of the busiest stretches of tube on the whole network. When Crossrail opens and other route options and extra capacity in the area becomes available. perhaps they might look at the possibility of said interchange then.


There won't be the need by then as Crossrail has a station at Whitechapel too.


----------



## PortoNuts

*Imperial Wharf Station - West London Line*













































flickr


----------



## Tubeman

CairnsTony said:


> Neither, if it's the photo I think you're referring to. They're the mainline tracks into Liverpool Street Station. Building a station there to interchange with SHS, is really not feasible, not least because it would slow down journeys into and out of Liverpool St and is very close to that terminus anyway.
> 
> A feasible future interchange however would be with the Central Line which runs under the station. I think the reason it doesn't exist now is because it would place additional strain on one of the busiest stretches of tube on the whole network. When Crossrail opens and other route options and extra capacity in the area becomes available. perhaps they might look at the possibility of said interchange then.












Correct, although amazingly there was a station here with platforms on all 6 GER tracks until 1916 (Bishopsgate Low Level), in addition to the terminus at Liverpool Street a couple of hundred metres west.

The derelict and very wide viaduct which the east end of the ELL bridge rests on was the Eastern Counties Railway's (later Great Eastern Railway) first London terminus in The City (Shoreditch, then Bishopsgate), replaced by Liverpool Street at a much lower level and further south-west after 34 years (and then became a large goods station).

The Central Line option would be very costly, as appending a new station to an existing deep-level tube is an engineering headache (has been done before though, at Holborn Central Line)... And yes there is also the Central Line capacity (or lack thereof) to think about.


----------



## Dan78

CairnsTony said:


> A feasible future interchange however would be with the Central Line which runs under the station. I think the reason it doesn't exist now is because it would place additional strain on one of the busiest stretches of tube on the whole network. When Crossrail opens and other route options and extra capacity in the area becomes available. perhaps they might look at the possibility of said interchange then.


Taking a look at a geographic map, it seems the Central Line tunnel runs right under Brick Lane (between Quaker and Grimsby Streets) exactly near where the old ELL Shoreditch station was (why they never bothered to put a transfer station between the old ELL and Central Line is beyond me). It seems like this would be an ideal place for a new intermediate subterranean station on the Central Line, perhaps with a pedestrian tunnel connecting this new station ("Brick Lane", perhaps) with the SHS Overground station on Wheler Street.

The neighborhood is already used to the notion of having a tube station (albeit an underperforming one), so there shouldn't be significant local opposition.


----------



## Dan78

Tubeman said:


> Shoreditch High Street is the way it is (in a brutal concrete coffin) because ultimately a huge development (Bishopsgate Goodsyard site) will rise around it... So it looks ugly now, but one day it will look really cool to see trains running right through an office tower (or whatever end up built there). They simply had the foresight to build the covered way now, so that when construction does start, there's no disruption to trains.


Thanks for the explanation. East London really seems to be undergoing a development boom. I'm sure that the new Overground and the DLR have been a big part of that, as Crossrail will be.


----------



## iampuking

Great video of nearly the whole of the East London Railway. The newest section starts from around 4:30. Also note that the train goes through Brunel's historic Thames Tunnel, the first tunnel underneath water, and one of the first to use tunnelling shields in 1843.


----------



## iampuking

ajw373 said:


> They look a tad narrow, bit like Shepherds Bush Overground station. Not good if ever there is a large crowd waiting.


The stairs or the platforms? Anyway, projected passengers for Hoxton and Haggerston isn't particularly high, especially compared to Dalston Junction and Shoreditch High Street.


----------



## ajw373

CairnsTony said:


> Neither, if it's the photo I think you're referring to. They're the mainline tracks into Liverpool Street Station. Building a station there to interchange with SHS, is really not feasible, not least because it would slow down journeys into and out of Liverpool St and is very close to that terminus anyway.


I should open my eyes a little more, as clearly it is 4 sets of tracks. When I first looked at the pic and asked the question it looked to me to be two sets of tube track (with it's 4 track system) so yes makes sense to not have an interchange there.


----------



## davidaiow

Thanks for the video. God I love the roar.


----------



## trainrover

Tubeman said:


>


Does anybody know why the route is so boxed in beyond SHS stn?










What's the likelihood of instead placing Barking right and below of Stratford (it's muddling, no?)?


----------



## trainrover

future.architect said:


> seems a bit short sighted to not make stations future proof


a critical component of the infrastructure you're referring to was --uhmm-- drafted about 190 years ago 





future.architect said:


> especialy when its a simple case of building the ceiling a few centimetres higher.


for a simpleton? maybe; others? not...


----------



## future.architect

trainrover said:


> for a simpleton? maybe; others? not...


No need for insults mate, i have never claimed to be an expert in railway engineering or to know much at all about this project.

I simply made an observation about the photograph that i had seen and wondered why that design was chosen.


----------



## Tubeman

trainrover said:


> for a simpleton? maybe; others? not...


Errr yes agreed, no need to be unpleasant


----------



## flierfy

future.architect said:


> who knows what might happen in 10/20 years time. overhead electrification is generaly regarded as a better system than third rail.
> *seems a bit short sighted* to not make stations future proof, especialy when its a simple case of building the ceiling a few centimetres higher.





future.architect said:


> No need for insults mate, _i have never claimed to be an expert_ in railway engineering or to know much at all about this project.


I'd be a lot more careful to make any accusations if I knew so little of the subject as you do. Now you can't complain when it all hits you back.


----------



## future.architect

flierfy said:


> I'd be a lot more careful to make any accusations if I knew so little of the subject as you do. Now you can't complain when it all hits you back.





trainrover said:


> a critical component of the infrastructure you're referring to was --uhmm-- drafted about 190 years ago
> 
> 
> 
> 
> for a simpleton? maybe; others? not...


Sorry for offending you mr omniscient. I am sure most of the people who read this (or any) thread on this website have little knowledge about the topics up for discussion. That is the main raison d'etre of this website, to *share* information. If you can't deal with people like me who may not be as 'highly knowledgeable' as yourself without being discourteous, then that says a lot about yourself doesn't it?

I never expected such rude replies about something so trivial.


----------



## lightrail

future.architect said:


> Sorry for offending you mr omniscient. I am sure most of the people who read this (or any) thread on this website have little knowledge about the topics up for discussion. That is the main raison d'etre of this website, to *share* information. If you can't deal with people like me who may not be as 'highly knowledgeable' as yourself without being discourteous, then that says a lot about yourself doesn't it?
> 
> I never expected such rude replies about something so trivial.


In defense of future.architect, I thought his question was reasonable and deserved a reasonable response, not insults.


----------



## deasine

trainrover said:


> for a simpleton? maybe; others? not...


It's about time you think before you post again. It's not the first time you've been looking for trouble around, and it better be the last.


----------



## Tubeman

Don't be dispirited by the transport nazis future, there's quite a few people on ssc who get far too up their own arses when it comes to discussing transport and love having arguments about it. The UK Transport section is just as bad.


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## trainrover

My! what a heatwave...

My remarks were in response to engineering, little to do with transport, plus I have no _penchant_ for architects.

Brasilia's architect essentially created a nightmare for its capital.

Some (prestigious) Canadian college's architect created a nightmare by insisting the window frames be of cedar instead of something solid to mitigate burglaries, etc., which the college kept experiencing.

Just like the Gulf of Mexico catastrophe: You hear plenty from the scientists yet nought from the engineers, who are ultimately the ones who save the day.

Same for film directors: They get all the attention when it's screenwriters who cause the bulk of the fame of some renowned film.

But then again, what do I know? Silliness, over which I reckon folks really ought to refrain from becoming so emotional: That's where I've been known to be coming from...


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## PortoNuts

*Shadwell Station - East London Line*





































http://www.flickr.com/photos/tompagenet/4568612734/sizes/l/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tompagenet/4567972851/sizes/l/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tompagenet/4567956275/sizes/l/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tompagenet/4567960717/sizes/l/


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## trainrover

^^ Per your last photo there, I see the device on the trackbed between the (running) rails at the left-hand side of the picture. It's making me wonder if it`s for automatic (computerised) operation. Is the line now automatic or might the device just be for signalling purposes?


----------



## Tubeman

trainrover said:


> ^^ Per your last photo there, I see the device on the trackbed between the (running) rails at the left-hand side of the picture. It's making me wonder if it`s for automatic (computerised) operation. Is the line now automatic or might the device just be for signalling purposes?


It's pretty standard Network Rail kit... you see it everywhere... I think it's the warning system in the cab for yellow / red signals (bells and hooters), but that being said I can't believe that the ELLX doesn't have ATP... Otherwise it would have become less safe than it was under LU.


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## Shezan

Shadwell draws are really nice


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## Tubeman

Tubeman said:


> It's pretty standard Network Rail kit... you see it everywhere... I think it's the warning system in the cab for yellow / red signals (bells and hooters), but that being said I can't believe that the ELLX doesn't have ATP... Otherwise it would have become less safe than it was under LU.


What I was trying to say, is it's an AWS inductor










I guess the ELLX also has TPWS installed, which is a half-arsed ATP


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## CairnsTony

Does anyone know if the renos at Shadwell station are finished? There seems to be a lot of exposed wiring, pipes etc above the main pannelling at platform level, plus an odd gap at the base of those panels that makes them look temporary.


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## Tubeman

Definitely looks unfinished to me... At least I hope it is!


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## PortoNuts

*Rotherhithe Station - East London Line*





































http://www.flickr.com/photos/tompagenet/4568071419/sizes/l/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tompagenet/4568062575/sizes/l/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tompagenet/4568714728/sizes/l/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tompagenet/4568693386/sizes/l/in/photostream/


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## Davodavo

^^ :applause:


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## PortoNuts

^^Yes, the reopening of a refurbished East London Line is a vast improvement, they kept the old buildings for most and even managed to build some brand new stations. :cheers:


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## iampuking

The North London re-opened between Gospel Oak and Stratford this Monday after a 4 months closure to change the track layout for the extension of the ELL to Highbury & Islington, extend the platforms for 4 car trains, re-signalling, reconfiguring some tunnels for freight trains, etc.

Info regarding it is here and pictures of the refurbished stations are here and here.


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## PortoNuts

From 23 May:

*Croydon joins Tube network as East London line extension opens*

*One of the most important days in Croydon's transport history arrives today (Sunday) as the town finally makes its appearance on the iconic Tube map.*

And with the opening of the East London line's extension to West Croydon, it is widely accepted, will come massive growth and job opportunities for both individuals and the town as a whole.

*It will make access to jobs in London easier and raise Croydon's status as a business destination.*

*The line, although officially part of the Tube network, is dubbed London Overground with its own distinctive trains.*

The 14-mile line, running to Dalston in north London, has cost £1 billion with another £500 million being spent on providing 57 new trains.

On the southern section trains will run on existing Network Rail track from New Cross Gate to Crystal Palace, Norwood Junction and West Croydon.

Four trains an hour will run into West Croydon, with the frequency remaining the same throughout the day, with no reduction outside peak hours.

The services will be dovetailed with existing Southern services to provide passengers with more choice.

According to Ian Brown, managing director of London Rail for Transport for London, the importance of the extension cannot be underestimated.

He said: "For local people and local businesses in Croydon it will make a heck of difference and when people realise just how easy it will be to get into the City it will prove to be quite something."

http://www.thisiscroydontoday.co.uk...ion-opens/article-2189440-detail/article.html


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## PortoNuts

Couple more pics of the Class 378 trains. I really like them. 



















http://www.flickr.com/photos/tompagenet/3960488422/sizes/l/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tompagenet/4568531838/sizes/l/


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## trainrover

PortoNuts said:


>


Peculiar. The door doesn't go with the train (no more drip protector above the doorways?), plus I'd have thought equipment below the undercarriage would be masked; mind you, it's relieving to know you can still open a window


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## Tubeman

trainrover said:


> Peculiar. The door doesn't go with the train (no more drip protector above the doorways?), plus I'd have thought equipment below the undercarriage would be masked; mind you, it's relieving to know you can still open a window


Looks like there's a lip to catch rainwater the length of the car just above the thin orange OHLE warning line. And the 'exposed' equipment is entirely normal, it's just unusual to see it so pristine and clean... In a few weeks it'll all be the same uniform dark colour.


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## ajw373

trainrover said:


> Peculiar. The door doesn't go with the train (no more drip protector above the doorways?), plus I'd have thought equipment below the undercarriage would be masked; mind you, it's relieving to know you can still open a window


Just because it has windows that are capable of being open doesn't mean the passengers can actually open them. Normally on air conditioned trains with windows such as these the windows are locked and to be opened must be first unlocked by a staff member.


----------



## FabriFlorence

PortoNuts said:


> Couple more pics of the Class 378 trains. I really like them.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/tompagenet/3960488422/sizes/l/
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/tompagenet/4568531838/sizes/l/


Overground trains are very beautiful!


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## PortoNuts

Yes, they are really wide, clean and spacious. The best of the best. :cheers2:


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## PortoNuts

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tompagenet/4567988847/sizes/l/


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## Harrow + London

Will the West, North, East and South London lines be directly linked to make a service that goes around Zone 2 from Clapham Junction to Clapham Junction? London Overground does include the Orbirail concept after all. The point of the service is to get people around London without entering central London, but it's going to be mocked if you have to change trains to get from Camden Road to Shoreditch High Street when there's potential for just one train ride. Why didn't tfl link the East London Line directly to the North London line? I mean, they say they have, but really, they've just extended the East London Line _alongside_, which to me, seems stupid.


(I'm new by the way - I've been reading posts to check on projects for years but I never actually thought to register and contribute)


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## onetwothree

The trains look even better with people covering that god awful upholstery  

btw is there a reason they didn't include any sections with seats facing across instead of along the walls?


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## future.architect

onetwothree said:


> btw is there a reason they didn't include any sections with seats facing across instead of along the walls?


With the seats along the walls you can fit more people on because more people can stand. It is also easier to get off when the train is crowded.


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## PortoNuts

I personally prefer seats along the walls exactly for the reason you mentioned and, apart from the rush hour, it's not as claustrophobic as it would be otherwise.


----------



## Tubeman

Harrow + London said:


> Will the West, North, East and South London lines be directly linked to make a service that goes around Zone 2 from Clapham Junction to Clapham Junction? London Overground does include the Orbirail concept after all. The point of the service is to get people around London without entering central London, but it's going to be mocked if you have to change trains to get from Camden Road to Shoreditch High Street when there's potential for just one train ride. Why didn't tfl link the East London Line directly to the North London line? I mean, they say they have, but really, they've just extended the East London Line _alongside_, which to me, seems stupid.
> 
> 
> (I'm new by the way - I've been reading posts to check on projects for years but I never actually thought to register and contribute)


No, it's not planned to be one single service. I think it's a shame, but the logic is it will be so long and would have to cross so many flat junctions and be so prone to delays due to freight services that it would be nigh on impossible to maintain a reliable timetable. Certainly even when the Dalston Junction to Highbury & Islington section reopens next year, the configuration at the Highbury end will preclude trains from continuing on to Camden Road (there will be a physical connection, but just a bi-directional single track).

I'd expect there will be at best 2 horseshoe services; Clapham to Highbury via Peckham Rye and Clapham to Stratford via Camden.


----------



## lightrail

Tubeman said:


> No, it's not planned to be one single service. I think it's a shame, but the logic is it will be so long and would have to cross so many flat junctions and be so prone to delays due to freight services that it would be nigh on impossible to maintain a reliable timetable. Certainly even when the Dalston Junction to Highbury & Islington section reopens next year, the configuration at the Highbury end will preclude trains from continuing on to Camden Road (there will be a physical connection, but just a bi-directional single track).
> 
> I'd expect there will be at best 2 horseshoe services; Clapham to Highbury via Peckham Rye and Clapham to Stratford via Camden.


Another thought is that trains running in circles are hard to schedule. At some point the train will need to be held for timing, recovery, driver needs a rest, etc. London Underground recently changed the Circle Line because of operaitonal problems. 

Another consideration is equipment needs on each section - East London might have different needs (capacity, operations) than other lines.

Seems easier and cheaper to operate in segments as planned.


----------



## Acemcbuller

onetwothree said:


> btw is there a reason they didn't include any sections with seats facing across instead of along the walls?



People don't like that arrangement, its too cramped and physically and socially awkward getting in and out. You only have to watch people's behaviour on trains that have them to see this. Spare seats go unused when they are facing each other but those along the walls get snapped up,


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## manrush

Personally, it was an excellent idea for the newest Overground rolling stock to have longitudinal seating. I wish the new rolling stock of Thameslink and Crossrail also had longitudinal seating.


----------



## Harrow + London

Tubeman said:


> No, it's not planned to be one single service. I think it's a shame, but the logic is it will be so long and would have to cross so many flat junctions and be so prone to delays due to freight services that it would be nigh on impossible to maintain a reliable timetable. Certainly even when the Dalston Junction to Highbury & Islington section reopens next year, the configuration at the Highbury end will preclude trains from continuing on to Camden Road (there will be a physical connection, but just a bi-directional single track).
> 
> I'd expect there will be at best 2 horseshoe services; Clapham to Highbury via Peckham Rye and Clapham to Stratford via Camden.





lightrail said:


> Another thought is that trains running in circles are hard to schedule. At some point the train will need to be held for timing, recovery, driver needs a rest, etc. London Underground recently changed the Circle Line because of operaitonal problems.
> 
> Another consideration is equipment needs on each section - East London might have different needs (capacity, operations) than other lines.
> 
> Seems easier and cheaper to operate in segments as planned.


Cheers! That does make sense and perhaps a bigger version of LU's old Circle line isn't what London needs if it wants to improve reliability. Still, it is slightly disappointing but ...


----------



## streetquark

Harrow + London said:


> Cheers! That does make sense and perhaps a bigger version of LU's old Circle line isn't what London needs if it wants to improve reliability. Still, it is slightly disappointing but ...


The North London and West London sections of the London Overground 'orbital' have a very restricted passenger capacity because they are used heavily for freight. This is why half the East London line trains will stop at Dalston Junction and the rest stop at H&I.

A continuous orbital service would need to miss out Clapham Junction or have a new tube section between c.Battersea Queenstown Road and Stamford Bridge. Obviously a lowish frequency service can't justify spending a couple of billions on a new underground section and there is no point in missing out Clapham Junction.

What you have instead is a tear-shaped orbital service with Clapham Junction being the point of the tear (maybe call it the Teardrop line...) but as mentioned elsewhere the restrictions mean there isn't a continuous Clapham Junction-Clapham Junction service, though there might be in future.

For an orbital based on Victorian lines to work it would probably need a lot of upgrade and overlapping services e.g. Clapham Junction-Clapham Junction and Dalston Junction-Dalston Junction (or Stratford-Stratford). That means extra tracks (4-track West London, possibly taking over Watford suburban services between Primrose Hill and Queen's Park), new sections, segregation and no/less flat junctions. A lot of money would be spent but you would get high frequency services and you might also improve interchanges at the same time (i.e. detouring via Camden Town, Earl's Court, east-west under Dalston Junction and Clapham Junction).

It would only be worth while though if the demand was there and public spending has all but disappeared.


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## Harrow + London

What LO should do is properly rebuild (as opposed to refurbish) half of the North London Line. I mean stations like Hampstead Heath, Canonbury and Hackney Wich are just ugly. Especially before 2012, when more people will be using it to get to Stratford. Still, rebuilding is unlikely, as like everything else on this planet, it comes down to the same thing - MONEY!

Also, why isn't a Crossrail station being planned at City Airport? It passes really close to the site after all. They're reconstructing the Connaught tunnel, but its just a bit too far away from the site, so instead, why don't they rebuild it so that it passes closer to the airport and build a station there? The DLR service is brilliant and all but despite what people say, access to Canary Wharf isn't direct (you need to change at Poplar, and changing is annoying when you have luggage and jet-lag) and access to Central London gives a choice of just 2 stations. Bank is great - smack bang in the middle of the City and a wealth of possible interchanges, but again, changing, which is even harder here than at Poplar, due to the walking and the crowds! Tower Gateway is useless - poor interchange and mostly only useful to those visiting Tower Bridge/of London. Crossrail *would* bring direct links to Canary Wharf *and* more areas of zone 1.


----------



## streetquark

Harrow + London said:


> What LO should do is properly rebuild (as opposed to refurbish) half of the North London Line. I mean stations like Hampstead Heath, Canonbury and Hackney Wich are just ugly. Especially before 2012, when more people will be using it to get to Stratford. Still, rebuilding is unlikely, as like everything else on this planet, it comes down to the same thing - MONEY!
> 
> Also, why isn't a Crossrail station being planned at City Airport? The DLR service is brilliant and all but despite what people say, access to Canary Wharf isn't direct (you need to change at Poplar, and changing is annoying when you have luggage and jet-lag) and access to Central London gives a choice of just 2 stations. Bank is great - smack bang in the middle of the City and a wealth of possible interchanges, but again, changing, which is even harder here than at Poplar, due to the walking and the crowds! Tower Gateway is useless - poor interchange and mostly only useful to those visiting Tower Bridge/of London.


I believe there is passive provision for a station at Connaught Bridge/LCA as there is for stations at Holborn and Limehouse.

Just another point about 'Orbirail' (see also Ring Rail from about the same time as Cross Rail c. 1960's): ideally it would skirt current/future central and inner areas like Chelsea, Bermondsey, Canary Wharf, Bethnal Green and Camden and go through the major rail nodal hubs of Clapham Junction, Willesden Junction/Old Oak common HST and Stratford/Stratford International. The West London, South London and half the North London fit this well, but the East London is between the centre and Canary Wharf and also a radial route plus via ELL means missing out Stratford. I would include Dalston-Stratford-Canning Town and Peckham Rye-Surrey Canal Road (which would become part of a SE transport hub) and link the two with a new section via Mudchute and blackwall and going to the east of Canary Wharf as well as my earlier suggestion of Primrose Hill-Queen's Park-Willesden Junction as there's hardly space for even a passing loop on the freight-saturated NLL between Camden Road and Willesden Junction.


----------



## iampuking

^^There isn't a need for it. LO isn't high frequency so dwell times aren't as much of an issue as LU.


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## jncrter

rheintram said:


> London can be proud on its new East London Line and the Overground in general. Only a few years ago it looked like a cheap marketing scheme, but now it has a become a real integrated part of London's transport system!


Very true, I would say that this is one of the best changes that I have seen in the transportation field in London. The way it has changed over the past few years has been outstanding and the way each and every station and the airports are linked is something that other can learn a thing or two.


----------



## PortoNuts




----------



## iampuking

New Diesel Class 172s in operation on the GOBLIN line;


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## iampuking

Info regarding the new Class 172s for the GOBLIN line has been added.

*Old Trains (British Rail Class 150s)*

Exterior:

Dan86401 at Flickr









Video:






*New Trains (British Rail Class 172s)*

Exterior:

Richard and Gill at Flickr









Video:


----------



## PortoNuts

^^The new trains are the best investment that could have been done for London's rail infrastructure.


----------



## Davodavo

PortoNuts said:


> ^^The new trains are the best investment that could have been done for London's rail infrastructure.


+1


----------



## PortoNuts




----------



## PortoNuts

*Canary Wharf Crossrail Site*

by leytonstonia.


----------



## PortoNuts




----------



## PortoNuts

*Blackfriars mainline station to shut for upgrade*










*Blackfriars mainline station is to close for two months as part of the £5.5bn Thameslink project.*

A new station, which will be the first to span the Thames, is being built as part of the Bedford to Brighton line upgrade.

Construction of the upper concourse has finished and the closure in November will allow work to switch from the west side to the east side of the bridge.

Blackfriars Tube station closed for two years in March 2009 under the project.

The completion of the upper station concourse paves the way for the track "switch" at Christmas.

*Longer trains*

This will involve work on the the tracks moving from the western side of the bridge to the eastern side - creating the final track alignment for the redeveloped station.

Trains will continue to run through the station for the majority of the closure - from 20 November until 17 January - and passengers will be able to use the nearby City Thameslink station.

Work to extend platforms to accommodate 50% longer trains on the line has been completed at St Albans, Luton Airport Parkway and Mill Hill Broadway.

In total 12 stations will undergo work to extend platforms and the first 12-carriage trains are due to begin running in December 2011.

The redeveloped Blackfriars station, which will have an entrance on the South Bank, is due to open in spring 2012.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-11069021


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## Apoc89

I was thinking of making a thread for London's commuter rail system, but I'm not sure whether it warrants a new thread or if that information could fit here. After all, all commuter trains run on Network Rail-owned tracks, and Thameslink and arguably Crossrail can count as commuter services.

What does everyone else think?


----------



## flierfy

The title of the thread is pretty clear. It says National Rail. So, no need for yet another thread.


----------



## allurban

iampuking said:


> *New Trains (British Rail Class 172s)*
> 
> Exterior:
> 
> Richard and Gill at Flickr


One thought that went through my head recently was this: would it be possible for Overground trains to have an orange "face" (cab painting, to match the orange doors and interior poles)

I only ask this because I thought almost all the Network Rail trains had yellow "faces" but then I saw that many of them do not. Southern has trains with green & yellow, Thameslink is multicoloured, Southwestern in red, etc. Even Southeastern has a few trains with a mauve "face" and doors.

Would orange make it hard for the train's lights (especially red ones) to stand out?

Cheers, m


----------



## PortoNuts

Apoc89 said:


> I was thinking of making a thread for London's commuter rail system, but I'm not sure whether it warrants a new thread or if that information could fit here. After all, all commuter trains run on Network Rail-owned tracks, and Thameslink and arguably Crossrail can count as commuter services.
> 
> What does everyone else think?


This thread pretty much covers everything that's non-Tube and non-DLR.


----------



## allurban

PortoNuts said:


> This thread pretty much covers everything that's non-Tube and non-DLR.


between this thread and the DLR, Underground, Tramlink thread, they have covered all forms of intra-city rail transit in London.

I suppose there must be threads for the HS services and intercity trains in other forums.

I wonder why there is no bus forum tho.....

Cheers, m


----------



## deasine

^There is a bus thread. The only transportation forms I can imagine that haven't been covered are Ferries, but there's debate on whether that really belongs in the Marine forum despite being a public transport alternative. There's also Baraclay's Cycle Hire, but again, it's not really "public transit" either.


----------



## Davodavo

^^ Where's the bus thread?

:?


----------



## Minato ku

LONDON | Buses


----------



## deasine

Just a second faster than me there Minato. I know I haven't kept up with the "Thread Finder" page index, but the search function on this forum is really powerful. Simply search "London Buses" and you will immediately find this thread.


----------



## Davodavo

Minato ku said:


> LONDON | Buses


Thank you


----------



## PortoNuts




----------



## allurban

deasine said:


> ^There is a bus thread. The only transportation forms I can imagine that haven't been covered are Ferries, but there's debate on whether that really belongs in the Marine forum despite being a public transport alternative. There's also Baraclay's Cycle Hire, but again, it's not really "public transit" either.


thanks...I assumed there must be one but wondered why I didnt see it on the main subways and urban transport forum.

I guess it not as popular as the two rail threads... but thanks, I will definitely read through the thread.

cheers, m


----------



## trainrover

PortoNuts said:


> A new station, which will be the first to span the Thames


ouch

Commuters aside, what do locals there think of this?


----------



## Tubeman

trainrover said:


> ouch
> 
> Commuters aside, what do locals there think of this?


It's a plus... Blackfriars always did nearly span the Thames, similarly Cannon Street's platforms project a fair way across the river. The new Blackfriars will be much more attractive than the old.

The entrance on the south bank will be very useful to Bankside residents, and the large office blocks next door. They won't be any closer to the LU station though.


----------



## PortoNuts




----------



## WatcherZero

Network Rail have made their bid submission to Crossrail for the above ground engineering, it is £800m under the budget through descoping bridges, faster construction techniques and pre-assembled components for structures savings.


----------



## PortoNuts




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## PortoNuts




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## PortoNuts




----------



## PortoNuts

*Canary Wharf Crossrail Station*

by *uk.de*


----------



## iampuking

4-car trains started running on the North London line today.


----------



## PortoNuts

*Tottenham Court Road Crossrail Station*

by *Ciudad Bristol*.


----------



## PortoNuts




----------



## trainrover

iampuking said:


> 4-car trains started running on the North London line today.


How busy has that line become?

It's encouraging learning that crossrail's now underway


----------



## PortoNuts

> *New bridge will ease congestion and link to town centre*
> 
> *Passengers at the often congested East Croydon station can look forward to much better conditions thanks to major improvements that are being planned.*
> 
> Croydon Council has guaranteed £6 million towards a £20 million project. It means that Network Rail, who are meeting the majority of the expense, will be able to go ahead with a new bridge and works to the existing station concourse. The council anticipates that the additional station entrance via a mid platform bridge could be in use by 2013.
> 
> The scheme is the first outcome of the ambitious masterplanning process the council is spearheading to co-ordinate the ambition of the council, landowners, developers and stakeholders. Looking at the potential of inter-related areas rather than pursuing isolated, piecemeal proposals is regarded as critical in order to secure high quality infrastructure and amenities for those living and working in Croydon.
> 
> Not only will the East Croydon scheme considerably ease the busy station's capacity issues but it will also result in direct pedestrian access to the heart of the town centre rather than via the existing detour along George Street.
> 
> Engineers and architects have already been appointed by Network Rail to work on the project and are making progress with its design.
> 
> Councillor Jason Perry, cabinet member for planning, conservation and climate change, said: "This is a truly exciting initiative that will be enormously valuable to everyone using East Croydon station and will help stimulate further development in the area.
> 
> "There's been a great deal of co-operation through the masterplanning process and I am delighted that the council has been able to identify the capital funding that will ensure Network Rail's much-needed investment can go ahead.
> 
> "The new bridge and the station building improvements will be the first major piece of new public infrastructure to emerge from the masterplanning which we believe has been key to bringing interested parties together to look at opportunities for Croydon as a whole. Together, the works will improve capacity at what is the town's busiest public transport hub and will overcome longstanding congestion. The scheme is also being designed in such a way to accommodate an extra platform at the station should this prove necessary and affordable in future."
> 
> Council funding will come from various transport infrastructure sources and is being guaranteed to ensure that Network Rail can commit the whole of the sum it has set aside for investment in East Croydon.


http://www.croydon.gov.uk/democracy/councilnews/990303


----------



## iampuking

trainrover said:


> How busy has that line become?
> 
> It's encouraging learning that crossrail's now underway


It's always been pretty busy, obviously not compared to LU as the capacity is far lower. It's a very useful line.


----------



## PortoNuts

> *Crossrail tunnelling to start next year*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *CROSSRAIL has announced that the scheme is set to survive the government's spending cuts, and the company has also undertaken not to reduce the length of the route or the number of stations. *
> 
> Boring of tunnels under central London is expected to start in 2011.
> 
> However, innovative rolling stock is not part of the vision: to keep costs as low as possible, Crossrail trains will be based on ‘tried and tested designs’.
> 
> Network Rail has announced that it has submitted the estimated costs for upgrading the existing surface infrastructure. These costs for surface works will be a vital component of Crossrail’s updated estimates of the total investment needed.
> 
> The chairman of Crossrail, Terry Morgan, said: “Crossrail and its delivery partners recognise fully that Crossrail is a significant investment. It is critical that every pound invested in this vital scheme achieves maximum value for money. Sensible efficiency savings will be made at every opportunity.
> 
> "Crossrail is bearing down on its whole cost base, while ensuring delivery of a new railway that is fit for purpose and delivers the capacity improvements required. We are looking at every aspect of Crossrail to identify where efficiencies can be made and understanding what cost saving lessons can be learned from other global infrastructure projects."
> 
> *However, Crossrail said its paring down of costs does not involve reducing the size of the network, which will still connect Maidenhead and Heathrow in the west with Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east. Neither are there any plans to cut the number of stations.*
> 
> It explained that the latest Crossrail business case shows that Crossrail is now more important to the UK economy than ever before - delivering a boost of up to £42bn. Previous estimates were that Crossrail would be worth up to £36bn.
> 
> The company has also published some examples of how it will restrain costs. Apart from ordering ‘tried and tested’ rolling stock, both Canary Wharf and Whitechapel stations have been redesigned, cutting £30 million from Whitechapel alone. Stations will use standard components, such as light fittings and indicators, and it's been confirmed that a ’major proportion’ of the Abbey Wood branch will make use of the recently disused line between Custom House and North Woolwich, including the Connaught Tunnel which runs under the docks near Silvertown.
> 
> But the company is evidently remaining aware of the risk of false economies, saying that stations will still be ‘appropriately sized’ to deal with the latest forecasts of future demand.
> 
> The announcement has been given a ‘cautious’ welcome by one east London council.
> 
> Councillor Chris Roberts, who is leader of Greenwich council, said: “While we remain cautious, this latest announcement is a step in the right direction for Greenwich residents. The case for Crossrail -- and specifically stations south of the river, Woolwich and Abbey Wood -- is unquestionable. This Southern spur will be the busiest and best value section of the line. It is essential that the line is built in full and without any phasing.”
> 
> He said that the London Borough of Greenwich had already made a ‘unique’ private sector funding arrangement which would reduce the cost of the Royal Arsenal station in Woolwich by up to £56 million.
> 
> He added: “Scaling back or phasing the development of Crossrail would have been counter-productive. The government’s own figures show that removing part of the scheme, such as the Southern Route, would significantly reduce the value for money of the scheme as a whole. It would also massively reduce the increased capacity at Canary Wharf which business leaders are calling for.”


http://www.railnews.co.uk/news/general/2010/09/28-crossrail-tunnelling-to-start-next.html


----------



## PortoNuts

> *Final Leg Of London Overground To Be Completed*
> 
> *Transport for London (TfL) and Network Rail (NR) have announced the final phases of re-signalling work on the London Overground network. *
> 
> The work is part of a multi-million pound upgrade project to increase capacity on London Overground services due to be delivered by May 2011.
> 
> The upgrade work involves the testing and commissioning of the signalling systems that were installed in early 2010, the installation of further signalling, and completing the refurbishment of several stations.
> 
> When the complete upgrade is finished in mid-2011, London Overground will run more frequent services with longer trains providing greater capacity.
> 
> Services from Richmond and Clapham Junction to Stratford will run four times per hour, all day every day.
> 
> There will be six trains per hour between Willesden Junction and Camden Road, and eight trains per hour between Camden Road and Stratford.
> 
> Kulveer Ranger, the Mayor of London's Transport Advisor, said: "This work is part of the vital investment we are making in the Capital's transport network, which in turn will support economic growth across the whole of the UK.
> 
> "One of the Mayor's key priorities is to maintain and improve London's transport services and continue to improve what it feels like to live in and move around London."
> 
> Andrew Munden, Network Rail Route Director, said: "London relies on rail to get more than a million people to and from work every day, which is why investment in projects like the London Overground upgrade is so important to the Capital's economy.
> 
> "This project will provide vital additional capacity in time for the Olympic Games and help meet growing demand on this busy commuter line, supporting economic growth across vast swathes of London."
> 
> The improvement work is part of an upgrade that will see more than 200 signals, seven kilometres of track and 69 sets of points improved, and 30 station platforms lengthened.


http://www.build.co.uk/construction_news.asp?newsid=116697


----------



## PortoNuts

> *Satisfaction up on London Overground*
> 
> *London Overground passengers are now beginning to see the results of a two-year £1.4bn upgrade and have responded by giving the network a record 81 points in a recent customer satisfaction survey.*
> 
> The Transport for London (TfL) survey of 1408 passengers undertaken between 27 June and 21 August this year revealed an increase of three points over the satisfaction levels of the previous quarter.
> 
> This latest figure continues the upward trend in satisfaction levels for London Overground customers since the railway was taken over by TfL. Particularly noteworthy is the increase in the feeling of personal safety at stations from 74 to 85 – a result of the TfL policy of always having staff on platforms while a service is running.
> 
> The Managing Director of TfL London Rail, Ian Brown, said: “It is great news that passengers are now being repaid for their patience and tolerance of service disruptions and are starting to see the benefits of all our upgrade investment and work.
> 
> “While this is a great result we know we still have some way to go with much work to do. The introduction of our new air-conditioned and higher capacity trains is almost complete and when our track and signal upgrade works are finished by the middle of next year, Londoners will have a service they deserve.”
> 
> Since launching the London Overground service in 2007, TfL has embarked on a huge programme to upgrade and extend the network which was once one of the most neglected in the UK. Improvements include a new train fleet, refurbished stations and an upgraded signalling network.
> 
> An extension joining Dalston Junction in East London to West Croydon in South London was opened earlier this year. It is due to be linked to the rest of the network at Highbury & Islington station early next year.


http://rail-news.com/2010/09/30/satisfaction-up-on-london-overground/


----------



## PortoNuts

http://www.flickr.com/photos/class67001/4996275611/sizes/l/in/[email protected]/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/4948890337/sizes/l/in/[email protected]/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattbuck007/4919819339/sizes/l/in/[email protected]/


----------



## PortoNuts

> *Next stop on Eurostar’s 200mph route to Paris will be the Albert Hall*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *A Eurostar e320 trains arrives outside the Royal Albert Hall today*
> 
> *Eurostar today unveiled its new 200mph trains that will open up routes across Europe and bring Paris closer to London than Manchester or Liverpool.*
> 
> The company is investing £700 million in 10 e320 bullet trains and refurbishing its 16-year-old fleet. A cab and carriage of the new train was on display today in front of the Royal Albert Hall.
> 
> The e320 trains will bring the journey time from St Pancras International to Gare du Nord down from two hours 15 minutes to about two hours. This compares with the fastest times of two hours five minutes to Manchester and two hours eight minutes to Liverpool on Virgin Trains.
> 
> The e320 will be also be compatible with the high-speed networks in countries such as Germany, Holland and Switzerland, opening up the possibility of routes to Amsterdam, Geneva and Cologne.
> 
> The German-built trains, capable of carrying 900 passengers compared with 750 on the existing Eurostar, will come into service in 2014.
> 
> The refurbishment of the current fleet will be completed in time for the Olympics in 2012, Eurostar said. It is being carried out by Italian car interior designer Pininfarina, best known for its work with Ferrari. *All the seats will be equipped with wi-fi and video, the most advanced “infotainment” systems of any trains in Europe.*
> 
> Nicolas Petrovic, Eurostar chief executive, said: “Over the last 16 years Eurostar has revolutionised travel between London, Paris and Brussels but our sights are now set on expanding our business across Europe.”
> 
> Eurostar, which began services in 1994, this month became a single corporate entity owned by three shareholders: Britain's LCR, the French national rail operator SNCF and Belgium's SNCB.
> 
> Transport Secretary Philip Hammond, inspecting one of the new trains in Kensington Gardens today, said: “The transformation of Eurostar into a single entity has created a company well placed to attract the resources and investment needed to deliver a world class service. That's good news for passengers but also for the UK taxpayer who owns 40 per cent of Eurostar International.”
> 
> Investment in the new fleet will be funded by Eurostar with a combination of cash and bank financing.
> 
> German transport giant Deutsche Bahn will unveil its new train for services to London at St Pancras in two weeks.


http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/stand...included-in-pound-700m-eurostar-investment.do


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## PortoNuts




----------



## trainrover

(^^ After so many, many years it's nice finally seeing even just a picture of a new, stylish train!  )


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## PortoNuts

It's stylish and aerodynamic. Plus it goes 320 km/h. What more can you ask for?


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## rheintram

Eurostar is not really London local transportation though and should be discussed in the railways section.


----------



## TitanSound

allurban said:


> One thought that went through my head recently was this: would it be possible for Overground trains to have an orange "face" (cab painting, to match the orange doors and interior poles)
> 
> I only ask this because I thought almost all the Network Rail trains had yellow "faces" but then I saw that many of them do not. Southern has trains with green & yellow, Thameslink is multicoloured, Southwestern in red, etc. Even Southeastern has a few trains with a mauve "face" and doors.
> 
> Would orange make it hard for the train's lights (especially red ones) to stand out?
> 
> Cheers, m


iirc, the front portion of the train has to be yellow for a reason. 

Edit: found a link

http://www.guardian.co.uk/notesandqueries/query/0,,-200485,00.html


----------



## PortoNuts

> *George Osborne ringfences Crossrail project despite threatened budget cuts*
> 
> *CHANCELLOR George Osborne has promised that the £16 billion Crossrail project will survive this week’s budget cuts.*
> 
> Osborne will announce on Wednesday a series of austerity measures aimed at saving around £85 billion.
> 
> But despite some fears the cross-London rail project would be under threat through the cuts, Osborne says scheme like Crossrail have to be made a priority.
> 
> Speaking on Sunday’s Andrew Marr show, he said: “The priority has been to target waste and welfare, to invest in our healthcare, to have real increases in our school budgets and to invest in the things that are going to make our economy strong.
> 
> “We have got to make some tough decisions but the priority is healthcare, children’s education, early years provision - particularly for some of our poorest - and the big infrastructure developments like Crossrail, Mersey Gateway, the synchrotron, broadband.
> 
> “Those things are actually going to get us out of this stronger and able to pay our way in the world.”
> 
> But despite the reassurances, there is still doubt that funding will be set aside to ensure the Crossrail project finishes in 2017 as planned.
> 
> Reports this week suggested the completion of the project could be put back by at least a year.
> 
> More than 2,500 people are now employed on the Crossrail project, a figure which will rise to 14,000 between 2013 and 2015.
> 
> Crossrail will run 118km in total, through new twin-bore 21 km tunnels, increasing London’s transport capacity by 10 per cent.


http://www.docklands24.co.uk/news/t...oject_despite_threatened_budget_cuts_1_683378


----------



## 9t9t

I was really hoping that crossrail trains would be London overground rolling stock with LO livery and LO roundels in the stations etc. just so we have a clearly recognizable suburban rail network (LO) and metro network (LU). Just like Berlin has its S Bahn and U Bahn, or paris its metro and RER... why does London have to make things unnecessarily complicated?


----------



## trainrover

PortoNuts said:


> {QUOTE}*ringfences*{/QUOTE}


Just what exactly is the journalist? critic? author? trying to alert a reader to by drawing on this invention (of hers/his)?


----------



## Gag Halfrunt

^^ It's not an invention. Ringfencing is a common piece of political jargon meaning to protect something from budget cuts.


----------



## PortoNuts




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## PortoNuts

> *High speed rail in Britain enters new era as ICE prepares to start service*
> 
> *German operator DB plans to eat into airlines' market share with routes from 2013 including Frankfurt, Cologne and Amsterdam*
> 
> *Rail passengers will be able to travel direct from London to Germany and the Netherlands from 2013 under plans unveiled by Germany's state rail company today after it completed a dry run through the Channel tunnel.*
> 
> Deutsche Bahn is taking on Eurostar, which operates services to Paris and Brussels, by preparing to run 200mph trains from the capital to Frankfurt, Cologne, Amsterdam and Rotterdam. The company offered travellers a glimpse of the new entrant by bringing a state-of-the-art Intercity-Express (ICE) train into St Pancras station yesterday following safety tests under the tunnel involving 300 volunteers.
> 
> "The new services to London are not only a milestone for us. They are a milestone for the entire European railway sector," said DB's chairman, Dr Rüdiger Grube.
> 
> Theresa Villiers, the transport minister, said she expected the service to grab market share from airlines operating the same routes, following the example of Eurostar, which now controls three-quarters of the air-rail market between London and the French and Belgian capitals, carrying 9 million passengers annually.
> 
> "The experience of high-speed rail across the rest of Europe shows that these services are really attractive for a lot of people and will take a lot of share from the airline market."
> 
> However, new safety tests will be needed before DB officially launches the service because it plans to use an updated version of the ICE model.
> 
> DB said it would run three return journeys a day, with trains from London splitting at Brussels to reach Amsterdam or Frankfurt. DB said it expected the journey from London to Frankfurt to last just over five hours, with both London to Cologne and London to Amsterdam taking four hours.
> 
> Villiers admitted that some of the journey times were a little outside the four-hour envelope that rail executives normally cite as a precondition for competing with airlines, but said DB's plans were "really positive" for Britain's burgeoning high-speed rail market. "The journey times are slightly longer but I believe that DB has got a good project here."


http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/oct/19/high-speed-rail-europe-db


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## Tubeman

Sorry don't want to sound like a pedant, but I think this news belongs in the 'Railways' subforum... There's a specific UK thread in there I think.


----------



## PortoNuts

Sorry, won't happen again.


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## PortoNuts

*Canary Wharf Crossrail Station*

by *nauticat*.


----------



## trainrover

Gag Halfrunt said:


> ^^ It's not an invention. Ringfencing is a common piece of political jargon meaning to protect something from budget cuts.


Thank you, coz no online dictionary could define the term.


----------



## Acemcbuller

trainrover said:


> Thank you, coz no online dictionary could define the term.


http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ringfence
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/ring-fence
http://www.chambersharrap.co.uk/chambers/features/chref/chref.py/main?query=ringfence&title=21st


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## PortoNuts

*Canary Wharf Crossrail Station*










*Canary Wharf will be one of the largest Crossrail stations. Like the nearby Canary Wharf Tube station, the new Crossrail station will be built in dock water, in this case the North Dock of West India Quay. The station and proposed retail and park areas will be six storeys high; approximately the size of One Canada Square, Britain’s tallest building, laid on its side.*

Retail areas are planned for four of the six storeys along with a landscaped park, restaurant and community facility on the top floor. The station will be covered by an elegant, semi open-air timber lattice roof allowing views out over the dock, Canary Wharf and beyond.

The station development will provide a link between Canary Wharf and Poplar, currently severed by the North Dock. It also includes links with the Canary Wharf Estate, via Adam’s Place and the Jubilee Line and DLR Stations.

The station box is being constructed and designed on behalf of Crossrail by Canary Wharf Contractors Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Canary Wharf Group plc. It is being built for a fixed price of £500m, of which CWG is contributing £150m.

The station box is expected to be completed and handed over to Crossrail by summer 2012, ready for the arrival of the tunnel boring machines. When works are completed the site will be handed back to Canary Wharf Group to enable development of office space at North Quay, which already has planning permission.

*Design*

*The station design incorporates two parts; the station box sitting below a proposed oversite development. The oversite development includes plans for 100,000 square feet of retail space and a roof-top park and community facility, semi-covered by an elegant timber lattice roof. The proposed roof will be made of translucent materials, letting the local community see, and encouraging them to visit, the new green space, shops, restaurants and facilities within.*

The combined station and oversite development has been likened to a ship moored in the dock, reflecting Canary Wharf’s past as the centre for global maritime commerce and its future, better integrated with the local community and the rest of London.

Access from Canary Wharf at ground level will be via bridge links developed as part of the station development. From North Quay ground level access will be completed with the construction of the North Quay development. This will enable a direct link to the existing Aspen Way footbridge and from there to the DLR station and Poplar High Street.

The Station was designed in close consultation with the local community, London Borough of Tower Hamlets and CABE. Architectural and engineering firms involved in the design of the combined station/retail development include:

Canary Wharf Contractors Limited: Lead contractor for the design and construction 

Tony Meadows Associates : Station design concept and operations architect 

Adamson Associates : Retail mall and project executive architect 

Foster and Partners : Project design architect 

Arup Engineering : Structural and Building Services Consultant 

Gillespies : Landscape Architect for the roof-top park 

*Construction*

*To enable construction of the station box, a dam has been created to hold back the water around the worksite. This is made up of approximately 300 interlocking steel and concrete piles and various supporting equipment. The largest piles supporting the dam are 38m long.*

The piling machines that constructed the dam use a ‘silent’ technique, powered by hydraulics. They are specially made by a Japanese company called Giken – one of the first times the technique has been used in the UK, although it is extensively used in Japan.

All of the water – nearly 100 million litres, or 40 Olympic-sized swimming pools - has been pumped out to create the worksite, revealing a spectacular hole 260 metres long and between between 45 metres and 48 metres wide.

The lead contractor and project manager is Canary Wharf Contractors Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Canary Wharf Group plc.

Laing O'Rourke's Expanded Division is undertaking the enabling and civil engineering works.

The structural engineering and building services is undertaken by Arup.

*Progress and next steps*

*Canary Wharf was the first Crossrail station under construction. The start of work was marked on 15 May 2009 by a joint visit from the Prime Minister, Mayor of London and Secretary of State for Transport.*

On 11th February 2010 the Minister of State for Transport started the pumps to remove nearly 100 million litres - the equivalent to 40 Olympic swimming pools - from the worksite at a rate of up to 800,000 litres/hour.

With the water drained, a worksite has been revealed that is 256m long (almost three football pitches), approx 45m wide and 10m below the level of the surrounding dock water.

The next stages include excavation of the dock bed to create a base slab to form the top of the ticket concourse, followed by ‘top down’ construction of the lower slab and the station platform 25m below the top of the dock.

http://www.crossrail.co.uk/route/stations/canary-wharf/#content


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## PortoNuts

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattbuck007/4919814071/sizes/l/in/[email protected]/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattbuck007/4920407150/sizes/l/in/[email protected]/


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## Apoc89

It can't, which is why I said I don't consider it as big a problem as some people do. I'd rather have CCTV silently watch me than have some temperamental employee waste my time and treat me like a suspected criminal like in many airports these days.

Whether it can be abused or is worth the cost is debatable though, a debate which would probably drive this thread off-topic.


----------



## Saltwater_Sydney

Yes as the old saying goes if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear.

I lived in London for three years and always felt safest where there were cameras... if I'm not doing anything illegal I couldn't care less if there are CCTV cameras there or not...


----------



## PortoNuts

> *Bids invited for Crossrail Farringdon station*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Crossrail has started the search for a contractor to build one of the most complex stations on the £14.5bn project.*
> 
> The Farringdon station project will see the successful contractor construct two platform tunnels, each 245m long, between new ticket halls to the east and west.
> 
> At the western end, the ticket hall is combined with a proposed ticket hall for the Thameslink project, which is currently being remodelled by Costain in joint venture with Laing O’Rourke under a £173m contract.
> 
> Farringdon will be the only station from which passengers will be able to access Crossrail, Thameslink and London Underground trains. This makes it a key hub station for Gatwick, Luton, Heathrow and London City airports in addition to St Pancras international rail station.
> 
> The station job, known as contract C435, will require two 400m long pilot tunnels. The formation of two platform tunnels that join the main Crossrail train running tunnels and two separate ticket hall buildings to the east and west of the main platforms.
> 
> As with other eight station projects making up the main underground section of the Crossrail project, the contract includes full M&E works and architectural fit-out.
> 
> Crossrail’s projects team is looking for the main contractor to put up a performance bond. Firms have until 3 December to complete PQQS, which are available at email:https://crossrail.bravosolution.co.uk
> 
> The long platforms will to accessed from two big ticket halls and connect to Thames Link and London Underground.


http://www.constructionenquirer.com/2010/11/05/bids-invited-for-crossrail-farringdon-station/


----------



## iampuking

Pics of the new Borough Market Viaduct, which is integral for the Thameslink upgrade project (increasing capacity to 24tph in the core, and increasing train legnths to 220m (12 cars). It also alleviates one of the biggest bottlenecks on the entire National Rail network.


----------



## PortoNuts

*Kings Cross Station redevelopment*

by *hoodedvillain*.


----------



## iampuking

^^ I hate that tacky white painted metal. Can't it be a metallic colour? It's far classier.


----------



## mcarling

iampuking said:


> I hate that tacky white painted metal. Can't it be a metallic colour? It's far classier.


Metallic paint is considerably more expensive.


----------



## iampuking

^^If they were worried about money then why go to the expense of building such an attractive design only to ruin it with the finish? Leaving the metal bare would look better than white paint.


----------



## 201911

the whole structure will probably be covered with some roofing, with the white painted frame visible only to those below, so i dont think it matters that much


----------



## Tubeman

Yeah I'm pretty sure It'll have a glass skin above.

When they finally knock down the current hideous green corrugated extension on the front of KX, I will have a street party.

KX is very much overshadowed architecturally by St Pancras next door, but I personally thing that Cubbitt's King's Cross is an understated masterpiece which has been criminally shielded from view for too long. When that vile extension goes and the area in front of the station becomes a piazza, we'll finally be able to appreciate KX.


----------



## PortoNuts

There will be a glass canopy. :yes:


----------



## Aspidistra

Saltwater_Sydney said:


> Yes as the old saying goes if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear.


I've got something to hide.


----------



## trainrover

PortoNuts said:


> *
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *


*
How many buildings there nowadays sprout bushes under their rooflines?





iampuking said:



painted metal.

Click to expand...




mcarling said:



Metallic paint

Click to expand...

enamel?





iampuking said:



metal bare

Click to expand...

untreated metal?*


----------



## iampuking

^^ ...It could be painted before construction? I'm not an engineer so it's beside the point.

From these pics you can see that the enamel, painted metal, whatever, is exposed.


----------



## iampuking

I was at Highbury & Islington Overground yesterday in the evening peak, the doors were open for ages because the 378s have two sets of doors per 20m car. I really hope Crossrail has three sets of doors, otherwise I wonder how they'll run +24tph...


----------



## PortoNuts

*Canary Wharf Crossrail Station*

by mtj73. 

finkangel on flick


----------



## Axelferis

where will be the metro rails on this pic? Will it pass under the water?


----------



## BodgeJob1

Axelferis said:


> where will be the metro rails on this pic? Will it pass under the water?


Under the water....

8 new stations revealed...

*Bond Street:​*













































*Canary Wharf:​*













































*Custom House:​*






















































*Farringdon:​*






















































*Liverpool Street:​*






















































*Paddington:​*













































*Tottenham Court Rd:​*


















*Whitechapel:​*




















































[/QUOTE]


----------



## Axelferis

Great. Launch window date? It is like rer of paris!


----------



## Lijman

..


----------



## PortoNuts

I think they go into some surrounding counties.

Fantastic renders, very clean and appropriate lines. I'm very fond of the Whitechapel Station.


----------



## PortoNuts

*Crossrail, As It May Appear On The Tube Map*

-- _Link to Londonist article_ --


----------



## Davodavo

^^ Simply great! 

I can't wait


----------



## NCT

Lijman said:


> How far out do London's suburban trains go - to outer suburbs inside the M25, or to towns just outside the M25?


It really depends on the route, though it's not uncommon for suburban services to venture out well beyond the M25. Termini for suburban services include Shenfield, Bedford and Guildford.


----------



## PortoNuts

Davodavo said:


> ^^ Simply great!
> 
> I can't wait


It will the decade's project for London.:cheers:


----------



## Axelferis

but when? date of first service?


----------



## PortoNuts

If it goes according to plan, the whole network will be complete in 2017.


----------



## Axelferis

are you serious?

I was thinking it would be launched 2012-2013 :nuts:


----------



## PortoNuts

Well I thought you had read some the information provided to you.

The project is already launched since it's already under construction and building tunnels under London is not exactly an easy task. But it will most certainly be worth the wait.kay:

Meanwhile, loads of improvements have already been made in the Tube and London Overground and the investment will carry on for the 2012 Olympics.


----------



## Rational Plan

NCT said:


> It really depends on the route, though it's not uncommon for suburban services to venture out well beyond the M25. Termini for suburban services include Shenfield, Bedford and Guildford.


Those are the termination points of some inner suburban services. Regular commuting services go to Banbury, Newbury, Salisbury, Poole and Weymouth in the West. To all towns on the South Coast and the East coast to at least as far as Ipswich. Due to the High speed lines to the North Commuting goes further than Cambridge to Peterborough and Northampton. Though some people commute even further. Several thousand people pay for annual season tickets from York for example. 100 minutes seems to be the max for significant flows.


----------



## iampuking

^^Is that map official? It certainly looks better than most other attempts.


----------



## Rational Plan

Well it's hard to judge the exact boundary. 

There are some extremely long distance super commuters in the UK and despite what a lot of people think there are a lot of long distance high speed services in the UK. Plus the fact that UK long distance trains are shorter yet more frequent in the UK than compared to Europe. Most major cities have half hourly or better express connection to the Capital. i.e. Leeds, York and most cities south on the East Coast Main line the Same for the South of Manchester east of Cardiff and East of Exeter. 

Twelve carriage trains depart from Kings Lynn in the Peak and most of those passengers are not getting off at Cambridge. 

The limit of peoples commute is time and money, with the trade off buying a larger property in a highly desirable market town. In the property sections of the quality papers, the cut off for serious interest in London money, for a country property, is said to be 100 minutes from the capital. Also their is the increase in people who own a small flat in the Capital and their main house in the country and these people may work 3 or four days in the Capital when needed for business and work from home when they can etc. so that has extended the commuting hinterland.

Low wage people catch the bus or tube in London, but the higher your wages, the further you can commute and the train companies earn most of their money from these people.


----------



## cristof

i think despite what lots of people says in Europe ie ...the train system in the UK is very nice and well handled...private companies offer a lot of possibilities to commute and simply travel to the UK and most of the times at a price less expensive than Belgian or France networks for example where the public is still the major net. back to London...
crossrail is gonna be the best improvement for London economy i think...Canary Wharf is gonna be so close to the city and vice versa...the development of Farrington area quite under evaluated now...is going to be a major Point in the future...and farrington is a lovely area...as working there for some times...


----------



## PortoNuts

> *Minister Unveils New Crossrail Station Designs*
> 
> *Londoners were given a glimpse of the future as the Mayor of London Boris Johnson, and Rail Minister Theresa Villiers unveiled cutting edge designs of Crossrail stations to be built across central London and the Docklands. *
> 
> An exhibition of the stunning designs, highlights the scale and extent of the new Crossrail stations at key London locations.
> 
> Over the last year some of the UK's best known architects have worked with world-class engineering firms to finalise the designs for eight of the new Crossrail stations. The results are stunning, sustainable and world-class designs of which London can be proud. The new stations will take inspiration from the past and from the local area but have a fresh modern twist. The work, at Bond Street, Canary Wharf, Custom House, Farringdon, Liverpool Street, Paddington, Tottenham Court Road and Whitechapel, will be on a scale not seen since the Jubilee Line Extension opened in 1999.
> 
> *For passengers these new stations will deliver a vastly improved travelling experience, larger station entrances and ticket halls, more space and easy access to Crossrail and other transport services. Crossrail will boost London's rail capacity by ten per cent, delivering new journey opportunities, faster journey times and up to 24 trains per hour between Paddington and Whitechapel during the peak.*
> 
> The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: "As Crossrail moves from the drawing board to reality we can see the breathtaking benefits it will bring to our city and I'm thrilled Londoners can finally see designs of the world-class stations that we will construct. When complete they will run east to west in a solid backbone of quality infrastructure and style."
> 
> Rail Minister Theresa Villiers said: "These designs provide a glimpse of the impressive new buildings that will welcome passengers to the heart of our capital.
> 
> "Crossrail will enable passengers to arrive at their destinations in less time and more comfort. It will create thousands of jobs and potentially generate up to £50bn for the UK's GDP.
> 
> "We are working hard to make sure that the new railway offers the best possible value for money."
> 
> Rob Holden, Crossrail Chief Executive said: "The launch of detailed designs for eight Crossrail stations in central London and the Docklands is another milestone for Crossrail and a further demonstration of the project’s continued momentum. The station designs have a critical role to play in informing the public about what Crossrail will really deliver for London and for communities along the route."
> 
> A key element of all the new station designs is to help drive wider regeneration at a number of locations including Paddington, the West End, Farringdon and Whitechapel as well as improve public areas at street-level.
> 
> Architects have used the character and heritage of the local area to inspire the design of each station and to meet the needs of local communities across the capital. They are working with local authorities along the route to make sure the benefits of Crossrail do not stop at the station entrance but are fully integrated with wider development plans.
> 
> *At Paddington, a major new station for passengers will be created providing easy interchange between Crossrail, National Rail and London Underground. The major redevelopment will also deliver an improved new pedestrian entrance from the canal towpath to both Paddington mainline station and a new Hammersmith & City line station.*
> 
> Custom House will be a new station for passengers in the east, acting as a gateway for London and will be the only new Crossrail station where platforms are above ground. The station will welcome passengers from nearby London City Airport as well as regional and international visitors to London’s largest conference centre, ExCeL. The station will also become a new local transport interchange between Crossrail, Docklands Light Railway and London Buses.
> 
> Whitechapel Station has been designed to feature a spectacular step-free access walkway alongside the Crossrail concourse linking Whitechapel Road to the communities in the north of the area. This will provide a free pedestrian route from Durward Street to Whitechapel Road for local residents.
> 
> At Tottenham Court Road, the new station entrances at Centre Point will be a key design feature of a new public piazza and create a distinctive new landmark for the West End. Made of glass, these new step-free entrances will open up the station by allowing natural light into the levels below.
> 
> Designers have also been appointed to incorporate architectural components that will be used throughout the platform and tunnel environments in each station to create an integrated line-wide identity. This design work encompasses wall and floor finishes, lifts, escalators, lighting and signage suitable for use in all the new stations. This systematic approach will create a unified look, maximises value for money and yet allows each station to retain its individual identity.


http://www.build.co.uk/construction_news.asp?newsid=119486


----------



## Axelferis

how long will it take between each station?


----------



## trainrover

BodgeJob1 said:


>


Is there a story to the big-ass size designed into the illuminated barrier indicators?


----------



## jetsetwilly

I'm not sure about the massive arrows, but I notice there's no ticket slot in those barriers - Oyster cards only.


----------



## PortoNuts

Axelferis said:


> how long will it take between each station?


Can't really tell but I think the trains will be able to reach 100 km/h between stations.


----------



## Tubeman

PortoNuts said:


> If it goes according to plan, the whole network will be complete in 2017.


2018 now, cutting back on TBMs to save money


----------



## PortoNuts

It's a project for a decade anyway.


----------



## ajaaronjoe

^^ :applause: AWESOME


----------



## davidaiow

Gorgeous pics. Love TCR and the PEDs. TCR really is a missed opportunity though.


----------



## PortoNuts




----------



## iampuking

I believe the Class 378s are now all 4-car with the exception of one.

That is a 30% increase in capacity on the North and West London lines, and the Watford DC line.


----------



## cslusarc

Can London Overground trains be lengthened further? I imagine a time when they'll need to be 6 or 8 cars long.


----------



## iampuking

^^The platforms would have to be extended (again). I believe this will be very difficult on the East London line, but i'm not sure about the rest of the LO network. I think increasing the frequency is a better solution.


----------



## PortoNuts

nrm the 2nd said:


> Some big work going on at Farringdon to modernise the station for Network Rail and in preperation for Crossrail. A bit of a beast of a crawler crane at work here.


:cheers2:


----------



## PortoNuts

> *Balfour Beatty wins Liverpool St station Crossrail contract*
> 
> *International infrastructure group Balfour Beatty has announced that in the joint-venture Crossrail project, in which it has a 30 per cent share, it has been awarded the £235m Whitechapel and Liverpool Street Station tunnels contract.*
> 
> The joint venture partners, comprising Balfour Beatty, Alpine BeMo Tunnelling, Morgan Sindall and Vinci Construction, have a track record of delivering major infrastructure schemes in London and throughout the world.
> 
> Connecting the City, Canary Wharf, the West End and Heathrow Airport to the commuter areas of East and West London, Crossrail is a major rail-link project designed to provide a world-class, affordable railway with high-frequency, convenient and accessible services across the capital.
> 
> The Whitechapel and Liverpool Street Station tunnels contract covers the construction of all station tunnels and associated works, and forms an integral part of the wider project.


http://www.theengineer.co.uk/policy...st-station-crossrail-contract/1006828.article


----------



## CharlieP

Tubeman said:


> It's 'sort of' started insofar the junction is in situ at Surrey Quays, but I don't know what works have taken place beyond this.
> 
> Here's 2 aerial photos... The first not annotated:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The second, orange = ELL, purple = SLL, red = link line
> 
> As you can see from the first image, the link line is existing (abandoned) railway right of way, which has thankfully not been built upon. This area was a veritable spaghetti junction of various lines on different levels up until the 1960's. Amazingly however the actual route being re-opened would have been abandoned, intact, for almost 100 years when it re-opens (closed 1913).
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> A map from the mid-20th century, you can see this route was already abandoned:


Yo Tubes - is it the route you can see on this map?


----------



## RedArkady

Old but excellent article on ELL extension phase 2 here: http://londonconnections.blogspot.com/2008/04/east-london-line-phase-2.html

I feel a tad sorry for the people whose homes will be sundered from the neighbouring park by a new (or rather, restored) railway line!

Arky


----------



## PortoNuts




----------



## PortoNuts

Kings Cross ticket hall is well underway.


----------



## rheintram

wow. what a transformation!


----------



## Fatfield

rheintram said:


> wow. what a transformation!


It is an'arl! Lets hope they get rid of all the drunks & bums that still/used to infest the place too.


----------



## PortoNuts

And all covered in glass, it will be stunning...


----------



## PortoNuts

> *Offices in outer London 'will benefit from Crossrail'*
> 
> *Offices in the outer London borough of Ealing will benefit from the Crossrail project, mayor of London Boris Johnson has suggested. Speaking at a meeting in Ealing about the transformation of local transport, Mr Johnson said he wanted to make travel more convenient.*
> 
> And those who work at offices in the outer London borough of Ealing would be able to arrive at Canary Wharf from Ealing Broadway Station in under half an hour. Bond Street could be reached in 15 minutes and the time it takes to get to Farringdon may be slashed in half.
> 
> "The jewel in the crown must surely be the Crossrail project that will provide local people with lightning-quick links across the capital," Mr Johnson stated.
> 
> However, building work has been delayed at the Crossrail station in Woolwich. Operations need to start within the next six days in order for the station to be able to connect to the rest of the network in time, the Financial Times said.
> 
> Offices in outer London may enjoy lower rents than central London and companies could also find the Crossrail system makes working away from the centre more economically viable.


http://www.mellersh.co.uk/News.aspx?ArticleId=800364778


----------



## PortoNuts

Kings Cross Station redevelopment keeps going pretty well.:cheers:



hoodedvillain said:


> From Robep


----------



## PortoNuts




----------



## PortoNuts

*Canary Wharf Crossrail Station*

Finkangle on flickr


----------



## PortoNuts




----------



## PortoNuts




----------



## trainrover

(What a cool idea, your woven-in series of maps of some area, I like it!)


Tubeman said:


> It's 'sort of' started insofar the junction is in situ at Surrey Quays, but I don't know what works have taken place beyond this.
> 
> Here's 2 aerial photos... The first not annotated:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The second, orange = ELL, purple = SLL, red = link line
> 
> As you can see from the first image, the link line is existing (abandoned) railway right of way, which has thankfully not been built upon. This area was a veritable spaghetti junction of various lines on different levels up until the 1960's. Amazingly however the actual route being re-opened would have been abandoned, intact, for almost 100 years when it re-opens (closed 1913).
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> A map from the mid-20th century, you can see this route was already abandoned:





CharlieP said:


> Yo Tubes - is it the route you can see on this map?


----------



## Tubeman

CharlieP said:


> Yo Tubes - is it the route you can see on this map?


Yes, that's the one

The odd manner in which the lower level lines meander around is such that they could pass through the brick arches of the original London & Greenwich Railway viaduct without having to demolish any portions to install bridges (this applies to the Deptford Wharf Branch and the link between Surrey Quays and Old Kent Road, the ELL proper does pass under a dedicated bridge).


----------



## trainrover

Tubeman said:


> This area was a veritable spaghetti junction of various lines on different levels


Anything like this one?










courtesy Photobucket


courtesy Photobucket


courtesy Photobucket

courtesy Photobucket​


----------



## Tubeman

^^
Is that pure fantasy or modelled on a real layout? I assume the former!


----------



## RobH

PortoNuts said:


> Kings Cross ticket hall is well underway.


Ha! I walked underneath all this scaffolding last week. I had no idea something this interesting was going on above me! :doh:


----------



## PortoNuts

It will look glorious when the glass is put into place.


----------



## PortoNuts




----------



## PortoNuts




----------



## PortoNuts




----------



## PortoNuts




----------



## PortoNuts

> *Berkeley inks deal for £100m Crossrail station*
> 
> *Housebuilder Berkeley Group has signed a wide ranging agreement with the Department for Transport to build £100m Crossrail station at Woolwich, transport secretary Philip Hammond will announce today.*
> 
> Final agreements were signed with the department and London Development Agency yesterday evening, which will see the station constructed on the south-eastern spur of the £14.5bn east-west rail link. The signing confirms the station will be built, following concerns expressed by Berkeley at the end of last month that the slipping timetable for doing the deal could put construction of the station in jeopardy.
> 
> The station will be sited at the centre of Berkeley’s 4,500-home Woolwich Arsenal scheme. The deal will also see Berkeley take on the entire freehold for the site, and finalise section 106 conditions on a revised planning permission. The revised permission allows Berkeley to build 1,000 more homes on the site, of which fewer are social housing, on the basis of the improved transport connectivity.
> 
> In return Berkeley will have to fund a large part of the cost of the station.
> 
> Berkeley was ready to sign the deal last year, until the review of Crossrail by the DfT after the election moved responsibility for negotiating the deal from Crossrail itself to Transport for London. Berkeley Urban Development chair John Anderson told Building in January that delaying tactics by the Department were putting a deal in jeopardy, as the construction timetable means work should have started at the very beginning of February.
> 
> Anderson said at the time: “Until such time as the contractors have signed on the dotted line there’s always a risk we could lose the station. If we did it would be an absolute tragedy for Woolwich, and I want to avoid that happening.”
> 
> Building understands one of the sticking points was an attempt by the department to get Berkeley to accept financial liability for any potential time overruns. It is not clear if Berkeley have agreed to this, with the terms of yesterday’s deal not so far disclosed.
> 
> Philip Hammond will make a statement to the Houses of Parliament on the matter later this morning, Building understands.


http://www.building.co.uk/sectors/i...l-for-£100m-crossrail-station/5013406.article


----------



## PortoNuts

*Crossrail works, Smithfields to Barbican*

Looking from Hayne Street towards Smithfields Market and Lindsey Street - all of the railway level, right up to the wooden hoarding, was, until recently, covered and had buildings on it. Under the meat market is a disused Victorian Railway siding which was used to load livestock and carcasses onto trains.









http://www.flickr.com/photos/fridgemonkey/5453634322/in/photostream/


----------



## CharlieP

Also, from the other direction:


Crossrail works, Smithfields to Barbican by alanbenzie, on Flickr


----------



## PortoNuts

Are they just working on the railways or are they building a station?


----------



## PortoNuts

Speaking about Thameslink...



> *London's overlooked rail project*
> 
> *It is a massive engineering project that will deliver a mainline railway through the heart of London with Tube-like service frequency. It will connect multiple regional destinations on either side of the capital for the first time with a direct rail service.Yet it has been beset by controversy over its route, worries about its funding, and years of delay. Crossrail, right? Nope. It's the Thameslink upgrade.*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *The upgraded line will boast London's only mid-river station*
> 
> *'Gilded lily'?*
> 
> The north-south rail-link, first opened up in the 1980s, has been somewhat overshadowed by its more glamorous east-west cousin, even though the new-and-improved Thameslink will become an equally significant part of the southeast of England's railway infrastructure.
> 
> "Crossrail's nice and shiny because it's a brand new line," says Gareth Edwards, editor of the London Reconnections blogsite. "People tend to see Thameslink as gilding the lily. But actually it's a lot more than that." The £6bn project - a third of the cost of Crossrail - will transform the cross-capital route.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Thameslink will become an equally significant part of the southeast's railway infrastructure*
> 
> Peak train frequency will increase from the original 7-8 minutes, to 4 minutes currently, and 2-3 minutes by the end of the decade. And the current Brighton-to-Bedford route will add Cambridge, King's Lynn, Ashford and Eastbourne as destinations.
> 
> "It will be a really fast and reliable turn-up-and-go rail service," boasts London assembly member Caroline Pidgeon. "Once it's up-and-running, people will say, 'Oh my God, this is amazing.'" She points out the new London Overground network as an example of how introducing a high-frequency metro-style train service on an old line can unleash an astonishing amount of suppressed demand.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *St Pancras, the only central London station finished so far, echoes the brutalist chic of the Jubilee line*
> 
> Indeed, the route is already overcrowded, and the project is set to deliver a switch from 8-car to 12-car trains by this December. "50 stations are being lengthened," says Simon Brooks of Network Rail, the company managing the project. "In all, we're building 4km of new platform."
> 
> *Underneath the arches*
> 
> But the upgrade has not been without controversy. Thameslink has driven a coach and horses through the middle of Borough Market. Around two-dozen Dickensian listed buildings - including a large swathe of the Victorian covered market itself - are being demolished to make way for a new viaduct.
> 
> Local opposition was one factor behind the decades-long delay to a project that was originally conceived around 1990 and fate-temptingly named "Thameslink 2000". "People in the area thought: 'I've got a railway already, I've got loads of trains, I don't need any more,'" says Ms Pidgeon, who used to be on Southwark council. "They just saw it as a big nuisance, and understandably so." Yet Network Rail had little choice.
> 
> If it wants to run a high frequency service, then Thameslink cannot afford to share its lines with anyone else. And Borough Market is a notorious railway bottleneck, with the same tracks serving trains into Charing Cross and Cannon Street. Deciding where to put the new viaduct - which will free up the old viaduct for Thameslink-only services - cannot have been much fun.
> 
> The historic Wheatsheaf pub has lost its top floor, while the Globe pub now finds itself ignominiously wedged in between the brick arches of the old line and the steel frame of the new. "Wherever they put it, they were going to hit a significant number of listed buildings," says Mr Edwards of London Reconnections.
> 
> *Hard cheese*
> 
> But Ms Pidgeon says most locals have moved on, and few complain about the work in progress. That certainly seems to be the mood among the market's traders. "It's never as black as they paint it," says Maria, who now runs her cafe at a temporary plot right by the construction site. Her original cafe was compulsorily purchased by Network Rail, only for her new site within the market to fall within the viaduct's footprint, forcing her to relocate again.
> 
> But she is far from bitter, praising their responsiveness to "teething problems" such as the odd power cut. "Considering the size of the job, it is surprisingly quiet," she says. "They're working now. Can you hear anything?" The only din is from a train rumbling out of London Bridge.
> 
> "When you consider the immensity of the work being undertaken, it is amazing there is still a functioning market at all," says another long-time trader, whose cheese stall - like many others - has been rehoused during the interim in what used to be the carpark. He has nothing but admiration for the engineers.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *The new Borough High St bridge is being assembled on top of the viaduct before being shunted into place*
> 
> And although his relocation to a more obscure corner of the market has sapped business, he treats it as par for the course. The traders seem to accept that it is impossible to please everyone. A case in point is the work currently going on to put a bridge across Borough High Street. To avoid impeding traffic on the main road, the bridge is being assembled on top of the viaduct before being shunted across into place.
> 
> But one trader said this just means they have periodically had to block off Stoney Street instead - an important access point for deliveries to the market.
> 
> *Joined-up thinking*
> 
> Perhaps the most eye-catching part of the Thameslink project to-date is the nearly completed relocation of Blackfriars station onto the railway bridge straddling the Thames. "Soon we will have the sexiest railway station in the UK, and I intend to make it our unique selling point," says Carol Anderson, events director at the Mermaid conference centre that borders the carcass of the old station.
> 
> But she concedes that the station's temporary closure has hurt business in the meantime. The aesthetic impact of the new station is actually just a happy by-product of a concept that is entirely practical - namely to give access to the station from both sides of the river.
> 
> That means it will only be a short walk for tourists from the Tate Gallery, the Globe Theatre and other South Bank attractions. Ms Pidgeon at the London assembly has been lobbying for the station to be renamed "Blackfriars and Bankside" in recognition of its dual location. "It's going to be a big plus," says the duty manager at the Founder's Arms, a riverside pub conveniently sat between Blackfriars Bridge and the Tate.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Blackfriars' new terminus platforms will be built on top of the bright red piers of the first railway bridge*
> 
> She says 90% of their business comes from tourists that happen across the pub as they walk the Thames path. They plan a refurbishment to help them accommodate the expected crowds of customers, although the building work has ironically killed business in the short-term, as the riverside pathway has been cut off for two years. Shifting the station onto the bridge also helps Network Rail solve a logistical problem.
> 
> The new Blackfriars will be reconfigured so that trains terminating there will not have to cross the path of the through-trains. In another startling innovation, these terminus platforms will be built on top of the bright red piers that are all that remain of the first Blackfriars railway bridge, demolished in 1985.
> 
> And creative thinking has also gone into the construction itself. Barges have been moored under the bridge so that supplies can be brought in by river, avoiding the need to clog up the roads.
> 
> *Gordian knot*
> 
> Two stops up the line, Farringdon station is set to become one of the most important interchanges in the country. Sitting just north of the City financial district, it will provide the nexus between Thameslink and Crossrail - not to mention the Metropolitan line - making the station a doubly busy destination.
> 
> That is certainly the hope of Kate, proprietor of the Castle pub, which faces what is now an enormous building site. "It's going to pump huge amounts of sales in," she says, noting plans to build a new shopping centre at the station. She bought the lease on the pub two months ago in anticipation of exactly that. But it has also been doubly painful during the building works.
> 
> She says business is down by half, and complains about numerous unannounced weekend station closures, which have killed trade from revellers heading for the local nightclubs - one of which has already shut down. "Farringdon is hugely complex," explains Network Rail's Simon Brooks. "For example, there are three different electrical supply systems at the station."
> 
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> 
> *Farringdon station is perhaps the trickiest construction site on the line*
> 
> The Thameslink work has had to incorporate a lot of stage-setting for the deeper Crossrail line, such foundation construction and dropping lift shafts. To help co-ordinate the work with the local community, Mr Brooks said they hold quarterly meetings with businesses and community representatives at Farringdon.
> 
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> 
> *Crossrail intends to build retail space on top of the new joint ticket hall (left) to help fund their project*
> 
> But on-site co-ordination has also been challenging, according to Mr Edwards at London Reconnections, with Network Rail, Crossrail and Transport for London often giving mixed messages about who is responsible for what.
> 
> *'Catalyst'*
> 
> Farringdon illustrates an important distinction between Crossrail and Thameslink. While Crossrail has had to attract a big chunk of private sector money - hence the shopfloors being built above the new Crossrail ticket office - Thameslink has been entirely funded by the government. For a perilous few months last year, it looked as if the axe was about to fall on the project after the Treasury chose to spare Crossrail from the spending review.
> 
> But in the end Thameslink was confirmed in full, albeit with a widely anticipated extra year's delay to 2019. Its reprieve may be partly because the improved rail service is a big selling point of many major commercial redevelopments in the capital, such as at Elephant and Castle in the south, or Brent Cross to the north.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *The route coincides with several major private redevelopments, such as London Bridge's Shard*
> 
> Mr Brooks claims the line upgrade has acted as a catalyst for urban regeneration. For example, the last stage of the project is the complete rebuild of London Bridge station, to increase the number of trains that can pass through the station. That work is intimately connected with the construction of the Shard - the UK's tallest skyscraper - right next door.
> 
> Indeed, the Shard's developers are funding construction of a new bus terminal and station concourse with direct access into the tower. "Developers like to put a picture of a new station, and facts and statistics about the number of trains, in their brochures," notes Mr Edwards.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12480813


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## PortoNuts

Farringdon is really going to be a huge interchange station.



> *Offices in central London 'to have key Farringdon Crossrail station'*
> 
> *Offices in central London which are close to the planned Farringdon Crossrail station could enjoy a number of benefits. Programme director of Crossrail Andy Mitchell said the Farringdon travel link will bring together Tube and rail services and the new station will extend to Barbican.*
> 
> As such, businesspeople and employees who commute from offices in central London via Farringdon Crossrail station will be able to reach Canary Wharf in less than 15 minutes and Heathrow in just over half an hour. According to Crossrail, approximately 140,000 passengers will use the station every day, with more than 140 trains passing through an hour.
> 
> Such an important transport link could prove attractive to businesses with offices in central London who need to regularly meet clients, as well as enabling skilled employees to travel from further afield. *"The station will connect to three Tube lines and provides the strategic and only connection between Crossrail and an upgraded Thameslink network," Mr Mitchell said.*
> 
> Transport secretary Philip Hammond recently said 1.5 million more people will be able to travel to London's business centres within 45 minutes as a result of the Crossrail.


http://www.mellersh.co.uk/News.aspx?ArticleId=800416575


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## PortoNuts

Demolition going on at Moorgate Station related to its Crossrail redevelopment. 

by *Cranesect*.


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## CharlieP

Ha ha, I thought that might take a while to find on Street View, but by chance I landed straight there with my first guess. It's taken from Moorgate looking almost due west, and the road between the buildings is Moor Place.

The building being demolished is 101 Moorgate, and it's no loss at all.


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## CharlieP

(although it would be better if they demolished the ugly grey block above the station!)


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## PortoNuts

The Crossrail site at Canary Wharf is pretty busy. :cheers:



Light Parade said:


> OK, let's take a look at what's happening at Canary Wharf:
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> 
> Here's the view from the bridge on Upper Bank Street:
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> 
> Swinging the camera northwards from the same spot - as you can see, there's a lot going on here.
> 
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> 
> Moving to the North Collonade, the view of the L-shaped works looks like this:
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> 
> ...or, from a subtly different angle and through several sheets of glass:
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> ...which will look like this once it's finished:
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> 
> That's the FSA on the left, and Credit Suisse to the right, by the way. The tower at the end doesn't exist, although my photo from the bridge suggests work might be under way.
> 
> And finally, here's an "after and before" poster. The main ticket hall is clearly advancing nicely.
> 
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> 
> As ever, apologies for the duff photos. Breaking all the cameras in the house last summer was a mis-step...


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## sotonsi

I was there the other week - it's a huge hole in the ground - gives a really good guide as to how big this scheme is, and why the underground stations are costing £1billion each.

Hopefully they make the most of the footbridge over the A1261 to Poplar DLR being just outside the station's construction site and create a decent interchange (probably need to modify that end of the bridge). I mean, the site isn't rectangular as otherwise the lift and stairs would be inside it and there's little talk of an interchange with Poplar.


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## PortoNuts

*Grimshaw and Atkins design Crossrail prototype*

*Grimshaw Architects and Atkins have designed a prototype Crossrail station to help final design decisions for the real stations. The mock-up, which measures 20m in length with a ceiling height of 5m above the platform-edge doors, has been built at a specialist construction test centre in Leighton Buzzard. It also includes a 4m-long side-tunnel entrance providing entrance and exit.*

The Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: “We need to check the station designs meet the high standards Londoners require, but also that the materials we use can withstand the rigours of being used by millions of passengers. Those tests mean that when work begins on the real McCoy later this year we can be confident we will be building the best possible Crossrail stations.”

The £15.9 billion cross-London rail link, due to be finished in 2017, will include seven new stations in central London where platforms will be 250m long to accommodate the 200m-long trains.

Architects working on the central London stations include John McAslan & Partners, Foster & Partners and Wilkinson Eyre, all of whom will be able to visit the prototype.




























http://www.bdonline.co.uk/news/grimshaw-and-atkins-design-crossrail-prototype/5015035.article


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## Bart_LCY

PortoNuts said:


> *Grimshaw and Atkins design Crossrail prototype*


There are much more pictures of this mock-up on the London Reconnections blog

You can find them in this post: Inside Crossrail's First Station 

Some exapmles, click for more:



>


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## Paul Easton

^^^^ BBC London TV report:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-12764741


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## sotonsi

That sign with Underground in big letters pointing both ways and then Central line and Northern line in smaller letters pointing in opposite directions isn't helpful - far better to ditch the Underground bit and just have the roundel and (full-sized) line name (perhaps with coloured underlines like on the tube network).


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## PortoNuts

> *Former High Speed One boss in line to take over £15bn Crossrail project*
> 
> *The chief executive of the company behind High Speed One and former senior executives at Network Rail and BAA have emerged as serious contenders to run London's £15bn Crossrail project.*
> 
> Mark Bayley, the chief executive of government-owned London & Continental Railways (LCR), is on the longlist to replace Rob Holden as the boss of one of the world's largest infrastructure schemes. It is also understood that Bayley is joined on the list by a strong internal Crossrail candidate, Andrew Mitchell. Mitchell gained plaudits within the rail industry as the programme director for Network Rail's multibillion-pound revamp of the Thameslink rail route through central London.
> 
> A source close to the process said other contenders included Tony Douglas, chief executive of Abu Dhabi Ports and former boss of Heathrow airport; Howard Shiplee, director of construction at the Olympic Delivery Authority; Ian Galloway, director at CLM, the Olympics delivery partner; and Ailie MacAdam, who is overseeing the central tunnelling and stations section at Crossrail.
> 
> Crossrail represents a formidable engineering challenge for its new chief executive, with the most difficult work yet to begin. The project to build a rail link from Maidenhead in the west via Heathrow Airport to Canary Wharf and Shenfield in the east includes boring 21km of tunnels underneath the capital. The finished route will include eight new underground stations and four new overground lines, including a connection to Heathrow Airport. The majority of the cost will be funded by the taxpayer.
> 
> Bayley's candidature could establish a trend of LCR executives moving to Crossrail, after Holden quit as boss of LCR in 2009 to head the project. Bayley helped rescue High Speed One, then known as the Channel tunnel rail link, when he was finance director of LCR between 2003 and 2009. Following the sale of the High Speed One franchise and the reorganisation of LCR's stake in train operator Eurostar, Bayley is stepping down at the end of the month.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2011/mar/20/crossrail-candidates-longlist


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## PortoNuts

With video.



> *Thameslink project on the right track*
> 
> It does seem to bob along below the headlines - there is probably a little Thameslink fatigue because it has been in gestation so long. So here's a little footage on the ongoing Thameslink project which seems to be going to plan so far.
> 
> The footage is of the work extending two platforms at Elstree & Borehamwood station by 70m each. It was completed in a single weekend, a record time. It's all part of the £6bn investment in the Thameslink route.
> 
> Expect longer trains by December and new trains by 2018.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/mindthegap/2011/03/thameslink_project_on_the_righ.html


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## PortoNuts




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## CharlieP

That's insane. Imagine being a regular commuter and turning up on Monday to find the extra platforms. :lol:


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## PortoNuts

Crossrail works at Canary Wharf.


Crossrail works by Docklandsboy, on Flickr


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## PortoNuts

> *Atkins wins design contract for north-east Crossrail route*
> 
> *Network Rail has awarded a major contract to Atkins, a provider of technologically based consultancy and support, to design the bulk of works planned on the north-east section of the Crossrail route, between Stratford in east London and Shenfield in Essex.*
> 
> The contract includes the design of station improvements along the 25km route at Romford, Ilford, Goodmayes, Forest Gate, Harold Wood, Gidea Park, Chadwell Heath and Brentwood.
> 
> Platform extensions will allow longer, higher-capacity trains to run and step-free access will be provided at the majority of stations on the route, while other works will include infrastructure improvements such as extra train-stabling capacity and turnback facilities, which will improve the reliability of passenger services.
> 
> When fully open, Crossrail will provide 12 trains per hour on the Great Eastern Main Line, at peak times and in each direction, between central London and Shenfield.


http://www.theengineer.co.uk/sector...or-north-east-crossrail-route/1007977.article


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## PortoNuts




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## PortoNuts




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## PortoNuts

> *Engineering works on London Overground and Bakerloo line over Easter*
> 
> *London Overground (LO) services north of Euston and London Underground’s (LU’s) Bakerloo line services north of Paddington will be subject to essential engineering works, by Network Rail and Transport for London (TfL), between 22 April and 8 May. The majority of works to upgrade the tracks and signalling will take place over the Easter and May Bank Holidays when passenger numbers are generally lower.*
> 
> However, planned LO closures will also affect services on seven weekdays, when an increased replacement bus service will be provided.
> 
> Howard Smith, Chief Operating Officer, LO said: “We have worked closely with our colleagues at London Underground to ensure that the works on both the Bakerloo line and London Overground network impact on as few journeys as possible and to ensure that a train service remains for the majority of works.
> 
> “When this is not possible a replacement bus service will be provided. Once these works are completed they will help to provide a more reliable service for passengers.”
> 
> For the Royal Wedding on 29 April, there will be an increased rail replacement bus service between Watford Junction and Harrow & Wealdstone. For those wanting to travel into central London the Bakerloo line will be running a full service on this day.
> 
> The closures are as follows:
> 
> Friday 22 April to Monday 25 April
> 
> Bakerloo line: Paddington – Harrow & Wealdstone
> 
> LO: Queen’s Park – Watford Junction
> 
> Tuesday 26 April to Friday 29 April
> 
> LO: Willesden Junction – Watford Junction
> 
> Saturday 30 April to Monday 2 May
> 
> Bakerloo line: Queen’s Park – Harrow & Wealdstone
> 
> LO: Queen’s Park – Watford Junction
> 
> Tuesday 3 May to Saturday 7 May
> 
> LO: Euston – Kilburn High Road
> 
> Sunday 8 May
> 
> Bakerloo line: Queen’s Park – Harrow & Wealdstone
> 
> LO: Euston – Watford Junction
> 
> Passengers are advised to check the website to plan their route, and for updates on Tube engineering works and transport service changes that may affect journeys.


http://www.rail.co/2011/04/01/engineering-works-on-london-overground-and-bakerloo-line-over-easter/#


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## PortoNuts

> *Morgan Sindall to win £50m Crossrail job*
> 
> *Contractor Morgan Sindall is set to win the £50m Pudding Mill Lane Portal job on Crossrail, according to separate sources close to the process. The firm is thought to have received a letter of intent from Crossrail, which is set to make a swath of contract announcements in April once it has received sign-off by the Treasury on its final Crossrail project review.*
> 
> The job, which is close to the Olympic park, involves the construction of a 190m walled box to form the foundation for launching a tunnel boring machine to dig the main eastern tunnels.
> 
> Sign-off of the Treasury’s Crossrail review, called RP4, is expected on 6 April, giving Crossrail full authority to spend its budget without going back to the government. Reports this week tipped J Murphy with Hochtief for the Thames Tunnel job, worth £250-400m, with Vinci tipped for the smaller Connaught Tunnel refurbishment contract.
> 
> Crossrail is also preparing to announce the outcome of a major shake-up of its delivery structure. This will see the roles of project delivery partner and programme partner, performed by Bechtel and a CH2M Hill-led consortium respectively, slimmed down.
> 
> A source close to the process said: “This will mean there are no gaps, overlaps and that each job is only done once.” A spokesperson for Crossrail said: “These contracts have not yet been awarded.”


http://www.building.co.uk/news/brea...all-to-win-£50m-crossrail-job/5015906.article


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## PortoNuts




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## iampuking

Bit late with this one..

*Highbury & Islington Overground Extension*

Opened: 28th of February, 2011.

This extension on the East London line from Dalston Junction to Highbury & Islington links the ELL into the 'main' London Overground network, however there will be no through-services. It is also another link in the chain for a fully orbital LO system. The new ELL tracks diverge from tunnel by Dalston Kingsland LO station and then follow the route west, south of the existing alignment. There is no 100% new alignment, the curve from Dalston Junction previously was used for through services into the now closed Broad Street station. In order to facilitate the ELL the NLL had to be moved to the north of the four track alignment, this prevented the ELL from conflicting with the NLL. The ELL runs on 750v DC power, whereas the NLL runs on 25kv AC power.

Rebuilt Highbury & Islington platforms, the ELL is to the left, the NLL to the right:

Colin.P.Brooks Railway Photography & Frinton's at Flickr









Rebuilt Highbury & Islington platforms:

Colin.P.Brooks Railway Photography & Frinton's at Flickr









Colin.P.Brooks Railway Photography & Frinton's at Flickr


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## CairnsTony

I followed those links to Flickr and saw pictures that reminded me of just how decrepit Britain's railways were in the 80s.

It's good to know that when I left in '07 that things had markedly improved. There is still significant room for further improvement of course (especially with capacity on many stretches of the network), but compared to here in Australia, it is still streets ahead.


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## PortoNuts

Thanks for the pics iampuking, it's nice spacious platform.


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## iampuking

^^Unfortunately the south part of LOROL won't be that useful until a proper interchange is built at Brixton, and possibly Loughborough Junction...


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## CharlieP

PortoNuts - *please* read Jan's reminder on quoting external content. As interesting as it is, copying and pasting an entire article isn't acceptable fair use.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/announcement.php?f=130&a=802


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## PortoNuts

Sorry, I'll remove it right away.


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## PortoNuts

> *Olympic rail service boosted by £550m upgrade*
> 
> *A three-year, £550million upgrade of London Overground is complete with a new timetable that promises double the number of trains on key Olympic rail routes. And there are four trains an hour every day on the Gospel Oak to Barking line which services the Manor Park and Forest Gate areas via Wanstead Park and Woodgrange Park stations.*
> 
> The upgrade works programme was paid for by Transport for London (TfL), Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), Department for Transport, Network Rail and the Stratford City Implementation Group,
> 
> And TfL has also bought a fleet of 57 brand new air-conditioned trains. Station refurbishments has delivered cleaner and safer and well-staffed stations with better access, new information, help points, lighting and CCTV.
> 
> The first major revamp of the line since 1869, the project saw intensive civil engineering and complex signalling work in more than half of London’s boroughs while more than 200 signals were upgraded or replaced more than seven kilometres of track and 69 sets of points renewed and platforms lengthened at 30 station.
> 
> ...


http://www.london24.com/news/transport/olympic_rail_service_boosted_by_550m_upgrade_1_909508


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## CharlieP

PortoNuts said:


> Sorry, I'll remove it right away.


No need to delete it - quoting the opening paragraph and providing the URL is fine...


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## mcarling

CharlieP said:


> No need to delete it - quoting the opening paragraph and providing the URL is fine...


The US, EU, and most other jurisdictions have fair use safe harbour provisions in their copyright law, though the details vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. It should be safe to quote any paragraph that you discuss, and best not to quote the paragraphs that you don't discuss.


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## PortoNuts




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## PortoNuts




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## PortoNuts

> *London Overground’s East London route doubles passenger numbers in one year*
> 
> *London Overground’s new East London extension is proving hugely popular with residents and commuters, with passenger numbers doubling in its first year of existence. Air-conditioned trains on the line which runs from Highbury & Islington to New Cross, Crystal Palace and West Croydon via the City of London has carried over 20 million passengers – an average of 85,000 people a day.*
> 
> In late February this year, the line was connected with the wider London Overground network by a new link between Dalston Junction and Highbury & Islington. In the six weeks since opening, passenger numbers increased by 75%.
> 
> Mike Brown, the Managing Director of London Rail, Transport for London’s rail division which manages the line, said: “The East London extension of the London Overground is now a major transport artery connecting key hubs in north, east and south London. We expect the new high-capacity trains running on a reliable high-frequency timetable to continue to attract a lot more passengers as word gets around about this turn up and go service."
> 
> “With its link to Stratford it is an Olympic legacy arrived early and it has connected parts of London not previously well served by rail to the Capital’s wider transport network. With the new link open in February, we’ve noticed a lot of journeys between Highbury & Islington and Shadwell. Passengers are clearly seeing the benefit of interchanging with the DLR at Shadwell to continue their journey to the Docklands.”
> 
> The new route has been quickly dubbed ‘The Culture Line’ because it connects ten museums plus numerous art galleries based in those areas of East London known for promoting cutting edge art, design, music and performance such as Dalston, Hoxton, Shoreditch and New Cross.
> 
> David Dewing, Geffrye Museum Director said: “The new Hoxton Station on the London Overground contributed to The Geffrye Museum’s overall increase of 10 per cent in visit numbers in 2010/11. It has made travel to the museum far easier, especially for those from South East London. Since the Overground opened 9% of our London visitors have come from Lewisham.”


http://www.rail.co/2011/06/07/londo...-route-doubles-passenger-numbers-in-one-year/


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## iampuking

^^I don't live in East London and even I found it useful to get from Brondesbury to Whitechael, seemed quicker than taking the Tube.


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## CairnsTony

I suspect as more and more people discover the Overground and also when Stage Two opens, it could play a really significant role in taking pressure off some of the central London tube routes.


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## PortoNuts

> *Crossrail: the operational challenge*
> 
> *Much has already been written about Crossrail and many more articles will appear in the years to come. The engineering issues have been to the forefront of information to date, detailing the civil works, the tunnelling, the signalling and the communications systems.*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Very little has appeared on the considerable operating challenges that this cross-London link will present but since the whole purpose of the project is to transport masses of people, it is vital that all facets of operations are considered. The engineering should be designed to fulfil the operating requirements and if these are not properly specified at the outset, it will be nigh impossible to change the engineering in later years.
> 
> A fascinating insight into this challenge was given at an IET evening lecture by Charles Devereux, Crossrail’s Head of Railway Operations. Charles has a long pedigree in this field – both from BR days and the privatised railway – and it was evident that his experience will prove invaluable to the project.
> 
> *Technical overview*
> 
> The idea of Crossrail has been around since the late 1980s and the basic concept of a fast east-west railway across London has remained unchanged over the intervening period. Such are the vagaries of UK planning processes and the need to navigate complex parliamentary procedures, Crossrail spent three and a half years in Parliament from 2005, with funding arrangements put in place about six months after royal assent. Not until 2009 could any physical work be started.
> 
> Various terminating points for the train service were considered during development but the ones eventually selected were Maidenhead and Heathrow in the west, Shenfield in the east and Abbey Wood in the south-east. Core to the project is 21km of new tunnel, with seven new sub-surface stations (Woolwich could yet make eight) and 28 stations on 90km of existing lines over which Crossrail trains will run.
> 
> The central alignment is the only practical route through the myriad of tunnels and pipes that already exist in subterranean London. Seven tunnel boring machines will be used, each 120m in length; construction will continue until 2018. Crossrail will have 146km of electrified railway all at 25kV, 61 platform extensions are needed and at least two new signalling interlockings.
> 
> Communications-Based Train Control (CBTC), as yet unspecified, will be required for the central section but visits to Paris and other major cities are being made to determine the best option.
> 
> Traction power feeds will be located at Pudding Mill Lane near Stratford and Kensal Green. Should one fail, the other will be capable of feeding the entire central section. Journey time reductions are part of the package with Paddington to Liverpool Street coming down to around ten minutes, bringing much needed relief to the Central, Circle and Hammersmith & City lines.
> 
> Rolling stock plans are still being refined but the broad order intention is to have ten-car trains that are around 15% lighter than current offerings, each to be 200 metres in length capable of carrying 1,500 seated/standing passengers and incorporating regenerative braking. Whether the cars are 20m or 23m has still to be finalised and will depend to a certain extent on existing route constraints. The depot will be at Old Oak Common, this being the most practical location. However, with a planned HS2 station at this site, the planners have to ensure that there is no conflict on land usage.
> 
> More importantly, the opportunities for interchange with HS2 must be considered especially as the latter is not initially intended to directly serve Heathrow.
> 
> *Stations*
> 
> The stations through the central section will be an important feature of the Crossrail image. The plan is to build these with a common visual identity using common materials. All will have platform-edge doors, a uniform design for cross passages/adits and be equipped for in-cab CCTV for train/passenger security and safety monitoring.
> 
> The train length has determined that stations footprints will be large, many having multiple entrances several hundred metres apart. At Paddington, the Crossrail platforms will be under Eastbourne Terrace with the present taxiway becoming a pedestrianised area with escalators down to the platforms. The Hammersmith & City Line station has to be rebuilt with new taxi facilities incorporating access from Bishops Bridge Road.
> 
> Bond Street will benefit from several new entrances and a connection to the existing Underground station which is also receiving a new entrance on the north side of Oxford Street – that’s being provided by LUL using Crossrail powers. A whole new station is being constructed at Tottenham Court Road to augment the existing one, which itself will be rebuilt. There will be several new entrances and two ticket halls, the eastern hall being six times bigger than the existing one with separate escalators to the Crossrail, Central and Northern lines.
> 
> As the interchange point with Thameslink, Farringdon will need to cope with 24 trains per hour on both routes as well as existing Underground services. A complete new station is under construction with a western entrance sharing the new ticket hall being built by Network Rail for Thameslink. Another ticket hall will be built opposite Smithfield near to the Barbican.
> 
> Liverpool Street’s station will span between Liverpool Street and Moorgate with entrances on the latter, adjacent to the Broadgate office centre. Whitechapel will see a new station integrated with the Underground and Overground (East London) line stations.
> 
> Work is well underway at Canary Wharf with the station taking shape alongside the HSBC tower. Plans are to incorporate lots of retail development at this site. Clearly these are massive works and extracting the spoil is a challenge in itself. At its peak, over 200,000 cubic metres will be taken out each month, with the removal from sites being by rail, barge or road dependent on the location.
> 
> ...


http://www.rail.co/2011/06/10/crossrail-the-operational-challenge/


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## PortoNuts

> *Public transport used in London more than anywhere else in UK*
> 
> *The Office of National Statistics produced research last week about how people commute to work. In the capital, only 35% drive to work and around half of all workers take public transport (20% the train, 18% the Underground and 12% the bus).*
> 
> Outside London, only 9% of workers took any form of public transport to work. So, with almost half of all people working in London using public transport to get there, it is far more heavily relied on than anywhere else in the country.
> 
> Transport for London’s research showed that 43% of households in London don’t own a car, and with congestion charges, the cost of running a car and large volumes of traffic, it’s no wonder so many people in the city choose public transport to get to work. With the rising cost of petrol and reports of increased revenue from train operating companies who serve London, it is clear that people are choosing the train rather than a car, to get to work in the city.
> 
> In the rest of the UK, over 75% of people use a car to travel to work which makes London unique in its large use of public transport.


http://www.rail.co/2011/06/10/public-transport-used-in-london-more-than-anywhere-else-in-uk/


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## PortoNuts




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## PortoNuts

by *Cranesetc*.

*Moorgate Crossrail Station *


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## PortoNuts

> *Siemens selected as preferred bidder for Thameslink rolling stock*
> 
> *Siemens and Cross London Trains (XLT) (a consortium consisting of finance partners Siemens Project Ventures GmbH, lnnisfree Limited and 3i Infrastructure plc), have been selected as preferred bidder for the UK Government’s Thameslink Rolling Stock Procurement Programme (TRSP), led by the Department for Transport.*
> 
> Steve Scrimshaw, managing director for Siemens’ rolling stock business in the UK, said:
> 
> “We are delighted to have been selected as preferred bidder for the Thameslink Rolling Stock Procurement Programme and we look forward to working with the Department for Transport to bring the programme to successful fruition.
> 
> “Siemens has participated in a rigorous tender process for over two years. Our selection as preferred bidder is a significant achievement not only for the rolling stock teams both in the UK and Germany but for Siemens overall. The announcement today is a credit to the hard work and dedication of those involved.”
> 
> The Siemens-led venture was selected against strict evaluation criteria with focus on deliverability, affordability and value for money.The Thameslink Rolling Stock Programme covers the delivery, maintenance and financing of around 1,200 vehicles and the construction and financing of two depots.
> 
> Scrimshaw continues: “Siemens proposals provide a highly reliable and deliverable rolling stock solution that achieves ‘best in class’ service and environmental performance on high density routes whilst minimising whole life, whole railway costs.
> 
> “The new and highly innovative Desiro City Train, designed specifically for the UK commuter market, will deliver significantly better reliability and energy efficiency, as well as vastly improved passenger access and comfort.
> 
> “We believe that the Desiro City train will transform the travelling experience of thousands of commuters in the UK. We are very pleased to have the chance to do so.”
> 
> Siemens envisages that as a direct result of the Thameslink Rolling Stock procurement project it will create up to 2,000 new jobs. Up to 600 highly skilled roles involved in the manufacture of train components will be created, including up to 300 at a Siemens’ factory in Hebburn, South Tyneside. The remainder will be created within Siemens supply chain across the UK.
> 
> These new jobs have the potential not only to leave a lasting and sustainable skills base in the UK supply chain, but should also assist in creating a critical mass to allow such businesses to compete on the world stage for projects of a similar nature.
> 
> The remaining positions will be created in the construction and service industry involved in building the two new train maintenance depots and the ongoing maintenance of the fleet.
> 
> A dedicated Siemens team will now work closely with funders and the Department for Transport for several months to reach financial closure and conclusion of the multi billion pound contract, which will be the largest order in the commuter and regional market ever awarded to Siemens plc and the first for the Desiro City Platform.


http://www.rail.co/2011/06/16/siemens-selected-as-preferred-bidder-for-thameslink-rolling-stock/


----------



## PortoNuts

by P D Leonard on Flickr.










http://www.flickr.com/photos/paulleonard/5708693826/sizes/l/in/[email protected]/


----------



## PortoNuts




----------



## PortoNuts

> *Olympics will offer Britain ‘transportation legacy’*
> 
> *Improved transport links are one of the top three most important long-term benefits of the London 2012 Olympics, a new survey from the ‘People 1st Training Company’ and ‘YouGov’ reveals today.*
> 
> Topping the list of what Brits thought would be the most important long term benefit of the Olympics for Britain was improved sporting and leisure facilities (21%) followed by increasing Britain’s profile in the world as a good place to host other big international sporting events (16%).
> 
> Improved transport links came third with 12% – this rose to 23% in London and was perceived to be the top long-term benefit for those living in the capital.
> 
> While Britain’s transportation is set to benefit, it is hoped the same can be said for British customer service. 73% agree we need to improve our customer service ahead of the Olympics and just 14% think Britain’s hospitality and how we welcome guests is the aspect that will most ensure we are a good host to international visitors during London 2012.
> 
> Sharon Glancy, director of the People 1st Training Company, says: “Developing the infrastructure for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games is critical but the lasting impression for the millions of visitors that will arrive for the Games will be if they have had a positive experience of Britain. We must all play our part. Businesses in the travel industry really need to step up and take customer service training seriously especially if they want to take advantage of the estimated £2bn that could be generated from visitors.
> 
> “Workers across the industry will be representing Britain on the frontline.”
> 
> Further breakdown of results shows that while Londoners were the most enthusiastic about better transport links, the Welsh were less likely to see improved transportation links as the most important long-term benefit (6%) as were those in Scotland (9%) and the North (9%).
> 
> Respondents in the 18-24 age group were more likely to see improved transport as the most important long-term benefit (17%) and least likely were those aged 55 plus (9%).


http://www.rail.co/2011/06/20/olympics-will-offer-britain-transportation-legacy/


----------



## PortoNuts

> *Crossrail and TfL launch tender process for one of the UK’s biggest station escalator orders*
> 
> 
> Contract worth up to £190m and covers both Crossrail and Tube stations
> Over 100 new escalators could be needed during coming years
> Joint procurement being undertaken by Crossrail and TfL to realise significant cost savings
> Requirements could be increased as contract also open to the entire TfL group
> Tender process for Crossrail station lifts to deliver step-free access to get underway in late July
> 
> Crossrail and Transport for London (TfL) has launched its first joint procurement process - covering the provision of escalators for the Tube network and the new Crossrail stations in central London. The scale of the contract is such that it will almost certainly be one of the biggest orders ever placed in the UK for station escalators.
> 
> A notice has been placed in the Official Journal of the European Union seeking expressions of interest for the design, manufacture, installation and long-term maintenance of over 100 escalators. The contract is worth up to £190m.
> 
> Escalators on London’s transport network operate for over 18 hours a day and are intensively used so need to be built to last. The cost of designing, building and maintaining a single escalator is over £1m. TfL and Crossrail are undertaking a joint procurement for this major escalator order to realise significant cost savings that would not otherwise be achieved if separate, smaller orders were placed. Savings will also be realised by the adoption of a more standard escalator design across TfL and Crossrail.
> 
> Construction of the new Crossrail stations in central London is underway and the first of the main construction contracts will be awarded this summer. The contract covers the provision of escalators for Crossrail stations at Paddington, Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon, Liverpool Street and Whitechapel and for stations across the Tube network.
> 
> It is envisaged that around 60 escalators will be required for the Crossrail stations in central London with around 45 escalators required for London Underground’s major escalator replacement programme.
> 
> The contract is also open to the whole TfL group and could be extended further to meet the future needs of Docklands Light Railway, London Overground as well as Tube maintenance firm Tube Lines.


http://www.crossrail.co.uk/news/pre...-for-one-uks-biggest-station-escalator-orders


----------



## PortoNuts




----------



## PortoNuts

Not exactly London local transportation but St Pancras could have a new visitor pretty soon.



> *Deutsche Bahn seeks approval to run ICE trains through the Channel Tunnel*
> 
> *Deutsche Bahn has submitted an application for fundamental approval of its ICE trains for the Channel Tunnel to the safety authority responsible for this, the Intergovernmental Commission (IGC).*
> 
> An independent Swiss engineering office prepared a comprehensive safety study for the submission on behalf of DB. The office has already assessed the safety of the world’s longest railway tunnel, the 57-kilometre long Gotthard Tunnel in Switzerland.
> 
> The expert’s assessment on the ICE provides evidence of the safety compliant features of the 200-metre long trainsets in both single and double traction mode.
> 
> In addition, extensive evacuation simulations were performed by a second group of experts, which also attest to the ICE’s safety compliant features. The ICE also successfully completed the first evacuation test inside the Channel Tunnel with two coupled trains in October 2010.
> 
> “We have provided all the evidence necessary for the fundamental approval of our ICE trains in the Channel Tunnel. This means that we are now much closer to meeting all the requirements for a direct ICE service between London and cities such as Cologne, Frankfurt and Amsterdam,” says Ulrich Homburg, Member of the DB Management Board responsible for Passenger Transport.
> 
> In the middle of June, the Intergovernmental Commission approved trains for the Channel Tunnel with distributed drive systems, as is the case with the ICE. This had been preceded by a recommendation to this effect by the European Railway Agency (ERA). As a result of the extensive preparatory work that has now been completed, DB is optimistic that it will be given fundamental clearance for its ICE trains by the IGC before the end of summer 2011.
> 
> Until the trains can begin operations, however, there are more steps in the approval process ahead.
> 
> Deutsche Bahn will soon apply for a safety certificate for the ICE in the Channel Tunnel. This will be followed by extensive trial and licensing runs with the trains earmarked for services to London St Pancras International. Regular services are expected to commence during 2013.


http://www.rail.co/2011/07/12/deuts...to-run-ice-trains-through-the-channel-tunnel/


----------



## PortoNuts

Camden Road Overground Station









http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/5897416789/sizes/l/in/photostream/


----------



## RedArkady

Fantastic London Overground round-up at London Reconnections, focussing on ELL Phase II: http://londonreconnections.blogspot.com/2011/07/ell-and-nll-overground-roundup.html


----------



## trainrover

PortoNuts said:


> http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/5897416789/sizes/l/in/photostream/


Is this now the rolling stock that now plies the line all the way to Richmond :uh:? If so, how long are the trains nowadays?


----------



## PortoNuts

*Cannon Street Station*

by *The Champ*.


----------



## PortoNuts




----------



## iampuking

^^What?



trainrover said:


> Is this now the rolling stock that now plies the line all the way to Richmond ? If so, how long are the trains nowadays?


Yes and have been in service for 2 years now. Keep up trainrover! Trains are 80m (4 cars).


----------



## trainrover

It dawned on me yesterday evening that I was mistaking that Camden-Road unit for one of those new Metropolitan-line ones...hence my question.


----------



## PortoNuts

> *Crossrail 'has made significant progress'*
> 
> *Crossrail will help to promote fiscal growth in London and other parts of the UK, the Minister of State for Transport has claimed.*
> 
> In a statement published yesterday (July 13th), Theresa Villiers said that significant progress has already been made on the project, which will stretch from Maidenhead to Abbey Wood, linking 37 stations on a route that provides commuters with a high frequency and capacity train service.
> 
> She explained that all key tunnelling contracts have been assigned and construction has reached an advanced stage at Canary Wharf Crossrail Station, while the tunnel boring machines are scheduled to begin work in spring 2012.
> 
> "As part of the Comprehensive Spending Review in October 2010, the coalition government confirmed [its] commitment to the full Crossrail scheme. A re-phased programme of delivery means that Crossrail services will commence from 2018," Ms Villiers noted.
> 
> It is expected the project will not exceed £14.5 billion in total, allowing it to be delivered within its existing funding, she noted.


http://www.trl.co.uk/trl-news-hub/t...l-has-made-significant-progress_800621788.htm


----------



## PortoNuts




----------



## PortoNuts

> *Balfour Beatty Rail wins £4.7m contract for Thameslink project*
> 
> *Balfour Beatty Rail, working with Birse Rail and Balfour Beatty Engineering Services, has been awarded a design and construct contract worth £4.7m at Tanners Hill, South London.*
> 
> The contract scope includes the remodelling of a road bridge, footbridge structure and embankment widening works to facilitate installation of a twin track railway between Tanners Hill Junction & Lewisham Vale Junction on the Nunhead Lines. Both junctions will be remodelled as part of the track works.
> 
> The works will improve capacity on the line between London Bridge and Lewisham and are required to facilitate train service operations when further disruptive works are undertaken on the Thameslink KO2 Programme, which involves a major redesign of routes into London Bridge, vastly increasing capacity on the busy commuter line.
> 
> A new length of single track will be built alongside the existing bi-directional single track between Tanners Hill Junction (near St John’s Station) and Lewisham Vale Junction.
> 
> Before the new track is laid, St John’s Vale Road Bridge will be partially demolished and reconstructed with a concrete pier. As well as a new south span over the new track, the existing embankment along the length of the fly-down will also be widened. The existing footbridge servicing St Johns station will also be strengthened as part of the works.
> 
> Commenting on the contract award, Balfour Beatty Rail’s Managing Director, Peter Anderson said: “We are delighted to have been awarded this key project and look forward to continuing our relationship with the Network Rail Thameslink Team. This project is another great of example of Balfour Beatty Rail’s in-house capability working collaboratively to meet customer needs.”


http://www.rail.co/2011/07/20/balfour-beatty-rail-wins-4-7m-contract-for-thameslink-project/


----------



## PortoNuts

> *Crossrail construction driver training tops 1,000*
> 
> *A total of 1,000 drivers working on the Crossrail project have completed a course highlighting the skills needed to drive a truck in central London.*
> 
> The one day lorry driver induction training programme, delivered by Havering College in conjunction with Crossrail, reminds regular drivers on the project of the importance of using designated local HGV routes in the capital, as well as how to share the road with cyclists.
> 
> Drivers working regularly on the project must complete the training programme, and take two assessments before they are awarded their certificates.
> 
> The course is typically attended by up to 20 lorry drivers from a range of regular Crossrail contractors before they start working on a work site.
> Some 4,000 professional drivers of concrete mixers, tippers, articulated low loaders and plant hire vehicles over 3.5 tonnes are expected to complete the course.
> 
> Terry Morgan, Crossrail chairman, says: “We insist that contractors’ vehicles are fitted with safety devices like fresnel lenses and side scan equipment and that lorries travel on designated local traffic routes agreed with local authorities.”


http://www.roadtransport.com/Articl...il-construction-driver-training-tops-1000.htm


----------



## PortoNuts

> *Locals 'to learn more about nearby Crossrail project'*
> 
> *Network Rail is looking to make people aware of the improvements that the Crossrail project will make to train services in the south-east.*
> 
> As a result, it is inviting residents of Brentwood and Shenfield who will be using these stations once the new transport initiative is up and running to attend a public information day. Scheduled for July 27th, the event will take place in the Gwendoline Lewis room at Shenfield Parish Hall between 14:30 BST and 20:00 BST.
> 
> Attending will be members of the team working on the Crossrail project, who will be able to detail the improvements being made to the stations and railway under the high-speed train initiative - including a boost in capacity levels.
> 
> Tony Rai, Network Rail Project Manager, says: "[We are] making a multi-billion pound investment to transform the existing railway to make Crossrail a success [...] This work will prepare the way for more seats, better stations and a more frequent and reliable service for passengers."
> 
> Meanwhile, Simon Bennett, Crossrail Head of Stakeholder Engagement, noted that the initiative will allow locals to benefit from faster direct transport options to London's City district, the West End and Heathrow Airport.
> 
> Crossrail will run from west to east, beginning in Maidenhead and linking to Shenfield and Abbey Wood once it is completed.


http://www.trl.co.uk/trl-news-hub/t...-about-nearby-crossrail-project_800629164.htm


----------



## PortoNuts

> *In pictures: New public square at London's King's Cross*


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-14239541


----------



## CairnsTony

The new domed roof looks sensational, but the public space out the front of Kings Cross looks gloomy and uninspired. I can imagine how windswept and depressing it would appear in mid-winter. Could it not be softened with some more trees at least? And how about a nice curvy domed roof for the tube entrance on the corner to reflect in miniature the architecture of the new glass roof?


----------



## PortoNuts

In this case I think more trees would ruin the space, they would make it look darker.


----------



## PortoNuts

> *Costain-Skanska JV wins £150m Crossrail contract*
> 
> *A £150m contract to build the Crossrail Paddington Station has been awarded to a joint venture between Costain and Skanska. The project is the first station contract to be awarded as part of the £14.8bn Crossrail programme to create a new railway link between Maidenhead to the west of London and Abbey Wood and Shenfield to the east. *
> 
> Crossrail will boost London's rail-based capacity by 10%, delivering new journey opportunities, faster journey times and up to 24 trains per hour between Paddington and Whitechapel during the peak.
> 
> The Crossrail Paddington Station is one of seven new underground stations to be constructed. It will be a key interchange with the existing Network Rail services at the Paddington Mainline station and with London Underground.
> 
> Costain CEO Andrew Wyllie said: "We are delighted to have secured our fourth Crossrail contract, reflecting our ability to consistently deliver valuable solutions in the rail sector utilising our broad range of capabilities and depth of expertise. We look forward to working with Crossrail to deliver this landmark station and to playing our part in enhancing London's transport infrastructure."
> 
> At 9:31am: (LON:COST) Costain Group share price was +3p at 212p.


http://www.stockmarketwire.com/article/4190257/Costain-Skanska-JV-wins-150m-Crossrail-contract.html


----------



## RedArkady

From the info display at KX:


----------



## CairnsTony

Those pics give a better impression of the open spaces at least. Remains to be seen how they look in reality.

Porto: it depends on what trees you plant. Having planted tens of thousands of trees myself over the years, I believe this is something akin to certain architectural touches that, if cleverly done, can turn the ordinary into the eye-catching.


----------



## trainrover

I'm still *so* impressed by the solidity inherently built into new rail works around London ... that sort of quality is *so* rare around the world, it altogether looks like it's built to last a very long time.


----------



## trainrover

RedArkady said:


> It's then carried high between two estates to join the South London Line viaduct:
> 
> 
> DSC01171 by RedArkady, on Flickr
> 
> DSC01172 by RedArkady, on Flickr


Due to shifting climate, I'm curious to learn if new drainage measures are devised into those good-looking embankment/retainment walls,
for inadequate (storm-sewer) drainage is being blamed for the following wall collapse :?


^^ clickable...


----------



## RedArkady

Ouch. Yeah they're incorporating enormous drains. There are some pictures on 1956's link.


----------



## PortoNuts

> *Crossrail issues tender for Custom House station*
> 
> *New construction jobs could soon be required for civil engineering work on the planned Crossrail train line in the Docklands area of London.*
> 
> According to a tender in the Official Journal of the European Union, the ambitious project is currently looking for a builder to construct a £35 million station at Custom House. The project represents one of the smaller proposed Crossrail stations, but will require existing buildings on the proposed site to be demolished before the new station can be constructed.
> 
> As part of the project, the contractor that wins the tender will also be required to construct a new footbridge across Victoria Dock Road, as well as creating an ExCeL connection footbridge over the DLR.
> 
> Interested parties have until December 16th to submit prequalification documents.
> 
> The ambitious Crossrail project is one of the largest pubic infrastructure projects ever undertaken in the UK. When it is completed, the £16 billion scheme will see train lines into the east and west of the capital connected together with a new link.
> 
> Some 21km of twin-bore tunnels under central London will connect Maidenhead and Heathrow in the west with Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east.


http://news.careerstructure.com/art...srail-issues-tender-for-custom-house-station/


----------



## Tubeman

1956 said:


> There are some good photos of the new London Overground extension at this URL
> 
> http://www.overgroundextension.co.uk/gallery.asp


Finally going to put SE15 on the Tube map


----------



## PortoNuts

> *Bridgeway Consulting secures Crossrail contract*
> 
> *Bridgeway Consulting has been awarded a contract by Network Rail to deliver Overhead Line Isolation Services for the Crossrail (West) Project.*
> 
> Says Pino De Rosa, Bridgeway’s managing director, ‘Winning this contract is great news. We look forward to progressing what is powering up to be one of Britain’s most ambitious infrastructure projects. Crossrail will bring huge benefits to London, Britain and the railway industry. We look forward to playing our part with enthusiasm and efficiency.’
> 
> As an integral part of the Crossrail team, Bridgeway Consulting will be responsible for the planning, management and delivery of the Project isolations. The project area stretches from Paddington Station to Maidenhead Station and the work will continue until completion of the project, which is scheduled for 2018.
> 
> The dedicated Bridgeway isolation team will consist of a Delivery Manager and Isolation Planners supported by a number of Nominated and Authorised Persons. The balance of the demands of the timetable and the project, interweave to create a technically challenging area to deliver and this requires numerous teams to be deployed in order to carry out complex switching and earthing arrangements.
> 
> Over the term of the project the possessions and isolations will be increasingly challenging as the demands of the delivery program gain pace. Bridgeway are also successfully delivering Overhead Line isolations and possessions for the Kings Cross Station Redevelopment Project.


http://www.rail.co/2011/11/17/bridgeway-consulting-secures-crossrail-contract/


----------



## PortoNuts

> *Thameslink platform extensions complete*
> 
> *The final platform extensions which are needed to allow 50% longer 12-car trains with more seats for passengers to operate on the Bedford to Brighton Thameslink route from next month were completed at Flitwick and Harlington stations on Tuesday 15 November.*
> 
> Over the last four years, Network Rail has lengthened 41 platforms at 12 stations on the Midland main line between Bedford and West Hampstead by more than 2½ miles in total. The longer platforms will enable the busiest trains at the busiest times of the day to be increased from eight cars to 12, resulting in a 50% boost in capacity on those services.
> 
> Jim Crawford, Network Rail’s major programme director for Thameslink, said: “The completion of the platform extensions marks a major milestone in the Thameslink construction programme and will allow longer trains to run from next month as planned.
> 
> “As well as more seats and less congestion at the busiest times of the day, passengers have more to look forward to next year with the new stations at Blackfriars and Farringdon opening. This will provide a huge improvement to facilities and access at these two important London stations.”
> 
> David Statham, First Capital Connect projects director, added: “Network Rail has done a great job extending platforms north of London in time for our new timetable on 12 December. This first phase of the Thameslink programme means we can now run our first longer trains. The next phase will see a new train fleet delivered in 2015 which will create many more longer services.”
> 
> First Capital Connect will lengthen its first services from eight to 12 carriages on 12 December this year.
> 
> There will be three in the morning rush hour from Bedford and one service from Brighton with the same number home again in the evening.


http://www.rail.co/2011/11/17/thameslink-platform-extensions-complete/


----------



## PortoNuts

> *Transport for London set for £110m Crossrail comms system*
> 
> *Transport for London is preparing for a five-year £110 million communications and control systems package for Crossrail, the rail project that will connect Heathrow Airport with the City of London and Canary Wharf.*
> 
> TFL has called for bids to cover design, procurement, installation, integration, testing and commissioning of communications systems covering both underground and surface sections of the project.
> 
> The ‘C660 communications and control system’ also covers a central management system and back-up facility, which will control and monitor the central section of the Crossrail operation and also link to, control and monitor some Network Rail systems on shared parts of the network.
> 
> The £110 million Crossrail project breaks down into station control systems, networks, radio systems and management systems. The station communication systems includes CCTV, driver-operated CCTV, PA and alarm systems, customer information and station management systems.
> 
> The successful bidder will support Crossrail’s data network and an optical fibre network and develop a private mobile radio system for Crossrail that connects to the TETRA Airwave emergency system. Behind all this, Crossrail wants a full ‘Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition Central Management System’.


http://www.computerworlduk.com/news...r-london-set-for-110m-crossrail-comms-system/


----------



## trainrover

It would appear London's getting a(nother?) superficial circle line


----------



## PortoNuts

*Kings Cross Station*

by *potto*.


----------



## trainrover

"Platforms 0 to..." :sly:


----------



## Republica

trainrover said:


> "Platforms 0 to..." :sly:


what?


----------



## trainrover

Republica said:


> whatch?





PortoNuts said:


> *Kings Cross Station*


----------



## iampuking

^^Platform 0 was a recent addition and because of it's location it made more sense to call it 0 than call it 1 and then rename all the other platforms.

Anyway, I think the new King's Cross concourse looks nicer than I anticipated.


----------



## poshbakerloo

iampuking said:


> ^^Platform 0 was a recent addition and because of it's location it made more sense to call it 0 than call it 1 and then rename all the other platforms.
> 
> Anyway, I think the new King's Cross concourse looks nicer than I anticipated.


They added a platform 0 to Stockport station, I though it was strange aswell but I guess it saves confusion from renumbering them all! But what happens if they extend again...platform -1? lol


----------



## Tubeman

0 is right up against York Way, so there's no chance of any eastward expansion necessitating negative numbers!


----------



## trainrover

:lol: ... altogether makes perfect sense now.


----------



## PortoNuts

*Kings Cross*

by *potto*.


----------



## trainrover

For such a central district, its tranquility looks so very appealing ... nice photos


----------



## Axelferis

i don't understand difference between crossrail and overground?!


----------



## PortoNuts

> *More seats on way in new Thameslink route timetable*
> 
> *Longer rush hour trains feature in First Capital Connect’s new Thameslink route timetable that comes into force from Sunday, 11 December.*
> 
> In the new timetable, four trains in the morning and four in the evening will be lengthened to 12 carriages on services between Bedford and Brighton and a further four services will be extended to eight carriages on the Luton to Sutton service group.
> 
> Between them they will add over 3,200 more seats at the busiest times of the day. Off-peak during the week, there will be over 1,200 off-peak weekday seats and, between London St Pancras and Bedford, almost 3,900 more Saturday seats.
> 
> Customer Service Director Keith Jipps said: “We’re working hard to improve services for customers and have targeted the extra capacity on those trains that need it most.
> 
> “The Thameslink Programme has imposed some tough times on our customers with lots of track closures for engineering work but with the start of the new 12-carriage services we can finally see improvements coming on line.”
> 
> Details of the new timetable can be seen at www.firstcapitalconnect.co.uk or by picking up a copy at any staffed FCC station.


http://www.rail.co/2011/12/08/more-seats-on-way-in-new-thameslink-route-timetable/


----------



## trainrover

Seems like Clapham Jct's the one that needs skipping altogether, e.g., build flyovers above it :dunno:


----------



## PortoNuts

^^Absolutely, otherwise trains have to keep waiting for others to pass and so on.


----------



## PortoNuts

*New entrance at Blackfriars Station*

by Badly Drawn Dad on Flickr.









http://www.flickr.com/photos/dhedwards/6473513245/sizes/l/in/photostream/


----------



## PortoNuts

> *Network Rail sets out timetable for Thameslink completion*
> 
> *The transformation of rail travel in London came a step closer this morning when the first longer, 12-carriage train began its journey from Bedford to Brighton just before 7am.*
> 
> By 9:25am, when it arrived at its destination at Brighton, it had passed the longer platforms, new signals and upgraded power facilities, all provided by Network Rail as part of the Thameslink programme to allow longer, more frequent trains to use the route.
> 
> To make this possible, Network Rail has lengthened platforms at 14 stations across the route. That’s an additional 4km of extra platform and carriage space, twice the length of Luton Airport runway, or 34 football pitches laid end-to-end.
> 
> More than 160km of new power cable has been laid to provide the power demanded by longer trains, and signalling systems along the route and through central London have been upgraded and replaced.
> 
> The vast majority of this work has been completed overnight and at weekends to reduce disruption to passengers. The improvements were not limited to the longer, less crowded trains. At Farringdon station a new spacious ticket hall came into use this morning.
> 
> At 1,600 square metres – the equivalent of six double tennis courts – this spacious hall will provide the additional capacity that will be required, not only for the longer, more frequent services made possible by the Thameslink programme but also future Crossrail services.
> 
> ...


http://www.rail.co/2011/12/12/network-rail-sets-out-timetable-for-thameslink-completion/


----------



## PortoNuts

> *Crossrail’s first tunnel boring machine unveiled*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Europe’s largest construction project has unveiled the first of eight, 1,000 tonne tunnel boring machines (TBM) that will construct the new Crossrail tunnels under central London. The 140 metre long, fully assembled tunnel boring machine (TBM) is currently undergoing factory testing.*
> 
> The machine will shortly be dismantled and shipped to London where it will be re-assembled at Westbourne Park ahead of tunnelling commencing from Royal Oak in March.
> 
> To construct the 21km of twin-bore tunnel required for Crossrail, eight tunnel boring machines will be required and will undertake ten individual tunnel drives to construct the 6.2m diameter tunnels.
> 
> At 140 metres, each TBM would just fit just inside the boundaries of a cricket oval. The TBMs will bore the tunnelled section of the 118 kilometre rail line that will link Maidenhead and Heathrow in the west with Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east.
> 
> When completed, Crossrail will bring an extra 1.5 million people within 45 minutes journey of London and reduce cross London journey times.
> 
> The TBMs will run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week stopping only for scheduled maintenance. As the TBMs advance forward, precast concrete segments will be built in rings behind the TBMs.
> 
> Construction of the concrete segment factory for the western running tunnels between Royal Oak and Farringdon is now complete at Old Oak Common. The plant will begin manufacturing over 70,000 segments for the western tunnels from January.
> 
> ...


http://www.rail.co/2011/12/14/crossrails-first-tunnel-boring-machine-unveiled/


----------



## PortoNuts

> *New West Hampstead Thameslink station opens*
> 
> *West Hampstead’s new Thameslink station has opened to the travelling public, providing passengers with improved access to the station, less congestion, more capacity and easier interchange with nearby Underground and Overground services.*
> 
> The new entrance on Iverson Road links to a new footbridge with lifts to all platforms, providing step-free access at West Hampstead for the first time. The platforms have also been lengthened to accommodate 50% longer 12-carriage trains that enter service in 2018.
> 
> The redevelopment of the station is part of the wider Thameslink Programme, a £6bn scheme to introduce longer and more frequent trains on the route from Bedford to Brighton.
> 
> London mayoral candidate Ken Livingstone joined local councillors, residents, Network Rail’s project team and managers of the station, First Capital Connect, to officially open the new building.
> 
> Ken Livingstone said: “The new station at West Hampstead will make a big difference to people in terms of easing congestion, catering for the increased capacity on rail services and helping with access. It will be welcomed by local passengers who use these services every day.”
> 
> ...


http://www.rail.co/2011/12/15/new-west-hampstead-thameslink-station-opens/


----------



## PortoNuts

12 carriage trains at Blackfriars.


----------



## PortoNuts




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## PortoNuts




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## PortoNuts




----------



## RedArkady

East London Line Phase II track-laying: http://www.londonreconnections.com/2012/in-pictures-track-laying-on-the-ellx2/


----------



## trainrover

-- filmed really well, carefully edited too -- neat, the still-bouncing pantograph at the end​


----------



## trainrover

I've just learned that Overground's taken to adopting diesel-electric traction: surely there must be plans to electrify the trunk, no? :?





:sly: diesel-electric, 48" through 2'1"​


----------



## trainrover

-- must've been a heatwave, 1'42" ​


----------



## makita09

trainrover said:


> I've just learned that Overground's taken to adopting diesel-electric traction: surely there must be plans to electrify the trunk, no? :?


London Overground is all electric apart from the less-well used GOBLIN route which is diesel - and has always been (well, since it was steam). There are many plans to electrify it, but there is resistence from certain parts of the DfT over costs and benefits.

I would wager however, that despite having purchased new diesel units for the line, there is significant benefit for freight if this line is electrified, and with GWML electrification in the near future as well as increased flows from the Thames estuary ports, that the GOBLIN route will be electrified, new trains purchsed and the diesel ones cascaded to elsewhere in the country (there's no shortage of places they could go, there are a huge number of legacy diesels that will need replacing in the next 15 years).

Also, its no diesel-electric traction, the DMUs are diesel only, transmission is mechanical. They are class 172 DMUs (all class 1xx are mechanical transmission)

Only the class 2xx are DEMUs which don't operate on London Overground, all other diesel passenger trains in the UK are not diesel-electric (apart from loco hauled of course).


----------



## trainrover

What's DfT?

Darn it, you're right, for it seems I really ought to have named that new thread yesterday DEMU :nuts:


----------



## iampuking

^^Department for transport.


----------



## PortoNuts




----------



## PortoNuts




----------



## PortoNuts




----------



## PortoNuts

> *London Overground braces itself for 100 million new journeys as demand for the service rockets*
> 
> *The East London Line extension has “grown faster than anticipated” with nearly three and a half times more journeys made per week in 2011 than in 2007, according to a TfL report on the train operator.*
> 
> Nearly two million journeys were made on the line per week in September last year compared with 0.6 million in 2007.
> 
> But the increase has led to higher levels of crowding, and the local government body predicts there will be 100 million journeys made on the whole Overground network in 2011/12 as user demand proliferates this year due to predicted popular events including the Olympic Games and the Queen’s Jubilee.
> 
> The Overground has rapidly grown as a commuting route with over 60 per cent of journeys made to and from work and eight per cent made for leisure reasons. The busiest station is Canada Water with over 30,000 passengers per day but Whitechapel in Tower Hamlets came second with 15,000 users per day.
> 
> The extension opened in May 2010, with 160 million users since then, and this year will see new services from Dalston Junction to Clapham Junction. Since the opening, both the Geffrye Museum at Hoxton and the Brunel museum at Rotherhithe have seen higher number of visitors.
> 
> TfL report that customer satisfaction with the extended line averages 85 out of 100 meaning they are more “popular with passengers” than before their closure when the average was 77. According to the body, the network has changed from being a “neglected railway into the best performing train operator in Great Britain”.
> 
> Schoolchildren have also benefited from the extension as the train operator has a higher proportion of educational travel than most rail operators.
> 
> According to TfL’s report, the most popular mode of transport used previously by passengers was the bus, suggesting that the route has been crucial in providing certain deprived areas such as Hackney with quicker transport options and “links them to key employment centres in the City, Docklands and West End as well as leisure and social facilities”.


http://www.eastlondonlines.co.uk/20...d-braces-itself-for-100-million-new-journeys/


----------



## PortoNuts

*London Overground East London Line Backwards Cab View*


----------



## PortoNuts




----------



## PortoNuts

> *Farringdon Crossrail station platforms given to First Capital Connect*
> 
> *The Crossrail scheme in London has taken a major step forward towards completion. First Capital Connect has been handed the lengthened platforms at Farringdon station, allowing it to run 12-carriage Thameslink trains through the £250 million redeveloped public transport hub within 48 hours.*
> 
> Costain revealed this is significant for the expansion of the Thameslink route, which connects London offices to those in Brighton in the south and Bedford in the north. Farringdon station acts as an interchange for Thameslink and the tube, and will also deliver Crossrail services when completed.
> 
> A new London Underground (LU) entrance, an integrated ticket hall (ITH), five new lifts to street level and new power supplies have also been delivered at the Farringdon Crossrail station.
> 
> Commenting on the latest announcement, construction director at Costain Daniel Powrie stated: "The Farringdon team has worked tirelessly for three years to deliver the 12-car platforms and the ITH and now we have to hand over the LU building and accommodation building in eight weeks - no simple task given the high specification and number of trades required to work in very confined conditions."
> 
> He added that every Crossrail milestone has been hit so far, so he is confident this one will also be completed in time. Crossrail stations are also set to be built at Tottenham Court Road, Bond Street, Paddington, Canary Wharf, Whitechapel and Liverpool Street.
> 
> The service will run through 37 stations, linking the east's Abbey Wood and Shenfield to the west's Maidenhead and Heathrow.
> 
> Businesses with London offices will be able to enjoy a wider talent pool and improved access to clients, as an extra 1.5 million people are expected to be brought within a 45-minute commute of the main business districts in the capital.
> 
> The Liverpool Street Crossrail station, for example, will provide a boost to organisations with City offices, delivering connections to Stansted Airport, as well as acting as a LU interchange for a variety of lines.


http://www.mellersh.co.uk/News/Farr...given-to-First-Capital-Connect/801255688.aspx


----------



## CairnsTony

That's a rather misleading article. My first impression was that First Capital Connect would be running Crossrail! It took a few seconds for me to realise that they meant the Thameslink platforms.


----------



## poshbakerloo

CairnsTony said:


> That's a rather misleading article. My first impression was that First Capital Connect would be running Crossrail! It took a few seconds for me to realise that they meant the Thameslink platforms.


"Farringdon Crossrail station platforms given to First Capital Connect" Its not that confusing lol, means what it says


----------



## PortoNuts

> *Kings Cross passengers offered a glimpse into the future*
> 
> Network Rail is giving passengers, businesses and members of the community a chance to look three months into the future with an interactive exhibition about the new station concourse at King’s Cross.
> 
> From Monday 16 January an exhibition stand featuring new CGI images, a map and iPads giving people the chance to play a quiz about the project will be located next to the ticket office. Members of staff will be on hand to distribute information leaflets and answer any questions.
> 
> Ian Fry, Network Rail’s programme director at King’s Cross said: “With around three months to go until the new concourse opens, we want to share more details with people about the new facilities coming their way and the changes to how they will need to use the station. For example, to improve passenger flow passengers will only be able to enter the platforms via the new concourse and will exit via the old concourse.
> 
> “Once complete, King’s Cross will be a world-class transport hub which can meet future demand and offer the best facilities for passengers.”
> 
> The new concourse will be the stand-out feature of the redeveloped King’s Cross, helping make it a world-class transport hub. The striking domed roof covers an area three-times the size of the existing concourse and big enough to fit over six Olympic-sized swimming pools. As well as providing a brighter, more spacious station, it will contain a wide range of new food and drink outlets and shops, plus improved facilities which will improve the journey experience for passengers.


http://www.breakingtravelnews.com/n...passengers-offered-a-glimpse-into-the-future/


----------



## makita09

poshbakerloo said:


> "Farringdon Crossrail station platforms given to First Capital Connect" Its not that confusing lol, means what it says


No, "Farringdon station platforms given to First Capital Connect" would mean what they meant. Specifying the Crossrail platforms is a journalism fail.

What they meant to write was "Farringdon Thameslink station platforms (where there are also Crossrail platforms but this has nothing to do with the following article in any way whatsoever) given to First Capital Connect"


----------



## PortoNuts

> *London Overground HR director confident over Olympics*
> 
> *London Overground, the rail operator which will transport huge numbers of London Olympics visitors this summer, has revealed plans to swell the number of frontline staff and use ‘pay as you go’ rewards for workers during the Games.*
> 
> The train operator, which has 1,160 employees, has estimated that it will carry up to 70 per cent more people during the 2012 Games period.
> 
> Darren Hockaday, HR director at London Overground Rail Operations Ltd (LOROL), said that two more trains would run per hour during the Olympics, bumping the service up to 8 trains an hour off peak and 10 an hour in peak time.
> 
> To manage this increase in service, Hockaday told PM that about 75 volunteers would move temporarily from the firm’s internal support functions, such as finance, HR and safety, to help frontline workers at stations to manage passenger flow.
> 
> Hockaday said that people who volunteer to work more flexibly, work in a completely different role or defer holidays until outside the event period would be rewarded. “An incentive has been set up to encourage staff to work more flexibly during the Olympic period in anticipation of far more flexible working patterns than they are used to for frontline and non frontline people,” he said.
> 
> Office staff prepared to work flexibly and volunteer for frontline support roles will receive a £250 bonus for the Olympics and another £250 bonus if they work during the Paralympics as well. Meanwhile, frontline staff, such as drivers, will get time and a quarter for completing a shift. This will incentivise them to work outside normal work patterns and agreements, he said.
> 
> LOROL has also agreed with staff and unions that some of this additional pay can be clawed back if employees are off sick during this period.
> 
> The train operator has called the agreement “groundbreaking” and it includes workers from the three main unions, the RMT, Aslef and TSSA. One example of how the incentive will work for front line staff is that maintenance workers will receive time and a quarter for a completed shift.
> 
> The plan is to get all the trains and tracks in top condition before the event, meaning these employees have been asked to work more flexible hours, including more night shifts and in different locations. During the Olympics they may also be asked to travel on every other train to do on-the-spot maintenance and avoid breakdowns snarling up the system.
> 
> Hockaday said that this “radical” approach to workforce planning has been made possible by high employee engagement and good industrial relations.
> 
> “A staff engagement survey showed that 93 per cent of our staff say they are ‘proud to work for LOROL’, and employees are very excited about the Olympics,” he said.
> 
> “This is a business critical event for us, and our customer Transport for London is expecting us to deliver. We knew we were in a good position around how people felt about this key event and we will be showcasing our services.”
> 
> Hockaday and other senior managers and directors will be volunteering at stations and in other frontline roles during the Olympics. In addition to the ‘volunteers’, 150 temporary workers will also be employed.


http://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/p...round-hr-director-confident-over-olympics.htm


----------



## Spam King

poshbakerloo said:


> "Farringdon Crossrail station platforms given to First Capital Connect" Its not that confusing lol, means what it says




It is confusing because the crossrail station doesn't exist yet! It should say Thameslink station platforms.


----------



## PortoNuts

*New Farringdon Main Ticket Hall*

by 8184496 on Flickr.









http://www.flickr.com/photos/8184496/6691549417/sizes/l/in/photostream/


----------



## PortoNuts

oliverjayd said:


> I don't know why but this big hole in Finsbury Circus got me excited for Crossrail!


:cheers2:


----------



## PortoNuts

> *Livingstone Pledges To Take Over Suburban Rail*
> *
> Ken Livingstone has produced an eight-point plan for London’s suburban rail network. If he wins in May, he says he would ditch the hated franchises and bring routes under TfL’s control, much as he did with London Underground during his time as Mayor.*
> 
> The Labour candidate pledged to put at least four trains an hour through each station during the week, make stations cleaner, safer and better staffed, install ‘state of the art’ information systems, improve cycle parking and accessibility and bring fares in line with the tube (something that’s being called a fares cut, but on some lines the national rail-only fare is cheaper than TfL).
> 
> London Overground is a huge success story – the new trains are a joy to ride and the service scored 96% in last year’s National Passenger Survey (with the exception of the Richmond/Clapham-Stratford route, flagging at 80%) where other Train Operating Companies’ metro routes struggle to make it to 85%. Passengers numbers are increasing in excess of general demand for rail travel: last month, London Reconnections looked at the Overground’s usage stats and we particularly like their assessment that
> 
> " general increased demand for rail travel in London and the South East is only a small part of the story – just as important have been the three basic principles on which the original Overground principle was pitched. This was that a good metro service should be clean, reliable and frequent – get that right and the passengers will follow."
> 
> Of course, this patchwork of different companies and daily seething commuter rage could have been avoided as far back as 1933, when rail was excluded from the London Passenger Transport Board. Bloody Herbert Morrison, eh?


http://londonist.com/2012/01/livingstone-pledges-to-take-over-suburban-rail.php


----------



## Acemcbuller

Can anyone enlighten me to the purpose of the thin metal footbridge and staircase from Turnmill Street to the southbound Thameslink platform at Farringdon? I guess its for workmen but I'm not clear why they need it.

Along the same lines, given all the work there going on in the area, I had the impression and hope they were going to put in a walkway and exit from the end of the northbound Thameslink platform up to to Farringdon Road. But I was evidently evidently confused by references to the new (Turnmill Street) entrance.


----------



## PortoNuts

> *Survey reveals high satisfaction with London Overground*
> 
> *The London Overground continues to enjoy high levels of passenger satisfaction according to a passenger watchdog’s survey. Carried out by Passenger Focus, the National Passenger Survey reveals a 92 percent overall approval rating for the Overground service.*
> 
> The service is routinely scored highly by Network Rail and in 2011 was named as the top performing train operator in the UK for trains arriving on time. In November 2007 Transport for London took over the Silverlink rail service, rebranding it as the London Overground and promising to improve standards.
> 
> A major investment programme included the deep cleaning of all stations, introducing staffing at all stations and the purchase of 65 new, air-conditioned, trains. In 2010 TfL completed the East London Line extension linking Highbury & Islington in north London with West Croydon in the south.
> 
> A second extension, due to enter service in December, will link Clapham Junction to Dalston Junction.
> 
> Welcoming the survey’s findings, Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: ‘Passengers have spoken and these results show that our investment in the London Overground network is paying off. We are running more trains, carrying greater numbers of passengers and providing a more reliable service.’
> 
> Mike Brown, Transport for London’s Managing Director of London Rail and London Underground, said: “These high rates of passenger satisfaction are due to consistent, punctual operational performance with frequencies of at least 4 trains per hour across almost all the network.
> 
> “Where passengers have asked for more trains per hour, we have, where possible, provided that – the enhancement of the Richmond and Clapham to Stratford services being a case in point.  ”Passengers are also showing their approval of our new, air-conditioned trains which have a more spacious layout, are fully accessible and easy to board and exit.”


http://www.mayorwatch.co.uk/survey-reveals-high-satisfaction-with-london-overground/201218759


----------



## PortoNuts




----------



## PortoNuts




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## PortoNuts




----------



## Acemcbuller

Do we know if the London rail map will be altered to indicate the existance of the south bank entrance to Blackfriars?


----------



## PortoNuts

> *Construction of Paddington Crossrail station ‘steps up’*
> 
> *The new Paddington Crossrail station is to take a step further towards construction as the excavation of the station box gets underway in February. The new station will be built under Eastbourne Terrace and Departures Road.*
> 
> Westminster City Council has agreed to a full closure of Eastbourne Terrace from 12 February 2012 until early 2014 to excavate the station box.
> 
> Andy Mitchell, Crossrail Programme Director said: “Once complete, Crossrail will cut journey times across London as well as creating new journey opportunities. It’s vital that the impact of Crossrail’s construction on central London is kept to a minimum.
> 
> “A full-closure of Eastbourne Terrace will mean that construction of the new station box at Paddington can be completed in two years instead of four years enabling station fit-out to commence and Eastbourne Terrace to be re-opened as soon as possible.
> 
> “Crossrail, Network Rail and TfL have worked closely with Westminster City Council, businesses and residents to do all we can to deliver these major works in the least disruptive way possible.”


http://www.rail.co/2012/01/31/construction-of-paddington-crossrail-station-steps-up/


----------



## PortoNuts

> *King's criss-cross lattice roof crowns station's £550m rebuild*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *This is the new giant latticed roof that will greet travellers using King's Cross station this spring. The covering of the western concourse is part of the station's £550 million redevelopment.*
> 
> The domed roof covers an area bigger than six Olympic-sized pools. The building uses five million tiles and one million "heritage bricks", made in the style of the wartime originals.
> 
> The next stage, after the Games, will create the new piazza and reveal the station's Grade I-listed Victorian façade for the first time in decades. The work began in 2008 and is due for completion next year. It will mean better connections to St Pancras International and the Tube as well as capacity for extra trains, more ticket machines and a new shopping arcade. Network Rail says that 10 million more people will be able to use the station annually once the works are complete.
> 
> The first glimpse of the new roof came as the Mayor launched a campaign to get people using public transport more. David Higgins, NR chief executive, said: "Our job during Games time is to provide smooth, seamless journeys for spectators travelling to and from Olympic venues, whilst keeping London and the rest of the country moving."


http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/stand...ce-roof-crowns-stations-pound-550m-rebuild.do


----------



## PortoNuts




----------



## PortoNuts

*Bond Street Crossrail Station*

by *Light Parade*.


----------



## PortoNuts

> *Crossrail Connaught Tunnel Checked For Bombs*
> 
> *The Connaught Tunnel and similar sites are being checked for unexploded bombs from World War Two before Crossrail works begin.*
> 
> The 550m tunnel, which runs underneath the old Connaught Passage linking the Royal Albert and Victoria Docks and formerly used by the North London Line, suffered a hit in 1940. Experts want to make sure no other devices buried themselves in the soil before they start repairing and reinforcing walls. The middle section of the tunnel was narrowed in 1935 when the Passage was deepened; original 1878 brickwork was taken out and replaced with steel.
> 
> Crossrail contractors will dredge a section of the Passage next year and lay a reinforced concrete slab. This will allow the steel to be removed and a foam concrete (which sounds fun) added to the walls. And all this is just to prepare the tunnels for boring!
> 
> As well as checking for old bombs, archaeologists will have time to explore the Crossrail sites to see if they can find artefacts from London’s buried past.


http://londonist.com/2012/02/crossrail-connaught-tunnel-checked-for-bombs.php


----------



## PortoNuts

Farringdon Station in the foreground.

by *chest*.


----------



## rheintram

Great picture!


----------



## PortoNuts

> *Major Paddington road to shut for two years for Crossrail work*
> 
> *One of Paddington’s busiest roads is set to close for two years from next week to allow for the construction of a new Crossrail station. Eastbourne Terrace, which runs alongside Paddington Station, will be completely shut to traffic from next Sunday February 12 until early 2014.*
> 
> The road has been partially closed since last year but it is hoped the move will cut the overall construction time by two years. A number of residents have voiced concerns about neighbouring roads having to take extra traffic.
> 
> All vehicles, including buses and taxis, will be diverted to alternative routes around Paddington. Transport for London will be monitoring the situation closely to “limit disruption and congestion”.
> 
> To coincide with the closure, the existing taxi rank in Departures Road will be relocated to the north of the station.
> 
> Crossrail programme director Andy Mitchell said: “It’s vital that the impact of Crossrail’s construction on central London is kept to a minimum.
> 
> “A full-closure of Eastbourne Terrace will mean that construction of the new station box at Paddington can be completed in two years instead of four years enabling station fit-out to commence and Eastbourne Terrace to be re-opened as soon as possible.”
> 
> Paddington Waterside Partnership chief executive Kay Buxton added: “While there will be an impact locally we are clearly focused on the long-term benefits that will be delivered”.


http://www.london24.com/news/transp...ut_for_two_years_for_crossrail_work_1_1196146


----------



## Acemcbuller

Here's an great article about an underground signal box 30 feet under St Pancras from the British Railways Magazine (London Midland Region) October 1950.
Scans are here:

Page 1 - http://tinyurl.com/6pyrxe3
Page 2 - http://tinyurl.com/6v69qty
Page 3 - http://tinyurl.com/832kgyq


----------



## PortoNuts

> *Network Rail names retailers for ambitious King’s Cross development*
> 
> *Network Rail has revealed the list of retailers and food & beverage operators for the striking new London King’s Cross station concourse, which will open on 19 March. The station owner and operator pledged “more space, better facilities and an improved range of shopping and food and drink outlets”. *
> 
> Among the retail firsts (new names to the UK rail channel) are LS travel retail-operated Watermark (click here for separate story), American Apparel and Kiehl’s. New F&B names for UK railways are Giraffe, Fuller’s, Benito’s Hat, Leon, Prezzo and Yalla Yalla.
> 
> The opening will mark a major milestone in the redevelopment of the station, which started in 2007. It will be fully completed by the end of 2013 following the removal of the 1970s extension and canopy at the front of the station and the creation of a new 7,000sq m public square.
> 
> ...


http://www.moodiereport.com/document.php?c_id=6&doc_id=29944


----------



## davidaiow

I'm dead happy for Leon! A great chain with a great ethos! Shame that we have to have a WH Smith  Their branding needs major overhaul!


----------



## PortoNuts

> *Crossrail outlines new approach to refurbishing the Connaught Tunnel*
> 
> *Connaught Tunnel in the Royal Docks was built in 1878 and was part of the North London Line until 2006. The tunnel will be extensively refurbished as part of works to construct Crossrail’s new Abbey Wood branch.*
> 
> Sections of the existing tunnel are in a poor structural condition. In 1935, larger ships began scraping the bottom of the Royal Victoria Dock which sits above the Connaught Tunnel. As part of work to deepen the dock, the central section of the tunnel was narrowed with brickwork removed and steel segments installed.
> 
> Crossrail originally planned to strengthen the central section of the tunnel by removing the existing steel linings and back filling the entire section with concrete foam. These tunnels would then have been enlarged by boring through the concrete to create tunnels that are large enough for Crossrail trains to pass.
> 
> Crossrail will now place cofferdams in the Connaught Passage between the Victoria and Royal Albert Docks, pump out the water and create a dry construction site allowing workers to dig down to the tunnel to undertake the enlargement work through a ‘cut and cover’ approach.
> 
> Linda Miller, Connaught Tunnel Project Manager said: “The central section of the Connaught Tunnel is in a poor structural condition. To ensure we can undertake the tunnel enlargement work as safely as possible we have now decided to drain a section of the Royal Docks and then dig down into the tunnel. This will be the first time the tunnel has been exposed from above ground since its construction in the 1870s. While we will be using modern techniques, we will be using a similar cut and cover approach that was used to build the original tunnel which saw the tunnel constructed first with the docks then built over the top.”
> 
> ...


http://www.breakingtravelnews.com/n...pproach-to-refurbishing-the-connaught-tunnel/


----------



## PortoNuts

> *Waterloo Sunrise*
> 
> *One of Waterloo’s four disused Eurostar platforms is to be returned to service in 2014.*
> 
> Longer trains are to serve the terminus as the DfT announced plans to add extra carriages and upgrade the SWT commuter fleet. The carriages, which will allow around 8,000 extra peak-time passengers into Waterloo every morning, will begin arriving from May 2013, with all new services in place by July 2014.
> 
> Government funding means lease company, Porterbrook, will be able to create a fleet of 36 five-car suburban trains to run on South West Trains routes. This new fleet will enable around 8,000 extra peak-time passengers to travel into London’s Waterloo station every morning, as 8-car trains will be lengthened to run in 10-car formation on certain routes.
> 
> Alstom is masterminding the project. Known as Class 458/5, the improved fleet will be made up by converting two existing Alstom-built fleets, the Class 458s, used by SWT and Class 460s, formerly used by the Gatwick Express.
> 
> Modifications will include cabs, couplers, gangways, as well as conversion of baggage areas into passenger saloon areas. Up to 92% of the material content of the project will be sourced from the UK supply chain. Doncaster-based Wabtec will carry out the work.
> 
> Alstom is recruiting around twelve engineers in order to provide a team of twenty five dedicated to supporting the conversion project.
> 
> Says Transport Minister Justine Greening, ‘These extra carriages will help ease those conditions, while opening an extra platform will provide space for additional trains to run. But our plans do not stop here. We are now embarked on one of the largest programmes of rail investment since the Victorian era and we expect to introduce further carriages on Waterloo routes and bring more platforms into use in the future.’
> 
> Waterloo’s former Eurostar platforms have been out of use since 2007 when services switched to St Pancras. Since then the only rail activity the platforms have seen is a steam locomotive being propelled into the station as part of the Railway Children theatre production.


http://www.railstaff.co.uk/2012/02/10/waterloo-sunrise/


----------



## PortoNuts

by* i_like_concrete*.

*Royal Oak Western Crossrail Tunnel Portal *


----------



## PortoNuts

> *Boris Johnson pushing for control of London's suburban railways*
> 
> *Mayor of London Boris Johnson is calling on the government to hand over control of the capital's suburban railways to City Hall. *
> 
> But with the mayoral election looming in May, his opponents say he's had years to do this. Under the proposals train companies such as Southeastern, whose franchise comes up for renewal in 2014, would be integrated into Transport for London.
> 
> Mr Johnson claims this would save millions of pounds and give passengers more reliable and frequent services, safer and cleaner stations, more staff and simpler fares.
> 
> His plan would mean putting on more services in Bromley and elsewhere by introducing ‘turn-up-and-go’ with at least four trains per hour throughout the week.
> 
> He also promised to provide better access to Petts Wood station for prams and wheelchairs. Mr Johnson said: "The fractured organisation of London’s suburban railways is totally inefficient and needs a complete overhaul.
> 
> "My vision is for one integrated suburban service operating to the standards we have demonstrated can be achieved on London Overground, which is now one of the most reliable and popular railways in the UK."
> 
> ...


http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/9...ng_for_control_of_London_s_suburban_railways/


----------



## davidaiow

Am I right in thinking that Ken Proposed this many years ago? Another theft from Boris to add to the list?


----------



## PortoNuts

Yes, that's what Ken accused Boris of.


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## Rational Plan

davidaiow said:


> Am I right in thinking that Ken Proposed this many years ago? Another theft from Boris to add to the list?


Except are any of these proposals Kens or Boris's most of them originated from within TFL management and planners neither of them spend their time scribbling on maps. They rely on advice, all of whom came from TFL. TFL has been pushing for control of suburban services for a while any candidate can push one plan over another. Policy rarely shifts rapidly, proposals merely change to reflect available funds. Schemes can live and die on how they are received by the public and what the Treasury is prepared to pay for.

People were expecting the next round of rail franchises to be split in TFL's favour but it looks like the Department of Transports failure and the recent collapse in plans to extend Oyster to outside London.


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## PortoNuts

> *Crossrail tunnel segment plant begins full operations*
> 
> *A new tunnel segment manufacturing plant has begun full operations in London. The facility will be pouring the first batch of 250,000 concrete segments that will line 42km (26 miles) of Crossrail tunnels.*
> 
> Located at Old Oak Common, the facility will employ about 60 people at its peak, including the first of 15 trainees and apprentices.
> 
> They are among the first group of apprentices and trainees to receive training at the new Tunnelling and Underground Construction Academy (TUCA).
> 
> The segment production has begun ahead of the start of Crossrail tunnelling next month, with the first tunnel boring machine (TBM) currently being assembled at Westbourne Park.


http://www.rail.co/2012/02/09/crossrail-tunnel-segment-plant-begins-full-operations/


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## PortoNuts

> *Crossrail puts back Bond Street Station award*
> 
> *Crossrail has rescheduled its main station tendering programme to allow shortlisted contractors more time to draw up competitive bids.*
> 
> The move means that the £200m contract for Bond Street station will no longer be awarded this year as planned but will be pushed back to the first quarter of 2013. Crossrail engineers have been able to move the contract back because much of the tunnelling work will be carried out by Costain Skanska which is already excavating the site for the first TBM drives under contract C411.
> 
> The new programme will smooth out the tendering process for the three remaining central London station jobs, where many firms plan multiple bids. It is the second time the central London station bidding programme has been rescheduled after contractors in 2011 called for more time for bidding.
> 
> A spokesperson for Crossrail said: “Crossrail constantly reviews the packaging structure for all major contracts. The intention has always been to award the major stations contracts in accordance with industry feedback and bidder capacity.
> 
> “This ensures that contracts are let in line with Crossrail’s delivery timetable while also allowing the construction industry to benefit from a staggered bid submission process. The next main construction contract to be awarded by spring 2012 will be for Liverpool Street station. This will be followed by the contract for Tottenham Court Road station in mid-2012.”
> 
> He added: “At Bond Street, the new station will be delivered through two major contracts – C411 and C412. The C411 contract awarded to Costain Skanska JV in March 2011 also includes the necessary civil engineering works to enable the TBMs to progress through later this year.
> 
> “The C412 contract is largely station fit-out and will be put out to tender later in 2012.”


http://www.constructionenquirer.com/2012/02/15/crossrail-puts-back-bond-street-station-award/


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## PortoNuts

> *Raising the roof*
> 
> *Plans to transform London Bridge station have been given the green light by Southwark Council.*
> 
> The station will have a completely new platform layout allowing high frequency trains on the Thameslink route. Britain’s largest station concourse will provide more space for passengers. Sadly the historic station roof will be demolished.
> 
> However new eye-catching entrances on Tooley Street and St Thomas Street will make the station more accessible and easier to use.
> 
> Says David Higgins, Network Rail’s chief executive, ‘London Bridge is one of the busiest stations in the country and this investment is vital for passengers who want more space, less congestion and better services.
> 
> ‘Our proposals will breathe life back into London’s oldest rail terminus and help build on the programme of regeneration along the South Bank and Bankside. It will provide a focal point for the local communities it serves as well as the tens of millions of passengers who use it every year.
> 
> ‘We are grateful for the support we’ve received and will continue to work closely with our partners and the local authority to deliver the project efficiently and considerately over the coming years.’
> 
> The station will remain operational throughout the redevelopment and will be complete by 2018.


http://www.railstaff.co.uk/2012/02/10/raising-the-roof/


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## PortoNuts

> *First Step To Completion Of Overground Network*
> 
> *The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has ensured the last rail has been put firmly in place in the final link of the London Overground orbital network as he marked the completion of the track laying phase of the project. *
> 
> London Overground already carries two million people every week linking north, west and east London with frequent and reliable services and well lit and staffed stations. The new extension across south London will complete the network, providing a brand new link between Surrey Quays in the south east and Clapham Junction in the south west.
> 
> Fifty-six new jobs will be created in the running of the new service, in addition to the 1000 who have been employed in designing and building the new link. The new line will also put 125,000 more jobs within an hour’s travel from south east London stations such as Peckham Rye and bring opportunity and investment to this previously under served area of south east London.
> 
> Once complete, passengers on the line will benefit from a four trains per hour service. The next phase of the project will be electrification, followed by testing. The extension is expected to be up and running by the end of the year.
> 
> The new £75million link is being made possible in part through £60million from the Department of Transport, which was negotiated by the Mayor and confirmed in 2009.
> 
> Mr Johnson, said: "London Overground is already one of the most reliable and popular railways in the UK, and South London deserves a piece of that. Thanks to the neo-Victorian levels of investment we are putting into London's infrastructure, the people of Southwark, Lewisham, Lambeth and Wandsworth will be linked, for the first time, to every other corner of this city; and have access to a turn up and go metro service that will brings jobs, opportunities, growth and prosperity to this previously under served area of London."


http://www.build.co.uk/construction_news.asp?newsid=140045


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## PortoNuts

Crossrail tunnel boring machine.


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## PortoNuts

Did Blackfriars station reopen just for the Tube or the Thameslink as well?


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## PortoNuts

> *Crossrail plans to ‘lessen impact of construction’ on west London*
> 
> *Crossrail has announced that it has reduced the extent of land required for a major sub-station at Great Western Road in west London. As a result of Crossrail’s efforts to reduce the size of the sub-station site, a building at 56 Great Western Road is no longer required.*
> 
> Crossrail has been working closely with Big Table, who lease the property from the railway, to ‘ensure they can continue to trade as long as possible’. Crossrail had ‘already formally agreed with Big Table that the building would be retained to at least the end of 2012′.
> 
> Reducing the extent of land required for the sub-station means they will be able to remain for the duration of their lease.
> 
> The site is required for a major electrical sub-station to power Crossrail’s trains.
> 
> Ian Lindsay, Crossrail Land and Property Director said: “Crossrail has been and will continue to make every effort to reduce the impact of Crossrail construction in west London.
> 
> “We have reduced the extent of land required for our sub-station and negotiated an alternative access. This means that the property at 56 Great Western Road can be retained for commercial use.”


http://www.rail.co/2012/02/21/crossrail-plans-to-lessen-impact-of-construction-on-west-london/


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## PortoNuts

*Canary Wharf Crossrail Site*

by *No Expert*.


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## PortoNuts

> *Work set to begin on station refurbishment*
> 
> *A multi-million pound project to make a railway station fully accessible for disabled people is set to begin in the next few weeks, it has been announced. *
> 
> Builders will start work on Crystal Palace station, which is used by 11,000 commuters each day, to provide three new lifts operating from the ticket hall to platform level. The £3.5million development will also include improved CCTV, signage, information boards and a PA system.
> 
> Meanwhile, work on the Grade II listed ticket hall is scheduled for this summer and should be completed by 2013.
> 
> The station, which forms part of the London Overground line, was originally built in 1854 to serve visitors to the nearby exhibition building, The Crystal Palace.
> 
> The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “This work is vital to improve the journeys of thousands of passengers travelling through south London every day. It will transform this historic station, bringing it bang up to date and mean families with buggies and those with disabilities will have a much improved journey.”
> 
> Howard Smith, Transport for London’s chief operating officer for rail, said: “Crystal Palace is a wonderful example of Victorian station architecture and has real historical significance. This is a great opportunity to restore it to its original grandeur and at the same time bring it into the 21st Century with full accessibility from the ticket hall to the platforms.”
> 
> Disability campaign group Transport for All, based in Brixton, also welcomed the news after hundreds of residents signed a petition to improve accessibility at the station.


http://www.croydonguardian.co.uk/news/9555701.Work_set_to_begin_on_station_refurbishment/


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## PortoNuts

*Kings Cross Station*:cheers:



hoodedvillain said:


> Some pictures from 5 days ago taken by myself:
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> Cleaned internal facade with refurbished shop fronts (work was continuing on the fit out for restaurants, bars and retail in each unit)
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> Entrance gates to access the platforms from the new concourse


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## kodass

I Like
Eu gostei
Io gostare
SOU BRCOLOR="Blue"]A[/COLOR]COLOR="blue"]SILEIR


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## PortoNuts

> *Liverpool Street Crossrail takes a leap forward*
> 
> *Laing O'Rourke has been awarded the construction contract for Liverpool Street Crossrail station.*
> 
> The transport hub will serve businesses with City offices and residents who live close to London's financial centre, and will provide connections to Stansted airport, serve all of the major Underground lines and enable people to benefit from links to Moorgate and Liverpool Street train stations.
> 
> It will be constructed below Finsbury Circus, as well as the aforementioned two train stations, with two new ticket halls planned.
> 
> Commenting on the step forward for the scheme, Crossrail programme director Andy Mitchell said: "As with the Paddington, Farringdon and Whitechapel contracts, high-quality bids were received for Liverpool Street station. The main construction contract for Tottenham Court Road station will be the next to be awarded in mid-2012."
> 
> Last month, construction of the Paddington Crossrail hub advanced as the station box was excavated, resulting in the complete closure of Eastbourne Terrace to accommodate the work.
> 
> The new station will slash journey times to Tottenham Court Road to four minutes, while businesses with London offices at Canary Wharf will be reached in around 15 minutes. Liverpool Street station will also be accessible in less than ten minutes.


http://www.mellersh.co.uk/News/Liverpool-Street-Crossrail-takes-a-leap-forward/801307967.aspx


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## PortoNuts

> *Boxing clever at Paddington*
> 
> *Construction of the new Crossrail station at Paddington is pressing ahead as excavation of the station box gets underway.*
> 
> The new Crossrail station will be built under Eastbourne Terrace, to the left of the station facing the tracks from the concourse. To enable excavation of the 260m long station box, Westminster City Council has agreed to a full closure of Eastbourne Terrace from 12 February 2012.
> 
> This will cut costs, save time and make the site safer for construction workers. Once the box structure and excavation is complete, work will get underway to fit-out the new station.
> 
> Says Kay Buxton, Chief Executive, Paddington Waterside Partnership, ‘The Paddington area has changed beyond recognition and is now one of the fastest growing business and residential areas in the capital with significant further investment underway.
> 
> ‘The new Crossrail station at Paddington will deliver improved and direct transport connections with areas to the west and east of the capital as well as with London’s other major employment centres. Crossrail has worked closely with us ahead of these major works commencing and while there will be an impact locally we are clearly focused on the long-term benefits that will be delivered.’
> 
> Cabs that use the parallel departures road will be using a new rank to the north of Paddington station, above platform 12.


http://www.railstaff.co.uk/2012/03/01/boxing-clever-at-paddington/


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## PortoNuts

> *Farringdon Thameslink: Faster track to growth *
> 
> *As the only station where London’s two biggest transport improvement projects will meet, Farringdon station is unique. To cope with the passenger influx this will create, a major upgrade is nearing completion. Mark Hansford checks out the progress.*
> 
> London mayor Boris Johnson reopened Farringdon station’s London Underground entrance last month following an eight-week closure to restore and expand the Grade II listed building. It was the latest in a series of milestones during a £250M remodelling of the station as part of Network Rail’s £5.5bn Thameslink programme.
> 
> Farringdon is being dramatically expanded in preparation for it becoming London’s newest transport hub when Crossrail services start running in 2018. It will be the only main line station where London’s two biggest transportimprovement programmes will meet.
> 
> Network Rail project director Richard Walker explains: “From 2018 the revamped north-south Thameslink route will meet the new east-west Crossrail service, linking with existing Tube connections. With up to 24 trains an hour running in each direction on Thameslink and Crossrail, plus the Tube, Farringdon will be served by over 140 trains an hour.”
> New ticket hall
> 
> The station, whose concourse straddles London Underground plus Thameslink subsurface tracks, now has an entirely new ticket hall, ready to serve Thameslink and Crossrail passengers, a new entrance, 20 new staircases, one new footbridge and two new ticket offices.
> 
> Standing in the newly reopened ticket hall last month, Johnson was enthused. “Farringdon Station has already undergone a massive transformation, with a brand new ticket hall up and running, renovations to the entrances and many more improvements still to come,” he said. “By the time of the Olympics, this station will also be fully accessible with five new lifts, and before too long Crossrail will interchange here too, making millions of journeys easier for passengers.”
> 
> ...


http://www.nce.co.uk/features/transport/farringdon-thameslink-faster-track-to-growth/8627170.article


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## leonardrm

^^^ London has come back to a new and enhaced "tunnelling era".


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## K_

leonardrm said:


> ^^^ London has come back to a new and enhaced "tunnelling era".


To what profile are those tunnels build? Are they build large enough that they could (in the future) accommodate double deck trains, like the Paris RER?


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## makita09

Crossrail perhaps, the bores are a good size. I doubt it will ever happen though, Crossrail has to use existing tracks at each end of the tunnel.

Thaneslink definitiely not, because its tunnels are a hundred and fifty years old.


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## sotonsi

Also, double-decked metro services are frowned upon here. They did some trials on the network south of the Thames, and there were all sorts of problems. They didn't add any meaningful capacity, as throughput was less because dwell times were longer and delays greater. They are difficult to get to comply with the Disabilities Discrimination Act too.

I don't think the Crossrail tunnels are big enough - they wouldn't waste money on continental gauge when you'd only could get GB Mainline gauge.

Double-deck trains on HS1 and HS2 = likely. Any non-intercity services in the UK - almost definitely not.


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## PortoNuts

*CW Crossrail site*

by *Core Rising*.


IMG_1215 by corerising, on Flickr


IMG_1218 by corerising, on Flickr


IMG_1220 by corerising, on Flickr


IMG_1227 by corerising, on Flickr


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## K_

sotonsi said:


> Also, double-decked metro services are frowned upon here. They did some trials on the network south of the Thames, and there were all sorts of problems. They didn't add any meaningful capacity, as throughput was less because dwell times were longer and delays greater. They are difficult to get to comply with the Disabilities Discrimination Act too.


These problems were mostly due to the need to fit a doubledecker in the British gauge. These problems can be solved once you go to a larger loading gauge. Hence my inquiry.



> I don't think the Crossrail tunnels are big enough - they wouldn't waste money on continental gauge when you'd only could get GB Mainline gauge.


When building tunnels increasing the size of the bore will not make it that much more expensive. I would expect the tunnels to be sized for continental gauge. I also suspect that whenever a bridge is replaced in the UK it is replaced with one that is a bit higher, so that it doesn't stand in the way of an adoption of continental sized rolling stock.

Anyway, it turns out I am not the only one that has been asking this kind of questions:
http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/making_crossrail_future_proof

So initially crossrail will not be build to accomodate continental gauge trains, but the actual tunnels will be large enough that they might be modified to accept such trains in the future.

What is (in my opinion) a missed opportunity however is having platforms at both sides of the tracks in the new stations. The Münich S-Bahn has these in its central tunnel, so that dwell times can be kept to a minimum.


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## streetquark

K_ said:


> When building tunnels increasing the size of the bore will not make it that much more expensive. I would expect the tunnels to be sized for continental gauge. I also suspect that whenever a bridge is replaced in the UK it is replaced with one that is a bit higher, so that it doesn't stand in the way of an adoption of continental sized rolling stock.
> 
> Anyway, it turns out I am not the only one that has been asking this kind of questions:
> http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/making_crossrail_future_proof
> 
> So initially crossrail will not be build to accomodate continental gauge trains, but the actual tunnels will be large enough that they might be modified to accept such trains in the future.
> 
> What is (in my opinion) a missed opportunity however is having platforms at both sides of the tracks in the new stations. The Münich S-Bahn has these in its central tunnel, so that dwell times can be kept to a minimum.


The tunnels are large enough for overhead power supply and probably future-proofed for continental gauge even though use of the tunnelled sections for anything other than London commuter services is highly unlikely.

AFAIK bridges on mainline have been replaced to allow for continental gauge - where possible - since the 1930's. This is not going to apply to repair though, and there are literally thousands of old but well-built (Victorian) railway bridges...

The Crossrail stations are large enough as it is, with extensive footfall for passengers. Though stations are far apart and big, none is like a Hbf. Double-platform stations might improve times but they would create more problems for other aspects of the network.

It is a question of area taken up by tunnels in a crowded city. Station tunnels that are large enough to accommodate platforms both sides are more difficult to align through urban areas, especially in conjunction with route between the stations. Crossrail is a very direct and fast route.


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## PortoNuts

:cheers2:



Light Parade said:


> Back to Bond Street.
> 
> Works between Gilbert Street and Davies Street. High hoardings, so all you can do is hold your phone over the top and then see what comes back. Hmm, not THAT exciting!
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> Walking back up to Oxford Street, the replacement for the Hog In Pound at the north end of South Molton Street is well advanced:
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> Looking back down Stratford Place - there used to be a Georgian gatehouse here, which I thought was going to be retained. Well, it's gone...
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> Here's a useful plan of the station works. The existing station is represented by the clear tunnels/escalators/tiicket hall; the new construction is shown in yellow:


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## streetquark

There maybe some advantages in compatibility of trains, signalling etc but otherwise i must concur.


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## PortoNuts

> *Waterloo named Britain’s busiest rail station*
> 
> *Waterloo has been named as the busiest station in Great Britain by the Office of Rail Regulation.*
> 
> Station usage statistics for April 2010 – March 2011 estimate that there were 91,750,382 entries and exits made by passengers at Waterloo station – an increase of 6.2% (over 5 million more passenger entries and exits) compared with 2009-2010 figures.
> 
> London Victoria came second with 73,573,492 entries and exits (an increase of 4.8%) and London Liverpool Street third with 55,769,423 (up 8.1%).
> 
> Glasgow Central beats Birmingham New Street to be the busiest station outside London, taking ninth place in the GB rankings.


http://www.rail.co/2012/03/30/waterloo-named-britains-busiest-rail-station/


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## PortoNuts

> *London Bridge redevelopment gets planning permission*
> 
> *Network Rail’s £500M redevelopment of London Bridge station has been awarded formal planning consent.*
> 
> The plans are part of the second stage of the Thameslink programme to unlock much needed capacity on London’s rail network, and allow more services to travel to and through the capital.
> 
> Southwark Borough Council’s decision to grant planning permission means that from 2018 over 90m passengers a year - a 35m increase - will be able to travel through a brand new, state-of-the-art railway station.
> 
> Costain has already been appointed design and build contractor for the project.


http://www.nce.co.uk/news/transport...ment-gets-planning-permission/8628592.article


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## PortoNuts




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## PortoNuts

> *Major Moorgate development application approved*
> 
> *The new scheme will comprise approximately 88,000 sq-ft of new retail and commercial space in the City on Moorgate. The previous 1970s office building and former HQ’s of Amro Bank and Norton Rose, 101 Moorgate, has already been demolished for Crossrail to sink a shaft to provide access to Crossrail’s east and westbound tunnels.*
> 
> The new development will integrate carefully with the new and existing railway and will be constructed over part of the new Crossrail station and in part over the existing Metropolitan and Circle line tracks to Moorgate.
> 
> 101 Moorgate is on the west side of Moorgate next to the proposed new western entrance to Crossrail’s Liverpool Street station. The development will wrap over and around the associated ventilation and emergency intervention shaft, the ‘Moorgate Shaft’, for the station.
> 
> Ian Lindsay, Crossrail Land and Property Director said: “101 Moorgate will be an office-led mixed-use sustainable development of high quality which is respectful to its surroundings and will help assist in the promotion of the City as the world’s leading financial and business centre.
> 
> “These proposals at 101 Moorgate make best use of this centrally located site. The new shop units will provide a significant length of active frontage which, together with the high quality office floor space will contribute positively to the Moorgate area. These plans are further evidence of the lasting legacy that Crossrail will deliver. Crossrail plans to promote over 3 million sq-ft of new development above and around the new railway infrastructure through the heart of London.”
> 
> The proposed building in the City has been carefully designed to fit into the surrounding Moorgate area. The building’s height, facades and elevations all relate to existing buildings within this part of Moorgate. Crossrail also plan new attractive urban paving and public space around the new Moorgate station.
> 
> The privately funded over-site development project will be built once work to construct Liverpool Street Crossrail station is complete in 2017. Income from over-site developments is a major element of the Crossrail funding package.


http://www.breakingtravelnews.com/news/article/major-moorgate-development-application-approved/


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## PortoNuts




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## PortoNuts




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## PortoNuts




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## PortoNuts

> *Network Rail begins work for Heathrow Crossrail services*
> 
> *Network Rail has begun work on the Stockley Interchange in west London, a ‘crucial part’ of the Crossrail network that will allow Crossrail services to operate to and from Heathrow.*
> 
> When Crossrail services begin, even more trains will travel along the Great Western main line so work is needed to improve capacity.
> 
> The current junction at Stockley allows trains to leave the main line and continue to Heathrow Airport.
> 
> Network Rail, on behalf of Crossrail Limited, will build a new single track viaduct for all trains from Heathrow towards London. Work is due to complete in 2017. Existing train services to Heathrow will continue to run throughout.
> 
> Stockley Interchange will allow Crossrail trains to join the branch to Heathrow without delaying – or being delayed by – fast trains to the west, thus increasing ‘capacity and reliability on the extremely busy Great Western main line’.
> 
> Network Rail is responsible for the design, development and delivery of the parts of Crossrail that are on the existing network, covering 70km (43.5 miles) of track and 28 stations from Maidenhead in the west to Abbey Wood and Shenfield in the east.


http://www.rail.co/2012/04/04/network-rail-begins-work-for-heathrow-crossrail-services/


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## PortoNuts

> *What Lies Beneath: Excavating Crossrail's tunnels*
> 
> *Europe’s largest civil engineering project, the London-spanning Crossrail line, is entering a major new phase with the beginning of tunnel excavation. Stuart Nathan reports on the progress of the project*
> 
> Like most large cities these days, London exists in three dimensions. The high-rise buildings climbing into the sky are obvious to everyone, but the vital arteries below the ground — the gas, electricity and water utilities and, perhaps most of all, the London Underground — receive comparatively little attention. But subterranean London has been jolted to the surface of public consciousness in recent weeks, as the most visible phase of the development of a new part of the sub-city swings into action: the excavation of the tunnels for Crossrail.
> 
> Mooted for decades but only just getting off — or rather under — the ground, Crossrail is the scheme to link the commuter areas to the East and West of the capital to major transport and business hubs — Heathrow Airport, Paddington, the City, Canary Wharf and Liverpool Street. In order to do this, the line dives underground through 21km of new tunnel, from Royal Oak in the West to Stratford in the Northeast and Plumstead in the Southeast, and along this route are seven new stations, at Paddington, Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon, Liverpool Street, Whitechapel and Canary Wharf.
> 
> For many Londoners, Crossrail has been a visible presence for some time, particularly with a large building works behind hoardings near Tottenham Court Road station, but the start of tunnel construction marks the beginning of perhaps the most challenging phase of the project.
> 
> Tunnelling is always a technologically challenging task, but London’s underground city is the oldest and one of the most complex in the world; the oldest section of the Tube is 149 years old, with eleven lines running from just below the surface to a deepest point 67.4m underground, and with a whole range of cellars, basements, sewers, water mains and a variety of other structures. For Crossrail’s chief engineer, Chris Dulake, it’s the trickiest part of the project. ‘It’s quite a challenge to plan the alignment of the tunnel when you’re threading your way through all the tunnels and services,’ he told The Engineer; the closest approach that the Crossrail tunnel will make to an existing tunnel is less than a metre. The task is made even more difficult because the minimum turning radius of the tunnel boring machines (TBMs) that are excavating the tunnels have a minimum turning radius of 250m.
> 
> ...


http://www.theengineer.co.uk/in-dep...excavating-crossrails-tunnels/1012220.article


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## PortoNuts

> *Brighton train companies shortlisted to run Thameslink service*
> 
> *Two of the companies running trains out of Brighton have been shortlisted to operate Thameslink services from September next year. First Group, which currently operates the franchise as First Capital Connect, hopes to retain the contract.*
> 
> It faces competition from Govia, the company that owns Southern Railway and runs most services out of Brighton.
> 
> Southern’s trains run to London Victoria and along the coast through Hove and Portslade to the west and to Lewes, Eastbourne and Hastings in the east.
> 
> Govia is a partnership between the Go Ahead Group, which also owns Brighton and Hove Buses, and the French transport company Keolis. It also operates the Southeastern franchise and the Gatwick Express.
> 
> First Group and Govia have been shortlisted along with three other bidders for a franchise that will run for at least seven years.
> 
> ...


http://www.brightonandhovenews.org/...s-shortlisted-to-run-thameslink-service/13951


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## PortoNuts

The *Connaught Tunnel*, that's being redeveloped for Crossrail use.

by IanVisits on Flickr.









http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianvisits/7039515483/sizes/l/in/photostream/


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## trainrover




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## LondonFox

*Boris Johnson promises driverless Tube trains within 10 years*

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-17510918


:cheer: About time, cut out the striking union fuckers.


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## krnboy1009

Would like to see the insides of Gatwick Express while the train is in service.


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## PortoNuts

SO143 said:


> *Crossrail updates*
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> 
> 
> 
> by *unknown *


:cheers2:


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## trainrover

_Pauvre Londres ..._


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## PortoNuts




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## PortoNuts




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## Sopomon

LondonFox said:


> *Boris Johnson promises driverless Tube trains within 10 years*
> 
> http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-17510918
> 
> 
> :cheer: About time, cut out the striking union fuckers.


+1

Unions have their place, when they are constructive and help the management to understand the conditions "on the floor", to lead to a better working environment for all. But when they become militaristic and bloated... that I abhor. The union in charge of the tube workers has no sympathy from me.


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## PortoNuts

*Canary Wharf Crossrail Site*

by *mr_angers*.


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## PortoNuts

*New London Bridge Station*

by *cybertect*.


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## PortoNuts

> *TfL hopes to push Overground onto key suburban rail routes*
> 
> *TRANSPORT for London (TfL) remains optimistic that it will get the go-ahead to take control of key suburban rail routes early next year.*
> 
> Howard Smith, chief operating officer for TfL’s rail operations, told City A.M. that he is “hopeful of coming to some conclusions in the next few months” following discussions with the Department for Transport.
> 
> TfL wants to build on the success of its London Overground network by running parts of the current West Anglia service from Liverpool Street to Enfield and Chingford, as well as some inner suburban services out of London Bridge and Charing Cross operated by Southeastern.
> 
> “We would plan to bring – where we can – more trains, integrated ticketing, more security at stations, greater reliability and better staffing,” Smith said.
> 
> “Franchisees can only justify investment over seven years but we’re able to take a thirty-year view. Our job is to make the case to the secretary of state as to what we could do.”
> 
> Mayor of London Boris Johnson backs the plan, although it is understood that current transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin is less supportive than his predecessor Justine Greening.
> 
> Smith was talking at a preview of the new London Overground route from Clapham Junction to Surrey Quays, which launches on 9 December. The new service promises to cut journey times for commuters heading from South London to Canary Wharf.


http://www.cityam.com/latest-news/tfl-hopes-push-overground-key-suburban-rail-routes


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## PortoNuts

> *Crossrail TBM starts work on eastern tunnels*
> 
> *Crossrail TBM Elizabeth has started work on the five-mile section of eastern tunnels between Docklands and Farringdon in central London. Elizabeth and sister tunnelling machine Victoria were lowered 40 metres underground into a shaft at Limmo Peninsula, next to Canning Town station, last month.*
> 
> The first of 110,000 concrete segments has now been placed to line what will be Crossrail’s longest tunnel section.
> 
> The eastern section of Crossrail will see Elizabeth and Victoria tunnel beneath the River Lea towards the new station box at Canary Wharf where work is already underway to prepare for their arrival and to allow the machines to easily enter the station next year. Both tunnelling machines will then receive maintenance while in the large station box, before continuing their journeys towards Whitechapel, Liverpool Street and Farringdon.
> 
> Elizabeth and Victoria are due to arrive at Farringdon in late 2014.
> 
> Andrew Wolstenholme, Crossrail’s chief executive, said: “With the start of work on Crossrail’s eastern tunnels we are seeing the biggest construction project in Europe now tunnelling on both sides of the capital.
> 
> “This is a significant step towards the huge transport improvements Crossrail will deliver, creating much needed additional capacity and faster new links with London’s major employment areas. By using boats and barges to deliver and remove materials from these tunnels, this will keep thousands of lorries off the road in east London.”


http://www.rail.co/2012/11/29/crossrail-tbm-starts-work-on-eastern-tunnels/


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## Kolothos

Looks great!

Can us Glaswegians borrow them once you lot down south are done with them?


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## PortoNuts




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## PortoNuts




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## PortoNuts

> *Crossrail’s Phyllis marks tunnelling milestone*
> 
> *Crossrail’s first tunnel boring machine, Phyllis, has reached a milestone after constructing her 1,000th tunnel ring. A total of 12,000 concrete segments, manufactured at Old Oak Common, have now been used to construct the western tunnels between Royal Oak and Farringdon.*
> 
> The first of eight Crossrail tunnelling machines, Phyllis, is currently tunnelling under Hyde Park after completing her 1,000th tunnel ring and has now constructed 1,800 metres of tunnel – over one mile – from Royal Oak via the Paddington station box.
> 
> Crossrail’s second tunnel boring machine (TBM), Ada, has travelled 800 metres and has entered the station box at Paddington.
> 
> At Tottenham Court Road, the base concrete slab has been installed for Crossrail’s western ticket hall at Dean Street. The contractor – Bam, Ferrovial, Kier (BFK) – is now preparing the site to begin construction of the mined tunnels that will connect the ticket hall to the station platforms. The spray concrete lining tunnel works will begin in early 2013.
> 
> The new western ticket hall at Bond Street will be five-storeys deep and is one of two new Crossrail ticket halls that will be constructed at Bond Street ahead of Crossrail services commencing in 2018.
> 
> Excavations of two shafts for the eastern ticket hall at Hanover Square were completed last month and work will soon begin on the station platform tunnels. Diaphragm walls are continuing to be installed in Eastbourne Terrace to construct the outline of the Paddington station box before excavations start next spring.
> 
> Keith Sibley, Crossrail area director west, said: “Crossrail continues to make good progress in central London. Our first tunnel boring machine, Phyllis, is currently under Hyde Park and will arrive at Bond Street in early 2013.
> 
> “Construction of the new stations at Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road and Paddington is advancing with the progress becoming increasingly visible. From 2018, 24 trains an hour will pass through these stations during peak hours bringing an extra 1.5 million people within 45 minutes of Paddington and the West End.”
> 
> Excavations have also started at the Fisher Street shaft at Holborn. The shaft will eventually provide future maintenance access to the Crossrail tunnels.


http://www.rail.co/2012/12/03/crossrails-phyllis-marks-tunnelling-milestone/


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## PortoNuts

> *Former transport minister backs Crossrail for Stansted*
> 
> *FORMER Transport Minister Steve Norris has called for a Crossrail 1 spur linking London to Stansted – with a tunnel from Sawbridgeworth to the airport.*
> 
> The ex-Conservative MP said the £5 billion train link would speed passengers to the capital in just 25 minutes, with Bond Street accessible in only 35 minutes and Heathrow just 65 minutes away on up to eight trains an hour.
> 
> He told the audience at Stansted’s transport forum this morning (Friday, November 23) the extension could be a “significant solution” to the rail and aviation capacity gaps putting the brakes on the country’s economic growth.
> 
> He said of the cost: “That’s a lot of money – but the reality is that £5 billion pales into insignificance in the value added to the nation’s economy over a decade.”
> 
> He said he had already pitched the plan to Crossrail chairman Terry Morgan who agreed it was a practical proposition to add the airport link to Europe’s biggest construction project.
> 
> The top Tory said including Stansted in the original Crossrail 1 project, linking Maidenhead to Shenfield, made most sense, rather than an addition to the second and later Chelsea to Hackney line.
> 
> Mr Norris told delegates: “The opportunity to put Stansted on the Crossrail agenda is there.”
> 
> He was speaking after Stansted’s managing director Nick Barton officially launched the airport’s rail vision, calling for faster and reliable rail to bring an extra 1.4 m passengers a year..
> 
> Breaking the 30 minute terminal to capital barrier was key to the connectivity challenge, he told 150 top transport leaders, local authorities, airport representatives and stakeholders attending the annual event at the Radisson Blu Hotel.
> 
> He said: “We have the spare capacity and infrastructure in place to support 35m passengers a year and with faster rail links we can attract the airlines whose passengers value quick and reliable links to London. That’s why we launched our new rail campaign – Stansted in 30 – to persuade Government and the rail industry to commit to reducing journey times from London to Stansted to around 30 minutes.
> 
> “Stansted is proud to be the leading major UK airport for public transport use, with now 50 per cent of passengers using train, bus and coach to travel to and from Stansted.
> 
> ...


http://www.harlowstar.co.uk/Busines...ter-backs-Crossrail-for-Stansted-23112012.htm


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## sotonsi

Where the **** are paths going to come from for Stansted trains?

Seriously - we're looking at line that already provides too few trains between Central London and Canary Wharf and between Central London and Romford (hence the Liverpool Street High Level trains, but even they can't solve the massive crowding from zone 1 to about Ilford). Adding a third branch is possible how?

By all means the rail links to Stansted should be improved before Crossrail 2, but you can't plug it into Crossrail and serve Central London (unless you merge east of Canary Wharf and half Abbey Wood's service).


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## PortoNuts

> *Crossrail awards £50m central signalling contract*
> 
> *Crossrail has awarded the signalling system contract for the railway’s central section to a consortium comprising Siemens and Invensys Rail. The contract covers the design, manufacture, supply, installation, testing and commissioning of a train control system for Crossrail’s central section.*
> 
> Having prequalified for the C620 contract as separate entities last September, Invensys Rail and Siemens submitted a combined bid which was a permissible approach under the procurement rules. Rival Bombardier Transportation UK withdrew from the race in March, leaving it to Signalling Solutions and Thales Transportation and Solutions to take on the Siemens and Invensys Rail consortium.
> 
> The new signalling system will be installed along the Crossrail route between Portobello Junction on the Great Western Main Line, Pudding Mill Lane Junction on the Great Eastern Main Line in the east and Abbey Wood in the south east.
> 
> Andrew Wolstenholme, Crossrail’s Chief Executive said: “Crossrail will operate up to 24 trains per hour during the peak between Whitechapel and Paddington. “The new signalling system will incorporate Automatic Train Operation to support the delivery of a high-frequency metro service and will also be capable of enhancement to 30 trains per hour through the central section at a later date.”
> 
> The firms have signed up to provide apprenticeships and job opportunities for Londoners. Siemens aims to create around 20 apprenticeships and new job start roles for individuals who are long-term unemployed during the life of their contract.
> 
> It is a requirement that all of the new job starts be taken up by individuals living within Greater London or within one mile of the Crossrail route.
> 
> Siemens will also be required to provide 500 days of work experience and placement opportunities for young people.


http://www.constructionenquirer.com...wards-50m-central-signalling-system-contract/


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## PortoNuts




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## PortoNuts

> *London Rail’s Howard Smith on new orbital rail network*
> 
> *The official opening of a 1.3km section of line near Surrey Quays on December 10 now means that passengers can make use of London’s first orbital railway. Already dubbed the M25 on rails, the new route allows commuters to make short journeys around the capital without having to travel into central London and to avoid busy stations such as Victoria, Waterloo and London Bridge.*
> 
> Chief operating officer of TfL London Rail Howard Smith said: “It’s a pretty symbolic moment because it actually completes the orbital network.
> 
> “Overground itself started about five years ago and gradually over the last few years we’ve been filling in parts of the dartboard.”
> 
> Managing director of London Underground and London Rail Mike Brown said: “This is the last piece of the jigsaw of the outer orbital route. If the Circle line is the equivalent of of the North and South Circular Roads, this is the M25 of rail.”
> 
> With four trains in each direction an hour, some 12.3 million passengers are expected to make use of the new link.
> 
> The new section of track, which cost £75m to install, commences just south west of Surrey Quays station and links the East London line section of London Overground with existing track just north east of Queens Road in Peckham. Funding has come from the DfT (£40m), TfL (£15m) and Network Rail the remaining £20m.


http://www.rail.co/2012/12/11/london-rail-chief-operating-officer-on-new-orbital-network/


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## PortoNuts

> *Crossrail’s second east London tunnel gets going towards Canary Wharf*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *The second giant drilling machine digging out a deep-level tunnel for Crossrail under east London has started work. The 1,000-tonne boring machine named ‘Victoria’ is following a parallel tunnel started by its sister machine called ‘Elizabeth’ two weeks before.*
> 
> Both were lowered in sections down a 150ft shaft near the Lea Estuary at Canning Town, by the Thames opposite the O2 Arena, ready to drill out five miles of twin tunnels towards Canary Wharf, Whitechapel, Liverpool Street and on to Farringdon by 2014.
> 
> They are Crossrail’s third and fourth tunnelling machines after two named ‘Phyllis’ and ‘Ada’ set off in west London towards Farringdon from Paddington earlier this year.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Eight tunnelling machines are set to drill a total of 13 miles of twin tunnels between Docklands and Paddington.
> 
> The £15 billion project opening in 2018 has 37 stations along 73 miles from Maidenhead and Heathrow through the West End and City to Whitechapel, then splitting with one branch to Stratford and Shenfield and the other to Canary Wharf and under the Thames to Abbey Wood in south-east London.


http://www.eastlondonadvertiser.co....nel_gets_going_towards_canary_wharf_1_1742563


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## PortoNuts




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## PortoNuts




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## micro

"new orbital rail network"
-- Do the trains really go circular around London or do passengers have to change? Or in other words, can it be called a circle line?


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## CairnsTony

micro said:


> "new orbital rail network"
> -- Do the trains really go circular around London or do passengers have to change? Or in other words, can it be called a circle line?


It's not a complete circle in so much that there isn't a single service covering the whole thing. However, it would be possible to create such a service, which you could say, start and finish at Clapham Junction. Instead, there are two services covering the full loop: one from Highbury and Islington goes east than south over the tracks of the old East London Line and along the newly opened section through South London to Clapham Junction. The other one starts at CJ and runs north west towards Willesden Junction, then east to close the loop at Highbury and Islington. It then continues east to Stratford.

I think the reasoning is that no-one would actually want to use the full loop and thus it runs as two services. However there must be journeys taken, where a continuous service would be useful, such as a journey across north London from say, Hoxton, Haggerston or Shoreditch. At the moment you would have to change at Canonbury or H&I whereas straight run through would be useful.

An actual loop service such as was represented by the old Circle Line is fraught with difficulties as there is no start or end point of the service so to speak. If trains get delayed, it is as I understand it, difficult for trains to get back to running on time than on a linear service. However this would not apply if the service started and finished at a fixed point, say CJ. I guess it's not seen as a priority and maybe not enough travellers would benefit.


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## Tubeman

CairnsTony said:


> It's not a complete circle in so much that there isn't a single service covering the whole thing. However, it would be possible to create such a service, which you could say, start and finish at Clapham Junction. Instead, there are two services covering the full loop: one from Highbury and Islington goes east than south over the tracks of the old East London Line and along the newly opened section through South London to Clapham Junction. The other one starts at CJ and runs north west towards Willesden Junction, then east to close the loop at Highbury and Islington. It then continues east to Stratford.
> 
> I think the reasoning is that no-one would actually want to use the full loop and thus it runs as two services. However there must be journeys taken, where a continuous service would be useful, such as a journey across north London from say, Hoxton, Haggerston or Shoreditch. At the moment you would have to change at Canonbury or H&I whereas straight run through would be useful.
> 
> An actual loop service such as was represented by the old Circle Line is fraught with difficulties as there is no start or end point of the service so to speak. If trains get delayed, it is as I understand it, difficult for trains to get back to running on time than on a linear service. However this would not apply if the service started and finished at a fixed point, say CJ. I guess it's not seen as a priority and maybe not enough travellers would benefit.


A continuous circle service couldn't serve CJ, the infrastructure exists for a direct South London Line - West London Line link, but trains would have to run direct from Wandsworth Road to Imperial Wharf omitting CJ


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## PortoNuts




----------



## dimlys1994

Today:



> http://www.london-se1.co.uk/news/view/7368
> 
> *Look and feel of new Thameslink trains revealed*
> Tuesday 28 January 2014
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> 
> 
> 
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> 
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> 
> 
> _A mock-up of two carriages of the new fleet of trains which will run on the Thameslink rail network through Blackfriars, London Bridge and Elephant & Castle has been unveiled._
> 
> The full-size mock-up is open to the public this Wednesday at the ExCel centre in east London.
> 
> The new fleet of 1,140 carriages is the final stage in the Thameslink programme which has included major rebuilding at Blackfriars, Borough Market and London Bridge Station
> 
> Platforms at many stations have been extended to allow 12-car trains to serve more destinations.
> 
> The German-built Siemens class 700 trains will be introduced into passenger service between 2016 and 2018, replacing the class 319 trains which date from 1988.
> 
> In 2018, when the new London Bridge Station is completed, there will be up to 24 trains an hour at peak times through Blackfriars to St Pancras International.
> 
> "We are transforming our railways through the biggest programme of rail investment ever," said rail minister Stephen Hammond.
> 
> "These exciting new trains, combined with the wider Thameslink Programme are a real boost to UK Plc, creating thousands of jobs in construction and across the supply chain, which is driving forward our economy.
> 
> "Once operational they will provide a huge benefit to the hundreds of thousands of passengers who travel into London every day. It will vastly improve train travel providing fast, reliable and more frequent services."
> 
> First Capital Connect operates the current Thameslink franchise and has worked closely with the government to develop the new trains. MD David Statham said: "This new fleet will give passengers more trains, more carriages and more capacity which our passengers desperately need.
> 
> "The Thameslink Programme will deliver more than double the number of carriages across the heart of London. At London Bridge alone the programme will deliver 60 per cent more carriages in the morning rush hour.
> 
> "There'll also be exciting new journey opportunities from places along the route from Cambridge and Peterborough across the Thames to Blackfriars and beyond."
> 
> The mock-up is open to the public on Wednesday 29 January from 2pm to 8pm at ExCel in the Royal Docks.
> 
> A model of the new trains will be exhibited between 3.30pm and 7pm at Blackfriar


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## Manchester77

^^^ just about to post about that! 
New Thameslink Class 700s Unveiled, some more images 
http://www.siemens.co.uk/pool/news_press/news_archive/2014/first-class.jpg
http://www.london-se1.co.uk/news/imageuploads/1390920647_62.254.187.240.jpg
http://www.siemens.co.uk/pool/news_press/news_archive/2014/standard-class-2.jpg
http://www.siemens.co.uk/pool/news_press/news_archive/2014/wheelchair-area.jpg


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## dimlys1994

Two more photos from BBC:


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## Manchester77

Interior in the TSGN livery just as the refurbished 365s are. Seats appear to be the same as those in the 377/6 & /7s and based on reports from people who've use them, they're not exactly comfortable. Moquette appears similar to that which appeared in the IC250 mock up!


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## dimlys1994

Manchester77 said:


> Interior in the TSGN livery just as the refurbished 365s are. Seats appear to be the same as those in the 377/6 & /7s and based on reports from people who've use them, they're not exactly comfortable. Moquette appears similar to that which appeared in the IC250 mock up!


And inside a car is not so spacious, or it should be?


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## Manchester77

I don't know, looking at the picture of the isle it appears to be wider however this could just because everything is quite bright and neutral giving the illusion of space?


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## dimlys1994

Manchester77 said:


> I don't know, looking at the picture of the isle it appears to be wider however this could just because everything is quite bright and neutral giving the illusion of space?


I don't know too. It looks like Thameslink has its own gauge size


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## Manchester77

Siemens material regarding the 700s states them as having 25% more capacity than a comparable desiro uk product. I'd imagine that comes from the fewer seats per carriage, in some areas 2+1 seating has been adopted for standard which increases capacity. Thameslink doesn't have its own gauge since services run out onto lines in Kent and the Brighton, Midland and East Coast Main Lines so would have to be compatible with all those gauges, I'd imagine therefore that combined with a thinner body shell, fewer thinner seats and the stark white it has created this illusion of more space


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## dimlys1994

Manchester77 said:


> Siemens material regarding the 700s states them as having 25% more capacity than a comparable desiro uk product. I'd imagine that comes from the fewer seats per carriage, in some areas 2+1 seating has been adopted for standard which increases capacity. Thameslink doesn't have its own gauge since services run out onto lines in Kent and the Brighton, Midland and East Coast Main Lines so would have to be compatible with all those gauges, I'd imagine therefore that combined with a thinner body shell, fewer thinner seats and the stark white it has created this illusion of more space


How really interesting! Manchester77, thanks! And as far I understood, this model has power both from third rail and from catenary? Why I am asking about this? Because I've heard from the media about incidents, involving people falling on third rail-electricified tracks and burning hands or legs. How much would be spend on conversion electification from third rail to overhead and what the most important obstacles for this?


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## Manchester77

Yeah the changeover is at City Thameslink or Farringdon (the tunnel is dual voltage incase a pantograph won't go down a train can turn AC at City Thameslink)

The 3rd Rail DC system is a legacy of the London & South Western railway who electrified their suburban routes out of Waterloo, when grouping occurred and southern came into existence the company was dominated by LSWR managers and so the 3rd rail system was chosen. To convert all the lines would require lots of money as the southern system stretches from Bournemouth and Weymouth to Kent - a trial is due to occur to Bournemouth in CP5 to see how conversion could be done. However if implemented it would take many years to arrive into the capital. Despite its initial complexity the way termini are arranged means that disruption would be localised to that service group, look at Waterloo with it neatly arranged Windsor Lines, SWML, fast etc format. Most stock can be made dual voltage and the stock which can't would be at life expires by the time wires reach those routes (455, 456, networkers(?)) I imagine that as we enter CP7 in the late 2020s there will a plan to gradually replace the 3rd rail network which will obviously require some bridges to be replaced however there are no major obstacles I can think of, by this I'm thinking of major roads, other railway lines.


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## dimlys1994

^^And what about the height of Blackfriars's station roof? Is this roof is height enough to bring catenary underneath? I worried about this, especially after recent accident with pantograph


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## Manchester77

That was brought up on a different site and it was found out that OHLE can be fitted in I'd imagine that the pantograph will be very low though.


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## Manchester77

Class 700 Press Disk:
https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B1oujwXPy9eIbU9yck1keEhyNlU


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## nidave

Manchester77 said:


> Class 700 Press Disk: https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B1oujwXPy9eIbU9yck1keEhyNlU


do the 700s use LED lighting in the interior? These would last longer and give a (probably slight) energy saving.


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## Manchester77

nidave said:


> do the 700s use LED lighting in the interior? These would last longer and give a (probably slight) energy saving.


Yes one visitor to the mock up said fully LED lit!


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## nidave

Manchester77 said:


> Yes one visitor to the mock up said fully LED lit!


good, love LED lighting and the while it produces, hate yellow (or warm in marketing speak) "white" .
Isn't LED full spectrum?


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## dimlys1994

More photos about new Thameslink train from IanVisits blog:


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## dimlys1994

Published on 29th January:



> http://www.railway-technology.com/n...-overgrounds-willesden-junction-depot-4167496
> 
> *Laing O'Rourke to remodel London Overground’s Willesden Junction depot*
> 29 January 2014
> 
> Laing O'Rourke has received a £22m contract from the Transport for London (TfL) to remodel Willesden Junction that serves London Overground services.
> 
> The contract will run from March for a year, and will include civil engineering, track, overhead line and third rail electrification and signalling upgrades.
> 
> Laing O'Rourke will also provide additional sidings at Wembley to accommodate longer, five-car London Overground trains.
> 
> TfL said that the extension of the depot will be in a north east direction towards the station and at Wembley former freight sidings will be upgraded to stable passenger trains.
> The contract is part of TfL's £320m capacity improvement programme to improve the capacity of London Overground. As part of the programme, TfL is planning to build new storage facilities, upgrade existing maintenance depots, and extend platforms at several stations across the network.
> 
> TfL further said that platform works will be carried out at 12 stations on the Highbury & Islington to New Cross, Crystal Palace, West Croydon and Clapham Junction routes and 17 stations on the Richmond to Stratford route.
> 
> TfL London Overground director Mike Stubbs said: "This is a key contract in the development of the network as we work to provide 25% more capacity as part of TfL's continued investment in London Overground.
> 
> "It will ensure we remain able to meet the growing demand for London Overground services which, at 89%, have one of the highest levels of passenger satisfaction in London and the South East."


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## Nouvellecosse

Those Thameslink look so awesome! Almost like a (less sinister) Cylon or something.


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## dimlys1994

Official today:



> http://www.crossrail.co.uk/news/articles/crossrail-completes-unprecedented-fortnight-of-milestones
> 
> *CROSSRAIL COMPLETES UNPRECEDENTED FORTNIGHT OF TUNNELLING MILESTONES*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Monday 3rd February 2014
> By Hamish McDougall
> 
> 
> Crossrail’s western tunnels completed as tunnel boring machine (TBM) Ada reaches her final destination at Farringdon
> London’s newest Thames tunnel completed as TBM Sophia concludes her journey from Plumstead to North Woolwich while TBM Jessica finishes at Stepney Green cavern
> 42km tunnelling marathon is now 70% complete with over 30km of new rail tunnel under London now constructed
> Crossrail has delivered an unprecedented fortnight of construction progress ranging from completion of new train tunnels to three spectacular tunnel boring machine breakthroughs.
> 
> Crossrail’s western tunnels are now structurally complete with tunnelling machine (TBM) Ada reaching the end of her journey at Farringdon on 24 January, having set out from Royal Oak near Paddington in August 2012. This follows the arrival of her sister machine Phyllis at Farringdon in October 2013.
> 
> Over in southeast London, TBM Sophia has completed Crossrail’s first tunnel beneath the Thames, arriving at the North Woolwich Portal on 29 January, having started south of the river in Plumstead last August.
> 
> TBM Jessica has also completed her tunnelling journey from Pudding Mill Lane and broke through into one of Europe’s largest mined caverns beneath Stepney Green on 3 February.
> 
> In addition, tunnelling machine Elizabeth made a spectacular entrance into the new Crossrail station at Whitechapel on 20 January on her journey from Limmo Peninsula to Farringdon. Her sister machine Victoria also broke through into Stepney Green on 30 January.
> 
> Crossrail has also finished civil construction of the first of two new Bond Street station ticket halls. The western ticket hall on Davies Street is five storeys underground, with works starting earlier this month on a passenger tunnel to connect the Crossrail ticket hall to the existing underground station.
> 
> The milestones continue Crossrail’s impressive construction progress, which recently passed the halfway mark on time and within budget. In 2014 the project will transition from major civil engineering work to station and tunnel fit-out. 30km out of 42km of bored tunnels are now complete.
> 
> Andrew Wolstenholme OBE, Crossrail Chief Executive said: “The tunnelling teams deserve tremendous credit for their safe and efficient progress in constructing this major new railway under London. The end is now in sight for Crossrail tunnelling with over 70 per cent of the new rail tunnels now constructed. The next major element of the Crossrail programme will now begin with the fit-out of our tunnels and stations.”
> 
> The 150 metre long, 1,000 tonne machines create 6.2m diameter tunnels by installing precast concrete segments in rings to line the tunnel. They are pushed forward by hydraulic rams and positioned using lasers and Global Positioning Systems.
> 
> Ada’s 6.9 kilometre journey has been particularly challenging for engineers, successfully navigating a complex web of Tube lines, building foundation piles and infrastructure up to 30 metres beneath central London. This included passing less than a metre above the operational Northern line at Tottenham Court Road.
> 
> More than 72,000 pre-cast concrete segments have been used to line the western tunnels and about two million tonnes of earth has been excavated, destined for a new RSPB nature reserve at Wallasea Island, Essex.
> 
> Now that Sophia’s journey has finished, her sister Mary will shortly be launched from the Woolwich box to complete the final section of tunnelling on Crossrail’s southeast section. With the arrival of TBM Jessica at Stepney, an eighth tunnelling machine, Ellie, will commence her journey from Pudding Mill Lane to Stepney later this month.
> 
> TBM Jessica will be taken to Limmo Peninsula for reassembly where she will construct the new Crossrail tunnels between Limmo and Victoria Dock Portal


----------



## dimlys1994

From Islington Gazette:



> http://www.islingtongazette.co.uk/n...pen_hornsey_road_overground_station_1_3564453
> 
> *Transport enthusiast in campaign to re-open Hornsey Road Overground station*
> April 20, 2014
> 
> A transport enthusiast has mounted a campaign to re-open a station on the London Overground that was demolished during the Second World War.
> 
> Retired journalist Philip Aris, 70, of Hazellville Road, Archway, is calling for Hornsey Road station on the Gospel Oak to Barking route – also known as the Goblin line – to be reinstated after 70 years out of use.
> 
> Although the station – between Upper Holloway and Crouch Hill – was closed and the building demolished in May 1943, the original platforms still stand and Mr Aris’s campaign to get it resurrected has garnered plenty of support.
> 
> He said: “Hornsey Rise is changing quite rapidly. There are lots of new houses and new people, not just commercial or industrial property any more.
> 
> “There’s a growing demand for transport in the area. The line’s very busy nowadays as it goes to Walthamstow and Leytonstone, which are increasingly fashionable, popular places to live. It seems like a good time to link to all those areas.”
> 
> Mr Aris continued: “The Goblin line has been very run down and neglected over the years. There was a campaign to get it electrified, which will now happen by 2017, and it seems like that would present a good opportunity to re-open the station.”
> 
> The line is set to be extended east to Barking Riverside after George Osborne pledged to fund the work. He pointed out that the line may also be extended to Old Oak Common, the projected super hub that will link with Crossrail, HS2 and Heathrow airport – meaning that it would be possible to get from Archway to almost anywhere by train, without going through a central London terminus.
> 
> A Network Rail spokesperson said: “There are no current plans to re-open Hornsey Road station, but we remain open to the possibility of this changing in the future.”


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## dimlys1994

Construction of new Custom House Crossrail station, taken from here:




























Tunnel portal in Victoria Dock:










And from the same blog, photos of refubrished Hampstead Heath Overground station. During refubrishement, the platforms were extended to accomadate 5-car trains and new lifts were installed:



























































































New station mural:


----------



## dimlys1994

From Railway Gazette:



> http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/...link-emu-undergoes-low-temperature-tests.html
> 
> *Thameslink EMU undergoes low-temperature tests*
> 30 Apr 2014
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> 
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> 
> 
> 
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> 
> 
> UK: The first of the Class 700 Desiro City electric multiple-unit cars being built by Siemens for use on the Thameslink route through London have been tested at the Rail Tec Arsenal climate chamber at Wien in Austria.
> 
> The tests focused on the ability to withstand the effects of temperatures between -25°C and 40°C, solar gain, ice, snow and wind. Tests included:
> 
> simulated coupling scenarios;
> traction and brake functionality;
> exterior CCTV camera performance;
> ensuring doors can open and close in severe snow and ice;
> testing windscreen heaters work when the cab windscreen is iced up;
> ensuring the correct performance of windscreen wipers at speeds up to 160 km/h
> Siemens reports that manufacturing of the EMUs is ‘well underway and on schedule’, with more than 45 bodyshells completed and the first full 12-car train now at the Wildenrath test track.
> 
> ‘Extreme weather conditions are just part of an intensive test process for the Class 700’, said Iain Smith, Programme Director, Thameslink, at Siemens Rail Systems UK. ‘Each of the 1 140 carriages will also undergo rigorous testing and fault-free mileage accumulation at Wildenrath to ensure the trains are as close to working ‘out of the box’ as possible and ready for passenger service on the important Thameslink routes.’
> 
> The first Class 700 is expected to be introduced on the Bedford – Brighton line in early 2016.


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## dimlys1994

The article about Canal Tunnels:



> http://www.therailengineer.com/2014/05/01/tunnels-exercising-foresight/
> 
> *Canal Tunnels - Exercising foresight*
> 01 May 2014
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> In 2004, Great Britain won nine gold medals at the Athens Olympics. In 2005, Tony Blair won a third term as Prime Minister and then there was the World Cup in Germany in 2006 – but we won’t dwell on that.
> 
> Whilst the world was focussed on these and many other events the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL), as part of the Thameslink Programme, was quietly digging underground, constructing two bored tunnels between the East Coast main line (ECML) at Belle Isle junction, just north of Kings Cross, and the St Pancras low level station at Canal junction. As the two tunnels pass about 15 metres under the Regents Canal, they are known as the Canal Tunnels.
> 
> Each tunnel was constructed with a six metre diameter bore and fitted with a pre-cast concrete lining, and they are both more than 660 metres in length. At the King’s Cross end there is a 100 metre cut-and-cover concrete box which leads up to an open area which, in total, forms a 1km length of new twin track railway.
> 
> _Thameslink progressing_
> 
> Since they were built, the tunnels have remained dormant. Elsewhere, the Thameslink project has been progressing steadily – reconstructing Blackfriars Station, building a new viaduct through Borough Market and developing the London Bridge Station and railway layout are just a few of the many schemes that make up this incredibly complex £6 billion project.
> 
> However, one of the key benefits that will be realised when the Thameslink project is completed will be the ability to run 24 trains per hour between Blackfriars to St Pancras Low Level which is known as the ‘core area’. This target will include 16 trains coming from the Midland main line route and eight trains from the East Coast main line, hence the need for the Canal Tunnels now to be fitted out and integrated into the operational railway.
> 
> In addition, the new Thames link Class 700 rolling stock is due to begin arriving in 2015, and is expected to be used on both the existing Thameslink and Great Northern routes. One of the Thameslink depots will be at Hornsey on the ECML. Therefore, the tunnels will be essential to enable the new trains to utilise the link for stock movements.
> 
> _Contract awarded_
> 
> Consequently, in August 2012, an announcement was made by Network Rail naming Carillion as the principal contractor for fitting out the tunnels and connecting them into the main lines. Balfour Beatty Rail would be responsible for the 25kV overhead line electrification (OLE) installation work and Carillion would install the slab track, associated emergency walkways, signalling and telecomsequipment, fire services and pumps and other associated safety equipment throughout the tunnels as well as being the overall site management.
> 
> Kevin Sullivan, Network Rail’s project manager responsible for this work, recently showed The Rail Engineer around the site. He explained that the work was progressing very well and that the construction of the slab track work in both the tunnels was now complete. Also, the installation of OLE equipment by Balfour Beatty Rail, using its innovative reduced-depth overhead conductor beam electrification system, was going to plan. Kevin explained that they were now concentrating on connecting the new emerging Up and Down Canal Tunnel lines into the existing mainline routes.
> 
> _Collaborative working_
> 
> Carillion appointed ARUP for all the design work. The tunnels are only six metres in diameter, which is a challenging space to fit everything in and the aim was to maintain W6A gauge. In addition, the tunnels will connect two different railway systems together so there is a need to design out any potential interference. For example, it would not go down well if, upon connection, there were track circuit failures on the ECML. As Kevin outlined, there has to be effective collaborative working between all parties and to ensure that this happened. “We have instigated weekly design integration meetings between all disciplines and Network Rail, a process that has proved to be very successful and invaluable,” he explained.
> 
> To ensure compliance with noise and vibration commitments, the track was designed using the Sonneville Low Vibration Track (LVT) system supplied by the Swiss manufacturer Vigier. This system is a duo block, slab track system with a rubber boot and concrete block pad. It has been tried and tested on other systems throughout the world but it is the first time that it has been used by Network Rail. The rubber booted blocks are cast into concrete exposing the concrete block pad which is designed to hold in place the rail and the pandrol E clip housings and insulations.
> 
> _Challenging tolerances_
> 
> The final positioning of the rails is very precise with only 1 to 2mm tolerance for gauge, rail incline and cant. As Kevin pointed out, this could only be achieved on a dedicated engineering site, as opposed to a track possession. The design life chosen for the concrete surrounding the rubber boots is 50 years and the design life for the sub base concrete is 125 years.
> 
> The signalling and telecommunications design is integrated with the Thameslink programme’s High Capacity Infrastructure (HCI), which ensures that the signalling system will deliver the targeted 24 trains per hour capacity in the core area.
> 
> A GSM-R radio system is being installed throughout the network to replace the Cab Secure Radio system currently in use. To ensure this will work well inside the tunnels, a ‘radiating cable’ or ‘leaky feeder’ is being installed throughout.
> 
> Walking through the tunnels, it is obvious that there is a steep gradient dipping down 1 in 34 toward the centre of the tunnel bores. This encourages any rain or seepage water to gather at this low point. Also, there is a 150mm fire main that runs through both tunnels with regularly spaced hydrants that can be accessed from the constructed walkway. So, if there was a fire and the fire main was utilised, the tunnels could be subject to flooding. Therefore, to cope with such a potential high volume of water, a 60 metre long sump has been installed incorporating fixed pumps that will pump water up the gradient to another intermediate sump which, in turn, has the capacity to pump water up into the existing East Coast main line drainage system.
> 
> The fixed walkway provides a continuous platform to enable day-to-day maintenance to take place and to provide a passageway in case of emergencies. A lighting system has been installed throughout the tunnels with lights spaced at every four metres above the walkway.
> 
> On the opposite side of the tunnel, there are two GRP troughing routes dedicated to signalling, telecoms and other mechanical and electrical equipment ensuring that everything looks neat and tidy and well ordered.
> 
> _Continuous working_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Work continues around the clock in two 12-hour shifts. Carillion works the day shift installing the slab track and other equipment, then the site changes over to Balfour Beatty Rail activities, using rail mounted access platforms to install the Conductor Beam OLE equipment. Kevin said that this system works very well and that each contractor has tried hard to ensure that its activity does not impede other work that has to take place.
> 
> So, the fitting out work in the tunnels appears to be progressing very well and targets are being met. The next challenges for the team were the connection work at each end of the tunnel into the main lines. The junction at Belle Isle is conventional ballasted track whilst, at the St Pancras Low Level station end, the junction is on LVT concrete slab track.
> 
> Kevin described the project as being unique in that there is a fascinating and challenging engineering project in the tunnels, a site that they have control of 24 hours a day. However, at the two end connection points of the site, there is a railway so it is necessary to work in possessions, being aware of hazards such as adjacent line working where traffic is running. This introduces a whole set of different risks and challenges.
> 
> At Belle Isle Junction, existing structures have had to be demolished and new ones installed. The existing sheet piled wall of the ECML railway has to be removed to make way for the new connection. The junction is situated in a fairly confined location between Copenhagen Tunnel and the Gaswork Tunnels just outside Kings Cross station.
> 
> In preparation for the connection of the new junction, a set of switches has had to be moved six metres north to accommodate realignment of the North London Incline. In addition, 140 metres of plain line has had to be renewed and a crossover was repositioned 30 metres north of its original position during an Easter 2014 blockade.
> 
> _Connecting into the main lines_
> 
> So, the site is nearly ready to receive the new double junction which will be installed using a Kirov crane to lift track panels that are being constructed alongside the running railway. After the new junction is in place, it will be connected to plain line track that will be laid on a transitional formation of ballast. This will then lead onto a formation of glued ballast, then onto slab track, before running into the Canal tunnels. The completed work will then be ready for commissioning with control located in the Kings Cross Panel.
> 
> The Canal Junction end of the site is now all LVT slab track, installed some time ago. It is where the Moorgate lines emerge from the lower station at St Pancras, switches and crossings had to be relocated and aligned and replaced by plain line. Once this work is complete, the junction can be commissioned onto the new Three Bridges Rail Operating Centre (TB ROC) which will then incorporate the whole of the new railway. The target date for the completion of this work is early 2015.
> 
> The commissioning of the tunnels is yet another step in this most fascinating project known as Thameslink, and one has to admire the foresight exercised in 2004 which ensured that the two tunnels would be ready and in place. The fitting out work will be completed this year, the Hornsey Depot will be completed in 2015 and the Siemens Thameslink Class 700 trains will begin delivery and then in 2018 services will run through the Thameslink core. Meanwhile, there is plenty to do, both within well-defined engineering sites and alongside the operational railway, which will provide more unique opportunities for the engineering teams involved.


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## dimlys1994

From Construction Enquirer:



> http://www.constructionenquirer.com/2014/05/06/300m-waterloo-station-revamp-coming-out-to-bid/
> 
> *£300m Waterloo station revamp coming out to bid*
> 6 May 2014
> 
> _Network Rail Infrastructure plans to start the bid race in June to bring the Waterloo International Terminal back into use for domestic train services_
> 
> The major scheme forms part of the £300m Wessex Capacity Programme, which will increase train and passenger capacity at London’s busiest station and across the Wessex Route.
> 
> As well as bringing the closed Grimshaw-designed international station back into use, platforms 1-4 will also be extended along with extensive alterations to the track, signalling and buildings on the Wessex Route and at Waterloo, Vauxhall, Clapham Junction, Richmond, Wimbledon and Surbiton Stations.
> 
> Network Rail aims to set up a risk and reward sharing alliance with contractors to deliver the huge design and build scheme that could also include £100m Woking Grade separation works within its scope.
> 
> Interested firms are being invited to attend two supplier engagement events on 30 May ahead of issuing PQQs on the 2 June.
> 
> The six-year packages of improvements are expected to get underway from the start of 2015.


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## dimlys1994

From Global Rail News:



> http://www.globalrailnews.com/2014/05/07/overground-station-for-old-oak-common/
> 
> *Overground station for Old Oak Common*
> 7 MAY, 2014
> 
> WSP has been appointed to begin the next stage of planning for a new London Overground station at Old Oak Common.
> 
> The consultant is to carry out a Grip 3 study of three options with the hope of establishing the best solution to connect Overground services with the proposaed HS2 and Crossrail interchange.
> 
> Architect planners Farrells have been appointed by WSP to provide master planning and architectural support.
> 
> Project director Dave Darnell said: “This is a hugely exciting scheme that has the potential to create a major new regional transport hub, taking some of the demand off existing overloaded routes by providing links to HS2 from the west and south west without travelling into central London and offering better access into the area of Old Oak Common for existing and future residents.
> 
> “It is technically and environmentally challenging and we will be drawing on our considerable experience in the successful design of stations and railway engineering both here in the UK and abroad and on the masterplanning expertise of our project partners, Farrells.”


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## dimlys1994

From IanVisits blog:



> http://www.ianvisits.co.uk/blog/2014/05/08/unusual-train-movement-this-weekend/
> 
> *Unusual train movement this weekend*
> MAY 8, 2014
> 
> There is a chance to sate your railway geek this weekend as London Overground trains run along a slightly unusual route, and past a long since closed station.
> 
> Not really mentioned on the TfL website’s weekend closures page, and only spotted as an odd looking dotted line on a poster at railway station caught my attention, but it seems that you will be able to travel from Stratford towards Camden Town, then rather than carrying on northwards to Kentish Town, you hop south to the tracks running from Euston heading up to Kilburn instead.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This is thanks to the line north of Camden Road being closed for engineering works, and it is presumably easier for TfL to continue the trains along another bit of the network than to turn them around. And fortunately for them, there is a short length of track used by freight trains linking the two Overground lines.
> 
> So, for those who glee at traveling along unusual bits of railway track — this Sunday you can hop from one line to the other in a way that would not be possible normally.
> 
> Not every train seems to make the additional connection, so check on the TfL website journey planner for a specific timetabled train.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It also means you can go past the since demolished remains of Primrose Hill Station that closed in 1992, and is situated right next to the Roundhouse.
> 
> In fact, you might be thinking that this little stretch of track would be quite useful if brought back into use more regularly, and indeed, that is being talked about. That would also see the station restored, which will probably be appreciated by the music fans.
> 
> But this Sunday, a few minutes of running passenger trains along normally freight only lines will be appreciated by railway fans


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## dimlys1994

Options for new route around Old Oak Common. The first option is cheapest - green for Croydon - Milton Keynes Southern services:










Second option is expensive:


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## dimlys1994

Last week's news:



> http://www.ealingtoday.co.uk/default.asp?section=info&page=eacrossrailmay001.htm
> 
> *'Serious Mistake' to Push On With Ealing Broadway Plans*
> 08 May 2014
> 
> _Redevelopment musn't be 'quick fix' say concerned group_
> 
> Plans for the redevelopment of Ealing Broadway Station for Crossrail need to be thoroughly reviewed and shouldn't be rushed through warn a group of local residents.
> 
> Members from Save Ealing Centre, as well as representatives of local forums were invited to a meeting with Crossrail and the Deputy Mayor of London for Transport, Isabel Dedring to see latest proposals.
> 
> They were shown new designs for the station which they believe are a step in the right direction. However, Nick Woolven, Chair of Save Ealing Centre has written to Ms Dedring outlining further concerns. He said:
> 
> '' What we saw last Thursday showed some material improvements to the Station design, and we are especially pleased the station’s setting and its history now appear understood as being important. However, the new designs highlight more clearly than ever many wider questions surrounding the way the station will function as West London’s major transport hub, handling a considerable increase in passenger numbers.''
> 
> Mr Woolven's letter, signed by Bartlett Professor of Planning and Regeneration, Sir Peter Hall, film director,Tony Palmer, Robert Gurd from Ealing Civic Society and other local representatives, lists a number of points that they say need to be considered before any work can begin.
> 
> Concerns are raised over how the new station will integrate with the surrounding area, queries over the number of passengers using the station and provisions for transfers from Crossrail to other services.
> 
> '' Getting the details right needs just a few months of concentrated discussion with all the parties involved before anything is finalised.
> 
> ''Bennetts must be given a brief which allows them to address the key issues. Their aim must be to create a station that will be fit for generations to come. We are in danger of being committed to a quick fix, which will be disastrous given the level of real consultation that has occurred thus far.''
> 
> Mr Woolven concludes: '' In short we think it will be a serious mistake to push on with approving plans for the station before all these questions are resolved. Of course we understand the constraints Crossrail and everyone else is working under in terms both of time and financial resources, but in our view allocating more of both now will prove extremely beneficial in the future. Would any great designer or urban planner have been so constrained? We doubt it.''
> 
> A spokesman for Crossrail said: “Over the last few months Crossrail has been working closely with Ealing Council and its architectural advisors to make changes to the initial station design that was submitted last year.
> 
> “We absolutely recognise the importance of getting the designs right and are confident the outcome will be a vast improvement on the existing building. We hope to submit the revised proposals to Ealing Council shortly.”
> 
> According to the Crossrail timetable, work on the station is due to start October 2015 and expected to last around 14 months.
> 
> Transport For London (TfL) want to hear how Crossrail will affect Ealing and are looking to interview people who will be affected by the new Crossrail service





> http://www.edgware-today.co.uk/News.cfm?id=15290
> 
> *Funding blow to bid to make Mill Hill Broadway station step-free*
> Wednesday, 07 May 2014
> 
> A CAMPAIGN to create “step-free” access to Mill Hill Broadway has been dealt a blow after the railway station lost out on a share of the government’s £100million disabled access funding.
> 
> Campaigners calling for lifts to be installed at the station, to which it is currently difficult or impossible for those in wheelchairs or with disabilities to gain access, have admitted they are “disappointed” over the failure of an application for cash from the Department for Transport’s Access for All fund.
> 
> However, the campaigners, supported by Hendon MP Matthew Offord, have vowed to continue the fight for improved access to the station. Mr Offord said: “It is a disappointment. I wouldn’t say a surprise because there are many other people lobbying for different things. But there are other funding schemes and I have spoken to the Chancellor and I am very confident that we will find the funding.”
> 
> Chairman of Mill Hill Residents’ Association Richard Logue, who started a petition for improved access that has attracted around 150 signatures, said: “We will just keep highlighting the fact that a lot of people want to gain access to the station and simply can’t use it.
> 
> “It is exceptionally difficult for anybody who has any form of disability to access the station.” A spokesman for train company First Capital Connect, which manages the station on behalf of Network Rail, said that adding disabled access would cost millions of pounds and that the Access for All funding, now allocated until 2015, would have been essential.
> 
> He said: “To make Mill Hill Broadway step-free would require lifts to at least three levels. It is also a narrow, difficult site with an entrance underneath the A1 that restricts headroom for lift machinery.
> 
> “Rail companies can apply for direct funding, but this is for small, low-cost schemes only, such as ramps and low-level ticket office windows for people in wheelchairs.”





> http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/...l_should_come_to_Bexley__says_council_leader/
> 
> *Crossrail should come to Bexley, says council leader Teresa O'Neill*
> 3rd May 2014
> 
> Crossrail could be coming to Bexley, if the leader of Bexley Council gets her way.
> 
> Councillor Teresa O’Neill has suggested Belvedere as a possible extra stop for the line, which is set to link east with west London at a cost of £15 billion.
> 
> The track is currently set to terminate at Abbey Wood, at a £130 million station which is currently being built right on the border with Greenwich.
> 
> There have been calls to extend the line to Ebbsfleet given the building of a garden city in the Ebbsfleet Valley is now under way and plans for a major theme park in nearby Swanscombe are in the pipeline.
> 
> But Coun O’Neill first wants to see the line branching out into Bexley after it opens in 2017.
> 
> She told a full meeting of Bexley Council on April 30: “It won’t be good if it flies through to Ebbsfleet and doesn’t stop in Bexley so that is where we will focus our lobbying.
> 
> “If it’s going to stop in Bexley it could stop in Belvedere.”


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## dimlys1994

Crossrail portal works around old Pudding Mill Lane are underway, as you can see that station canopy are gone. Taken by Flickr user Recliner:


The closed entrance to the old DLR station DSC09459 Pudding Mill Lane 4k by Recliner, on Flickr


Looking east, towards the future Crossrail junction with the GEML and the Orbit DSC09467 Pudding Mill Lane 4k by Recliner, on Flickr


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## Nouvellecosse

What the heck is that ... tower "thing" in the top left of the bottom pic?


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## dimlys1994

Nouvellecosse said:


> What the heck is that ... tower "thing" in the top left of the bottom pic?


That's ArcelorMittal Orbit - observation tower. Never heard about it?


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## Sopomon

Nouvellecosse said:


> What the heck is that ... tower "thing" in the top left of the bottom pic?


A hideous tangled mass of metal, justified as art and built for the Olympics.


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## Nouvellecosse

Hmm, very interesting! This is the first time I've heard about it but I'm across a rather wide ocean so perhaps it's reputation is not as entrenched here.


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## dimlys1994

From Network Rail:



> http://www.networkrail.co.uk/news/2...hed-during-Thameslink-Programme-construction/
> 
> *Rare artifacts unearthed during Thameslink Programme construction*
> 11 May 2014
> 
> Medieval floors, 16th century tobacco pipes and thousand-year-old timbers are just a few of the hundreds of artifacts that we've unearthed and preserved as work continues on the £6.5billion Thameslink Programme with the rebuild of London’s oldest railway station, London Bridge.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _Tankards_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _Arrow head_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _Brick floor_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _Clay pipe_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _Timbers under London Bridge station_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _Clay pipe kiln_
> 
> _Borough viaduct_
> 
> Archaeological work during construction of the new Borough viaduct uncovered remains from the Roman, Saxon, medieval and more recent periods that provide a fascinating insight into the formation and growth of the ancient settlement at Southwark.
> 
> A rare 14th century flagon, thought to have been used to serve ale in the Abbot of Waverley's town house, is now on display in The Wheatsheaf Pub in Stoney Street, close to where it was excavated.
> 
> _Under London Bridge station_
> 
> As London Bridge is one of London’s oldest stations it’s not surprising we're unearthing such a range of interesting finds shedding light on London’s development through the ages.
> 
> Whilst excavating the original brick arches at London Bridge station, hundreds of historic items have been found which give an insight into the first settlement in the area. Timber piles constructed from trees felled between AD59 to AD83 were discovered and may have formed part of a substantial waterfront building on the edge of the settlement south of the first London Bridge.
> 
> _Tooley Street_
> 
> Fragments of medieval floors and walls have also been found. These could have been part large houses along Tooley Street, known to have belonged to important clerics such as the Prior of Lewes. More recent discoveries, dating from the 16th to 18th centuries, include evidence of industry in the area such as kilns for making clay tobacco pipes.
> 
> _Other finds_
> 
> Traces of early Roman military occupation
> Evidence for the Boudican revolt
> A previously unknown Roman bathhouse under Borough High Street
> Substantial evidence for the Saxon/medieval defences of the settlement
> The remains of townhouses of important medieval clerics and the St.Saviour’s/Park Street burial ground
> _London Museum_
> 
> The results of the work are currently being analysed by archaeologists from Oxford Archaeology and pre-Construct Archaeology for future publication. All the finds and records will be deposited with the Museum of London once work is complete


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## dimlys1994

From Flickr user Chris Hoare, view on new Canary Wharf station from sky:


Canary Wharf Docklands from the Air by u07ch, on Flickr


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## DaeguDuke

Is the roof glass or just sheet metal? Seems a shame to lose all that natural light if it's the latter..


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## Manchester77

DaeguDuke said:


> Is the roof glass or just sheet metal? Seems a shame to lose all that natural light if it's the latter..


It's not glass it's like some fancy see through plastic stuff I think but I can't remember its actual name


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## dimlys1994

Very wonderful photo pictures of some rail projects in London, taken from Flickr user unravelled. Firstly, new Custom House Crossrail station:

Custom House by unravelled, on Flickr

Custom House by unravelled, on Flickr

Custom House by unravelled, on Flickr

Custom House by unravelled, on Flickr

Custom House by unravelled, on Flickr

Victoria Dock Portal:

Custom House by unravelled, on Flickr


Custom House by unravelled, on Flickr

Around Connaught Tunnel portal:


Prince Regent by unravelled, on Flickr

Prince Regent by unravelled, on Flickr

North Woolwich Portal:

Crossrail Albert Rd by unravelled, on Flickr

Crossrail Albert Rd by unravelled, on Flickr

Thameslink works on Bermodsey dive-under:

Bermondsey diveunder works by unravelled, on Flickr

Bermondsey diveunder works by unravelled, on Flickr

At London Bridge:

London Bridge by unravelled, on Flickr

London Bridge by unravelled, on Flickr

London Bridge by unravelled, on Flickr

And installing lifts at New Cross Gate station:

New Cross Gate by unravelled, on Flickr

New Cross Gate by unravelled, on Flickr

New Cross Gate by unravelled, on Flickr

New Cross Gate by unravelled, on Flickr

New Cross Gate by unravelled, on Flickr

New Cross Gate by unravelled, on Flickr

New Cross Gate by unravelled, on Flickr

New Cross Gate by unravelled, on Flickr

New Cross Gate by unravelled, on Flickr

New Cross Gate by unravelled, on Flickr

New Cross Gate by unravelled, on Flickr


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## dimlys1994

Very interesting article from London Reconnections about Thames Tunnel:



> http://www.londonreconnections.com/2014/king-of-the-underworld-building-the-thames-tunnel/
> 
> *King of the Underworld: Building The Thames Tunnel*
> 21 May 2014, by John Bull
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> _On the 2nd of March 1825 the Thames Tunnel Company began construction of what they hoped would be the first tunnel beneath the Thames. On the banks of the river at Rotherhithe, bricklayers and labourers began their work as the curious watched on. The project had been garnering a certain amount of attention ever since it had been granted royal Assent the year before, and its goal was an ambitious one – the construction of a tunnel beneath the river large enough for both people and horse-drawn traffic to use. It was a goal that many thought was impossible_
> 
> Over the next few months, London watched as the company’s workforce went about their business under the supervision of the energetic Frenchman who had been appointed to be the Company’s Chief Engineer.
> 
> He was, the papers said, an engineering genius. During the Napoleonic wars he had invented the first ever automated manufacturing process for making rigging blocks and thus the Navy, who got through a staggering 100,000 blocks a year, loved him (although apparently not enough to pay his invoices). He had also invented the first true production line process, which he put to use making cheap, quality, mass-produced boots for the army.
> 
> True, the Navy’s apparent inability to locate their chequebook and the fact that the sole had fallen out of the boot market after the war had seen him confined to debtors prison, but whilst there he had designed an impressive bridge for the Neva at St Petersburg on behalf of the Tsar, and the British Government had become so worried about the possibility that he might leave the country that they ultimately paid off all his debts from the national purse.
> 
> If anyone seemed likely to build the Tunnel, therefore, it was he. But as the weeks wore on and a fifty foot wide circular brick tower began to loom larger and larger on the Rotherhithe skyline, people began to wonder whether maybe someone should have a polite word with this celebrated figure because…
> 
> Well…
> 
> …Wasn’t he meant to be going down not up?
> 
> Contrary to perception, however, the chief engineer knew what he was doing. In order to dig, he knew, you needed a shaft. For a project like this it also needed to be a big one – a deep, wide shaft lined with solid walls to hold the earth back. The digging and shoring of this would have been a dangerous and expensive enough task in solid ground, let alone in the soft earth by the Thames.
> 
> But this engineer had an idea.
> 
> As the tower got taller it also got heavier and, inch by inch, with scientific inevitability, it began to sink into the soft riverside earth. In fact, by June 6th 1825 the 40ft tower had, with a little bit of help (and with men digging out the inside as it went), sunk completely into the ground.
> 
> Marc Brunel, Chief Engineer to the Thames Tunnel Company, had just invented the Caisson.
> 
> When most people hear the name “Brunel” today it is Isambard Kingdom who springs to their mind. Isambard’s legacy is huge, and he is rightly considered one of the Greatest Britons ever to have lived. Yet many do not realise that it is to his father, Marc that Londoners (and indeed the world) arguably owe the greater debt. Marc’s work on the Thames Tunnel – which, remarkably, is still in use today – would be the seed from which all London’s major subterranean railways would grow. Although it would ultimately take more than fifteen years to complete and extract a brutal cost in both money and men, the construction of the tunnel would see Brunel face, and largely conquer, all the problems that had until then prevented large-scale subterranean tunnelling.
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> _Marc Brunel by James Northcote_
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> That a tunnel was required at all was a consequence of the massive increase in traffic to London’s ports that had occurred at the beginning of the Nineteenth Century. By the end of the Napoleonic wars, London was the shipping capital of the world – the Thames packed with tall ships waiting to load and unload at all hours of the day. As London increased in size, and as more and more shipping unloaded on the south side of the river, the Capital’s existing river crossings to the heart of the City (London Bridge and Blackfriars) became increasingly overwhelmed.
> 
> By Brunel’s time the need for a way to reduce pressure on these bottlenecks was acute, but building a new bridge simply wasn’t an option. Ironically, the very vessels that made a new bridge necessary also meant it was impossible to build one. Any bridge would have to be large enough to allow tall ships to pass underneath – an engineering and financial nightmare. Other cities had addressed the problem by building bascule bridges that could be raised, but the size of the Thames meant that it would be some time before a bridge of this style would be technically possible in London (Tower Bridge, built almost 50 years after the Thames Tunnel was completed).
> 
> Given the above constraints, it is perhaps not surprising that Brunel was not the first to think of a crossing that ran below the river rather than above. In 1708 Ralf Dodd, who had been responsible for the Grand Surrey Canal, sank a test shaft at Rotherhithe but declared the geology unworkable. Then in 1805 the Thames Archway Company – the brainchild of Cornish Tin Mine engineer Robert Vazie – attempted to dig a 5ft high tunnel beneath the river.
> 
> In both cases, it was the ground that ultimately foiled the projects. The earth beneath the Thames was soft and thus prone to collapse. Worse, the presence of the river above meant that any large space excavated soon fell in and flooded under the pressure of the water above. This prevented the use of traditional mining techniques and the only man so far who had seemed to have a solution to this problem was Richard Trevithick, who had been brought in to try and finish Vazie’s tunnel after repeated collapses. Trevithick’s solution was an expensive one, however – to use a series of coffer dams to remove water from the immediate area and then drop in iron tunnel sections from above. This was too risky (and costly) for the Thames Archway Company’s directors and the tunnel was thus abandoned (although Trevithick’s idea was sound – it was later used in San Francisco with some success).
> 
> Brunel, however, thought he had a better solution. Tunnelling had been on Brunel’s mind for a while. He had originally considered a tunnel for his river Neva project, and had watched Trevithick’s efforts with interest. His nautical experience – both from his work with the British Navy and from his time as a young officer in the French Navy before the revolution – had also fixed in his mind an image from nature – the humble shipworm. He had observed that the shipworm dug into a ship’s timbers by using shell-like projections either side of its head to do the cutting, and then eating and excreting the pulped wood.
> 
> It was this approach that Brunel initially sought to emulate – he would design a device that would cut through the earth and funnel the detritus through itself. Its own weight and presence would thus provide the tunnel with support while bricklayers following behind built the tunnel lining. Sadly, however, Brunel soon discovered that this would prove impossible – neither manpower nor the steam engines then available proved sufficient to be able to power such a machine.
> 
> Undaunted, Brunel modified his plans. Instead of a machine, it was people that Brunel decided to place at the cutting face. He designed an iron and wooden frame which he called a “shield.” Assembled at the bottom of the Rotherhithe shaft in November 1825, this was a frame of thirty-six small chambers, each large enough to hold a single man. Each chamber was fronted by a number of six inch horizontal boards, which could be removed by the chamber’s occupant allowing the small section of earth behind them to be excavated. Once this was done, the board could be replaced and jacked forward, keeping the rest of the earth back.
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> _Brunel’s Tunnelling Shield_
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> When each of the thirty six miners had excavated all their boards, the whole apparatus could be jacked forward, with the frame itself supporting the weight of the roof and bricklayers following on behind to fill in a more permanent lining. This lining would be brick, at least 2ft 6in thick and held together with a new type of Roman cement that Brunel himself had helped create.
> 
> It was slow progress, but it worked. Marc Brunel had invented the Tunnelling Shield.
> 
> For two years, inch by inch, the tunnel crept forward. It was brutal work beset by constant difficulties. London Clay would become gravel with little warning, and even with the shield acting as a support, flooding was a constant worry. As it was, the tunnel leaked constantly and this was a major problem for the health of all involved. It is worth remembering that the Thames Tunnel pre-dates Bazalgette’s own engineering feats and thus Brunel’s Thames was not just a river. It was also an open sewer and repository for industrial waste.
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> _The Tunnel under construction_
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> As early as 1826, Marc Brunel had been forced to leave much of the day to day running in the hands of his senior engineers. Ill-health and stress also wrought havoc on their ranks, however, not to mention on the miners, labourers and bricklayers who worked for eight hour shifts amidst the seeping sewage and oppressive air.
> 
> Luckily for Brunel, engineering ran in the blood. As his own health faltered, he found that he could increasingly rely on his son to take up the daily management of the project – not yet twenty, Isambard Kingdom Brunel became his father’s presence on the front line of construction. It was on the Thames Tunnel that Isambard effectively learnt his craft, and here that he demonstrated his strength and talent for driving forward large projects.
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> _Isambard Kingdom Brunel, pictured later in life_
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> By February 1827, the Tunnel had been driven forward about 300ft. This was a major achievement given the conditions of earth, water and air, but it was far slower than Brunel or anyone else had forecast. The project was already now well over budget and behind schedule. In an effort to do something to quell rising costs, the company’s directors ordered the workers wages reduced. This did more harm than good, and though later resolved, resulted in a strike that brought all work to a halt for a time.
> 
> The directors also decided, against Brunel’s advice, to open the works to public viewing at the price of a shilling a time. Brunel’s major objection to this was one of safety – the risk of flooding was still there, he insisted, and would only grow as the tunnel’s length increased. Brunel knew that the tunnel would soon be perilously close to the riverbed’s lowest point and by May workers were beginning to find debris such as coal and china in the leaks – suggesting that the tunnel was possibly even closer to the riverbed than they had planned. On the 18th May Marc was leading Lady Raffles and her party on one of the directors’ paid tours when he felt a feeling of real foreboding.
> 
> “[I was] most uneasy all the while,” he would later say, “as if I had a presentiment.”
> 
> That evening, as the tide in the Thames rose, the tunnel roof above the tunnelling shield broke. Water poured in, and the workers (and Isambard who was supervising them at the time) were forced to beat a hasty retreat to the Rotherhithe shaft.
> 
> With work now halted, Isambard went down in a borrowed Diving Bell to survey the damage. It soon became clear what had happened – gravel dredgers operating in the Thames had, contrary to the law, been dredging too deep. The tunnel had indeed ended up closer to the riverbed than expected, and this had led to the roof’s collapse.
> 
> Worse soon came for Marc. The damage was repairable and, under Isambard’s careful supervision, Marc had men lay iron roads across the breech and bags of clay dumped on top. When this had been completed, the tunnel was pumped dry and work began again (although the flood water left the air in the incomplete tunnel section even worse than before). All this put even more pressure on Marc’s health, however, and in August 1827 he suffered a paralytic stroke.
> 
> As he slowly recovered, with Isambard continuing to supervise the work, it soon became clear that the flooding had caused public confidence in the project to waver – potentially disastrous given the perilous state of the company’s finances. In an effort to restore faith, therefore, a rather effective public relations stunt was staged – in November 1827 a sumptuous banquet was held in the tunnel for the project’s backers.
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> _George Jones’ famous painting of the banquet is the only picture featuring both Marc and Isambard together. Doubly impressive given that Marc didn’t actually attend_
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> The stunt worked. With the Coldstream Guards playing heartily in the background, and many notable guests in place (including the Duke of Wellington – who was a lifelong supporter of Brunel thanks to the Frenchman’s boot-making efforts) confidence was restored and work continued.
> 
> That confidence would not last long. On the 12th January 1828, as Isambard was supervising work in the tunnel, he noticed that two miners – Collins and Ball – were struggling with some shoring on the Tunnelling Shield. A hands on manager throughout his life, Isambard headed forward to help them out. Suddenly, as they worked, the three men were engulfed in a torrent of water.
> 
> The pressure threw the men back off the frame and shattered the wooden scaffolding behind on which the bricklayers worked. As water poured through the now-broken tunnel ceiling, men and material were thrown about like ragdolls. As the water sheeted down, Isambard found himself pinned beneath the remains of the broken scaffolding. Somehow, with the water-level in the tunnel rising quickly, he managed to free himself and crawled into one of the brick arches that ran down the centre of the tunnel bore. Sheltered briefly from the full force of the water, Isambard was able to pull himself up and survey for the first time the damage – he quickly realised that a major breach had happened. The tunnel was flooding – and fast.
> 
> Isambard ran.
> 
> As Isambard and the rest of the tunnel’s workforce raced towards the safety of the Rotherhithe shaft, the breach worsened. As the young engineer reached the shaft he realised the worker’s steps were crammed with those trying to escape. He turned and sprinted for the visitors’ stairs, but was suddenly swept off his feet by a vast wave of water that surged down the tunnel with such force that it pushed Isambard and several others who had not yet have reached the surface right up the shaft itself. Some – including a battered and broken Isambard – were lucky enough to be swept over the lip to safety. The unlucky ones were sucked back down to their deaths as the wave lost its force.
> 
> Six men died, including Collins and Ball. Unlike Isambard, they had been unable to free themselves from the wreckage of the scaffolding.
> 
> The flood had disastrous consequences for the tunnel. Not only was the damage greater than before, but it also robbed Marc of one of his most valuable resources – Isambard. His knee torn, his body bruised and (although he didn’t know it at the time) bleeding internally, Isambard had insisted on staying on site in the immediate aftermath and supervising the assessment of the damage by Diving Bell. Even Isambard’s capacity for feats of endurance had limits though, and he was soon forcefully packed off to Brighton to recover (he’d pass his time designing a bridge or two).
> 
> Deprived of his right hand, Marc went into overdrive. His days were spent supervising the repair efforts and speaking publicly in support of the project’s continuation. His nights were spent poring over the days’ work results and writing reports to the now-frantic company directors detailing the state of play.
> 
> Eventually the breaches were sealed, but just as work was about to begin on restoring the badly damaged tunnelling frames, the project’s finances finally reached critical point. The company needed an investment of funds to survive but despite the efforts of Marc and his ever-present supporter, the Duke of Wellington, who once again put his public reputation on the line and vocally supported Brunel, a subscription drive failed.
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> On August 9th 1828, the tunnel face, with the remains of the frames still in place, was bricked up. The Tunnel seemed finished.
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> Marc Brunel, however, wasn’t.
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> As soon as tunnelling ceased, Brunel began a relentless offensive aimed at securing the funds necessary to complete it – £250,000 all told. He lobbied financiers and businessmen, but soon realised that the only source of likely funding was the Government itself. Shockingly, in 1830 Brunel discovered that the Government itself had actually reached this same conclusion some time before, and had offered a loan to the company only to see it rejected out of hand by the Company’s then Chairman – a man who it now seemed had been almost willing the company to fail by the end.
> 
> By 1831 Brunel had, despite suffering a heart attack, managed to undo this damage and the Government now agreed that Brunel could seek to draw on the Treasury’s Loan scheme. At the Company’s AGM, Brunel had also seen the Chairman deposed.
> 
> Getting the Treasury to actually agree to a loan, however, proved incredibly difficult. The first proposal was rejected but Brunel continued to campaign, even lobbying the King himself. The second was approved only, heartbreakingly, for Brunel to see the Treasury Loan Scheme’s funding cut rendering the approval useless.
> 
> In 1834, after a third application had been rejected, a number of Fellows from the Royal Society decided to throw a dinner in Brunel’s honour. At the Spreadeagle & Crown Pub at Rotherhithe (now the Mayflower), they toasted the Engineer’s health and formed the “Tunnel Club” – a lobbying group determined to help Brunel bring his funding plans to fruition.
> 
> Finally, in June of that year, Parliament signed off on a £270,000 loan.
> 
> Work on the tunnel began again in 1835. The old, now rusted, shield was removed and a new one, its design improved by Brunel, installed in its place. The work of digging the tunnel proved to be even more brutal than before. Brunel had planned to transfer a significant amount of the effort to the Wapping side of the river, not least to allow ventilation to be taken over from there. The Treasury, however, refused to sign off the expense. The wording on the loan was very specific, they insisted – it was to complete construction that was already started and they would consider this as new work.
> 
> As a result, conditions below ground became positively horrific. The air was putrid, not helped by the fact that over 100 gallons of Thames filth was now seeping through the tunnel head every day, and gas was increasingly building up in the tunnel as well. This would lead to the occasional outbreak of explosions and small fires which would burn for days, rendering the tunnel even hotter to work in and leaving the iron-framed tunnelling shield sometimes scalding to the touch.
> 
> The government also rejected a plan by Brunel to buy his own Diving Bell. This, he’d determined, would have been the solution to the flooding problem – by having a Diving Bell above the tunnel head at all times Brunel hoped to be able to catch likely flood points in advance and reinforce them with clay bags before they broke. Brunel got his ship from which to distribute the clay, but not the Diving Bell and thus was largely reduced to throwing clay overboard blind in the hope that it would help.
> 
> Despite all this, the tunnel slowly progressed. Burned by flame, sickened by the water, vomiting and blinded by the gas, the cost to the workers was horrific. Lessons would be learnt for the future from the pains suffered by Brunel’s workers but that was little help to them now. Brunel repeatedly petitioned to be allowed his Wapping ventilation shaft, but was repeatedly turned down. Inch by inch, the tunnel crept forward and more and more the miners found themselves digging through mud rather than earth.
> 
> Then, on the morning of the 23rd August, the seemingly inevitable happened once again.
> 
> There had been some concern about the water levels in the tunnel since the night before, although nothing had come of it. Brunel himself had been at the site since 4am but left in the middle morning when nothing had developed. At lunchtime Thomas Page, Marc’s primary engineer now that Isambard had major projects of his own, was about to depart for a meeting with the company directors, but when he heard that the flow of water had increased slightly above one of the cutting frames something at the back of his mind told him not to go.
> 
> Instead Page headed down to the shield. All appeared under control but, still wary, Page ordered that a raft, clay and other breach-blocking supplies be readied. He also ordered the tunnel cleared of visitors and unnecessary personnel and that a note be dispatched to Brunel warning him that a breach may come at high-tide.
> 
> Page was correct – but it didn’t take until high-tide. By the afternoon water was rushing in and the workers, under the calm and controlled oversight of Page, were pumping out water and strengthening the tunnel to try and stem the flow. Ultimately it proved unsuccessful and Page was forced to order the evacuation, but his management of the situation meant that the breach was far less serious than it could have been. After the normal process of Diving Bell and Clay Bagging, work resumed on the 11th of September.
> 
> The Tunnel would flood three more times, the first of which happened whilst both Brunel and Page were ill and sadly cost a life. By now, however, the process of sealing breaches and cleaning the tunnel had become almost routine. Even during the third, when the water managed to take out all the lighting in the tunnel, the workforce remained composed and were able to minimise the damage. In all cases, work resumed with little delay.
> 
> Progress, however, was still painfully slow – just nine-tenths of an inch a day in some months – because the conditions below ground continued to worsen. Brunel, who turned 70 in 1839, was repeatedly bedridden. His condition was not helped by the fact that he would visit the site every two hours at all times of the day to check for potential breaches. Page too suffered.
> 
> Ultimately, however, it was the workforce who continued to suffer worst. Again and again Brunel lobbied the Treasury to allow him to build his Wapping ventilation shaft, but he was continually refused. As one newspaper at the time noted with morbid humour, the Government’s policy seemed rather “one-sided.”
> 
> On the 22nd August 1839 the tunnel reached the low-water mark on the Wapping bank. Work continued and on the 11th June 1840, work began on the main shaft at Wapping, to be constructed in the same way as the first at Rotherhithe. In May, as the Wapping shaft slowly sank and the main tunnel neared its final destination, a small drainage shaft was dug between the two. That June, Marc Brunel’s 3 year old grandson became the first person ever to fully pass under the river from shore to shore.
> 
> Finally, on November 16th 1841, Thomas Page climbed out of the Rotherhithe shaft and knocked on the door of Brunel’s house just a few metres down the road. On being ushered in, he presented the 72 year old engineer with a clod of earth. Brunel looked at it and smiled at Page, who smiled right back.
> 
> The clod was covered in red brick dust. The tunnel had finally reached the shaft. Brunel had successfully built a tunnel beneath the Thames.
> 
> The work did not finish there, of course, and it would not be until March 1843 that the Tunnel admitted its first paying customer. Even then, it was ultimately a financial failure. The money the Government had loaned the company proved enough to complete the tunnel, but not enough to build the huge descent ramps necessary for horse-drawn traffic to access the tunnel.
> 
> As a result, it could take foot traffic only. The tunnel was rightly recognised as an engineering marvel and became one of London’s biggest tourist attractions – 2 million people used it in that first year alone, but it had ultimately cost almost £500,000 to build. Without road traffic it could never repay that, and despite the company’s efforts to turn it into a bustling subterranean market and Christmas fair, it ultimately ended up as a refuge for the seedier side of London life.
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> _The Tunnel shortly after its completion_
> 
> In 1865, however, the tunnel finally found its use – it was purchased by the East London Railway and became a railway tunnel beneath the Thames. Since then the Tunnel has seen passengers, goods, armaments and even runaway sheep travel through its confines.
> 
> Indeed it is still at the heart of London’s railway network today – if you find yourself on the East London Line then look carefully as you pass through Wapping or Rotherhithe and you’ll see it.
> 
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> _The Tunnel in 1996 – before the massive renovation efforts that took place during the ELL rebuild. Courtesy English Heritage_
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> _The Tunnel shortly before the revamped East London Line opened. Courtesy Caroline’s Miscellany_
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> Almost two hundred years ago, Marc Brunel set out to do the impossible. At great cost in money, time and men he managed to accomplish something that no-one had ever done before, creating a tunnel that many then genuinely regarded as the eighth wonder of the world. In doing so he laid down the foundations for every major subterranean railway that would follow. Others would take the inventions he had created and the lessons he had learnt and improve on them, but to Marc Brunel goes the honour of proving that it could be done at all.
> 
> The Historian Peter Ackroyd once described Marc Brunel as “a lord of the underworld.” It is probably fair to say, however, that he is incorrect.
> 
> For both the engineering legacy he left behind, and the cost to both himself and others that it required, Marc Brunel wasn’t a lord of the Underworld.
> 
> He was its King.
> 
> _This article first ran on London Reconnections in February 2011. We run it again here to mark the brief opening of the Thames Tunnel to walkthrough tours this weekend. Although tickets are (unsurprisingly) sold out, we thus hope to have photos of the current state of the tunnel next week_


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## Manchester77

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-transport


> Three new state-of-the-art electric train fleets will mean more services and seats, faster journeys and better connections across many of the busiest rail routes in London and the south east after the government announced today (23 May 2014) its intention to award the new Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern (TSGN) franchise to Govia Thameslink Railway Limited.
> The 7 year franchise – the largest ever let in terms of passenger numbers – will help deliver the government’s multi-billion pound investment in the region’s rail network, opening up new routes across London and improving services to scores of destinations, including:
> Brighton
> King’s Lynn
> Peterborough
> Cambridge
> Bedford
> Luton
> Gatwick Airports
> Moorgate
> Nearly 1,400 new electric carriages will be rolled out across the new franchise, providing 50% more capacity and 10,000 extra seats every weekday into central London during the morning peak by the end of 2018, and delivering quicker, cleaner and more reliable journeys for passengers and businesses.
> In addition, the new franchise will see millions invested in improving stations and staffing, a simplified ticketing structure and tough new targets for Govia to improve punctuality by reducing delays by around a fifth and improve cleanliness.
> Rail Minister Stephen Hammond said:
> A world class railway is a vital part of our long-term economic plan. New state-of-the-art trains, more seats, better connections and improved stations will transform travel across London and the south east. That’s great news for businesses and the hundreds of thousands of passengers who use these vital services every day.
> The TSGN franchise will play a crucial role in delivering the government’s £6.5 billion Thameslink programme – a major programme of infrastructure work that is helping create 8,000 jobs and will allow 24 trains per hour to travel in each direction from Blackfriars to St Pancras. New tunnels will link Peterborough and Cambridge to the existing Thameslink route providing easy access across London via St Pancras to Gatwick and Brighton.
> The franchise will introduce 1,140 new carriages – already under construction - on the Thameslink network, improving services to scores of destinations, including the introduction of new cross capital services and a connection at Farringdon to London’s newest railway - Crossrail.
> In addition, Govia will order a new fleet of 108 carriages for the Gatwick Express service, replacing the current 25-year-old trains with a fleet better suited to the needs of airport passengers. It will also secure 150 new carriages to replace the 40-year-old trains currently operating on the route between Moorgate, north London and Hertfordshire.
> That means the total number of carriages in service will grow to 2,631 by 2019 – an increase of 27%. It will also release some existing electric carriages to be used elsewhere in the country.
> Govia will invest significantly in improving stations, including free wi-fi at more than 100 stations, better retail and catering facilities and improvements to customer information systems. Staffing hours will also be extended so that at more than 100 of the largest stations there will be staff available from the first train in the morning to the last train at night.
> Demanding contractual obligations on the operator will deliver cleaner and more spacious trains and improve passenger satisfaction. Tough new benchmarks for performance, train and station cleanliness and customer service information have also been agreed.
> The operator will also develop website, smartphone and tablet apps that will make door-to-door travel easier for customers, including planning journeys, buying tickets and booking onward taxis.
> The TSGN franchise will replace the existing Thameslink and Great Northern franchise (operated as First Capital Connect) from 14 September 2014 and will include the South Central franchise (operated as Southern and Gatwick Express) when it expires on 26 July 2015. A small number of services and stations will also transfer from the South Eastern franchise by 21 December 2014. The current franchises provide around 273 million passenger journeys annually.
> Following the announcement, and in accordance with usual procurement practice, there will be a standstill period of 10 days before the department will be a position to enter into, and complete, the formal contractual documentation and make the award to the successful tenderer.


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## dimlys1994

This is the timeline map of future Govia Thameslink routes, taken from their website:


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## Manchester77

The violet coloured routes are the current southern routes. 

Some southeastern routes will transfer upon the December 14 timetable change (21/12 this year) to coincide with the London Bridge changes on Thameslink.

Some key aspects of the new franchise are the procurement and ordering of two new sets of EMUs for Great northern 313 replacement and 442 GatEx replacement; a 50% capacity increase to Uckfield, changes to Brighton Main Line services by extending 2tph of GatEx services to Brighton and the cascade of EMUs across the franchise (319s, 387s, 377s, 313s)


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## dimlys1994

Manchester77 said:


> Some key aspects of the new franchise are the procurement and ordering of two new sets of EMUs for Great northern 313 replacement and 442 GatEx replacement; a 50% capacity increase to Uckfield, changes to Brighton Main Line services by extending 2tph of GatEx services to Brighton and the cascade of EMUs across the franchise (319s, 387s, 377s, 313s)


And, of couse, refubrishment of stations, including Great Northern stations, yeah?


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## dimlys1994

From Railway Gazette:



> http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/urban/single-view/view/crossrail-flyover-launched.html
> 
> *Crossrail flyover launched*
> 27 May 2014
> 
> UK: On May 27 Crossrail Ltd announced that work had been completed to launch a 120 m long bridge weighing 1 000 tonnes into position over the Great Western Main Line at Stockley in west London. The bridge forms part of an additional flyover that is being built to avoid conflicting movements between Crossrail and Heathrow Express services heading towards central London and other trains using the GWML.
> 
> Two jacks were used to move the new bridge into position. A total of 20 moveable wheels and Teflon sheets were also deployed to slide the structure in place.
> 
> ‘We used innovative methods as this was a complex and difficult operation’, said Rob McIntosh, Crossrail Programme Director at Network Rail, which is responsible for delivering surface works for the project. ‘The system of sliding the bridge over the railway line allowed for controlled and safe installation with minimal interruption of rail services’.
> 
> Crossrail services are due to start running between London Paddington and Heathrow Airport in 2018. Once the project is fully completed in 2019, Crossrail services will run between the airport and destinations in east and southeast London via the new tunnel under the city centre.
> 
> ‘The new flyover at Stockley is an essential part of our works in west London, ensuring that the network has enough capacity to run frequent services to and from Heathrow’, said Matthew White, Surface Director at Crossrail Ltd. ‘Crossrail will significantly improve transport links to the airport, bringing the West End, the City and Canary Wharf closer than ever before’


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## dimlys1994

^^Pictures from Crossrail's website:


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## dimlys1994

From Flickr user Diamong Geezer, progress continues on demolishing of old Pudding Mill Lane DLR station, making way for new Crossrail portal:

Destroying the DLR by diamond geezer, on Flickr

Demolishing the DLR by diamond geezer, on Flickr


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## dimlys1994

Timelapse on Crossrail works in Stokcley:


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## PortoNuts

:cheers2:


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## dimlys1994

Official from TfL:



> http://www.tfl.gov.uk/info-for/medi...verground-operator-to-run-additional-services
> 
> *TfL appoints London Overground operator to run additional services*
> 28 May 2014
> 
> Transport for London (TfL) has agreed to appoint LOROL, the London Overground train operator, on an interim basis to run local services out of Liverpool Street Station to north east London and improve standards for passengers.
> 
> LOROL (London Overground Rail Operations Ltd) will run the services – currently managed under the Greater Anglia franchise – between Liverpool Street and Enfield Town, Cheshunt (via Seven Sisters) and Chingford as well as those on the Romford to Upminster line for 17 months starting on 31 May next year.
> 
> The London Overground concession, including these latest additions, will then be re-let following an established bidding process.
> 
> Under TfL, and from day one of the transfer, passengers can look forward to seeing staff at all London Overground -managed stations while trains are running.
> 
> Their presence will bring immediate improvements to station security, safety and accessibility. Oyster will continue to be available to passengers who will also be able to use contactless payment cards for the same PAYG fare.
> 
> They will be able to take advantage of TfL’s extensive multi-media travel service information.
> 
> In a rolling programme, all of the stations will be thoroughly cleaned, and have new, modern ticket machines installed.
> 
> The trains will also be fully cleaned but TfL has ordered new ones which will carry more people more reliably than before.
> 
> LOROL has operated London Overground for TfL, since 2007.
> 
> During that time the network has been significantly extended, carrying more people than ever, and it has become one of the most punctual railways in the UK.
> 
> The Director of London Rail, Jonathan Fox, who leads TfL’s mainline rail business said: “London Overground is coming to West Anglia and will bring more staff, simpler ticketing and, eventually, brand new trains to these lines. LOROL has a proven record on delivery and I'm pleased that this will now extend to West Anglia.”
> 
> LOROL will take over the new routes on 31 May 2015 and run them until November 2016 when the current London Overground concession is due to end.


----------



## dimlys1994

Recent progress on costruction of Paddington Crossrail station, from Crossrail:


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## dimlys1994

Published on London subforum, the recent progress on new Tottenham Court Road station, first part of rebuilt ticket hall will open next year:



potto said:


>


----------



## FabriFlorence

I've a question. If we add underground, DLR, overground, thameslink, the future crossrail and all suburban rail lines which cross the metropolitan area of the capital, How many kilometers of rail has London? 

Unlike others metropolis (Berlin, Seoul, Tokyo etc.) The London tube map only shows the underground and the overground lines but not the suburban rail lines (even though the suburban rail lines are the only ones which serve many areas of the city). I've never found an integrated map of the whole urban and suburban rail network of London.


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## sotonsi

FabriFlorence said:


> I've never found an integrated map of the whole urban and suburban rail network of London.


Not looked too hard, have you? http://www.tfl.gov.uk/maps/track

Literally two clicks from the TfL home page ('Maps' & 'Tube and Rail').

Also in poster format at every station in London - or at least some variant is.


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## Nouvellecosse

All it takes is a google image search for "all rail london" and there are plenty of examples.


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## DaeguDuke

Re: London Overground taking over some East Anglia services - Boris seems to like keeping these in-house, any chance if this is a success that they'll continue to be operated by the state? Slowly renationalising key franchises can only be a good thing these days - no point letting a private company profit when TfL could do the same job and put the profits back into the network


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## dimlys1994

The blueprints of engineering studies from WSP, TfL and Network Rail of new Crossrail link to West Coast Main Line, which could take some Euston-bound services:


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## walky88

duplicate


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## walky88

DaeguDuke said:


> Re: London Overground taking over some East Anglia services - Boris seems to like keeping these in-house, any chance if this is a success that they'll continue to be operated by the state? Slowly renationalising key franchises can only be a good thing these days - no point letting a private company profit when TfL could do the same job and put the profits back into the network


It's not renationalisation by any stretch of the imagination. London Overground is extending to the West Anglia services, and these will, like London Overground, be operated by a private firm. The article above states this will be LOROL (a consortium between Arriva, now part of Deutsche Bahn, and the MTR corporation of Hong Kong).

The difference between London Overground and most other UK train operating companies is that the TOC does not decide levels of service and fares. This is similar to the model used for the DLR, Tramlink and even London buses (incidentally, there was an 'in-house' bus operator in London until Boris privatized it - I'm not aware of him ever showing interest in making operations 'in-house').

TfL has aspirations to extend its London Overground concession system to much of the London metro portions of the rail franchises. If/when this occurs, however, it will in no way be renationalization or bringing operations 'in-house'.


----------



## Stravinsky

FabriFlorence said:


> I've a question. If we add underground, DLR, overground, thameslink, the future crossrail and all suburban rail lines which cross the metropolitan area of the capital, How many kilometers of rail has London?
> 
> Unlike others metropolis (Berlin, Seoul, Tokyo etc.) The London tube map only shows the underground and the overground lines but not the suburban rail lines (even though the suburban rail lines are the only ones which serve many areas of the city). I've never found an integrated map of the whole urban and suburban rail network of London.


You should sum the lengths of the Tube, the Overground, the DLR, Tramlink, Thameslink, and Crossrail. As for suburban rail lines, the only _metro_-like lines London is going to get are Thameslink and Crossrail.

Are there exclusively suburban rail services in London? Or do you call as such just the metropolitan part of mainline services?


----------



## dimlys1994

Official from Crossrail:



> http://www.crossrail.co.uk/news/articles/improved-ealing-broadway-station-designs-revealed
> 
> *IMPROVED EALING BROADWAY STATION DESIGNS REVEALED*
> Monday 2nd June 2014
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _Redesigned proposals for improvements to Ealing Broadway station have been revealed by Crossrail_
> 
> Since submitting proposals at the end of last year, Crossrail has been working closely with Ealing Council, local developers and nearby landowners to broaden the scheme and revise the plans for the station. There has also been close consultation with the local MP and community groups, allowing them the opportunity to comment on the designs.
> 
> The new proposals for the station, designed by Bennetts Associates Architects, include the addition of a long, curved canopy running the length of the forecourt that reflects the prominence and importance of the station building.
> 
> Crossrail’s plans allow for the current dated façade to be replaced with a new glass structure and a new entrance twice the size of the existing one, which will allow much more natural light into the building.
> 
> Inside the station, improvements comprise:
> 
> A ticket hall more than twice the size of the existing one with capacity for 17 standard ticket gates and one wide gate
> Four new lifts to provide step free access from street level to all platforms
> Improved staircases for platforms 1 and 2/3
> Platform extensions to accommodate the new high capacity Crossrail trains
> New toilet facilities
> New customer information screens, station signage, help points and CCTV
> The revised designs will be open to community consultation before Ealing Council takes its decision on planning.
> 
> Julian Bell, leader of Ealing Council said: “The council was determined to secure a high quality station for Ealing Broadway and has worked hard with Crossrail to ensure the designs match Ealing’s aspirations.
> 
> “The council is pleased that, following our intervention, Crossrail decided to completely re-think its plans and responded constructively to the design observations we put forward. We are confident that the revised station plans will create a building which works better for people and is of a scale and appearance that benefits Ealing as west London’s premier town centre.
> 
> “The council is also currently finalising further plans which will transform the entire area around the station, as well as improve safety and transport links, and upgrade the look and feel of the area. These plans will be announced shortly.”
> 
> Matthew White, Crossrail Surface Director, said: “Ealing Broadway will be a key stop on the Crossrail route and we understand the need to provide local people with a much better station building than they have at the moment.
> 
> “By working with the council, community groups, developers and nearby landowners we have improved our proposals and broadened the scheme. Our plans are for a station that will be brighter, more spacious, easier to get around and more visually prominent.”
> 
> Crossrail will provide a step change in public transport for people in Ealing – better stations, new and longer trains, faster journeys. Residents will be able to catch up to ten Crossrail services an hour right through the centre of the capital, making it quicker and easier to get to a range of destinations across London and the South East. The station will also be an interchange with the District and Central lines on the Underground as well as National Rail services.
> 
> By improving transport links, Crossrail is already unlocking development opportunities in west London, encouraging investment and supporting local jobs and businesses. Almost half of planning applications (44%) within a kilometre of the five stations in the London Borough of Ealing cited the new railway as a justification for the development proceeding. This equates to an estimated 260,000 square metres of residential, commercial and retail space


----------



## dimlys1994

Official from TfL:



> http://www.tfl.gov.uk/info-for/medi...t-setting-out-options-for-step-free-crossrail
> 
> *DfT and TfL publish report setting out options for step free Crossrail*
> 03 June 2014
> 
> The joint sponsors of Crossrail, the Department for Transport (DfT) and Transport for London (TfL), have reaffirmed their aim of making the entire route accessible and published options to make the remaining seven stations step free.
> 
> The route will serve 40 stations from Reading and Maidenhead in the west and Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east.
> 
> Eight stations are already step free and work is underway to upgrade or build 25 more to give step free access for the first time. The joint sponsors are working on plans for the remaining seven.
> 
> The report sets out practical, workable solutions that could be implemented at Seven Kings, Maryland, Manor Park, Hanwell, Iver, Taplow and Langley.
> 
> Further work will be undertaken to verify technical and engineering assumptions as well as further develop the plans. TfL and the DfT are currently looking at funding options to pay for these improvements.
> 
> The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “London now has one of the most accessible public transport networks in the world, with further improvements underway at stations, bus stops and on our trains.
> 
> It is therefore only right that Crossrail is also part of that accessible future. This report sets out workable solutions for step-free access at all Crossrail stations and I will continue working alongside the DfT and TfL to help deliver that.”
> 
> Transport Minister Stephen Hammond said: “World class transport networks are a vital part in the national economic plan but they have to be accessible to all. This is why everyone in the Crossrail family supports the aim of making all of the route accessible. The publication of this study is a step in the right direction.”
> 
> Mike Brown MVO, the Managing Director of London Underground and London Rail, said: “Crossrail is going to transform how people travel in and across London and we are committed to making the entire railway open to everyone. Providing an accessible transport network is a priority for TfL and we have already made significant improvements to make travelling in London easier for customers with disabilities. The provision of 40 step free stations for Crossrail is an important part of that work so that London can continue to deliver greater accessibility.”
> 
> The new Crossrail train fleet will be built to the latest standards of accessibility. Crossrail trains will have dedicated, clearly distinguished priority seats and space for wheelchairs. Each carriage will provide both visual and audio information about the train’s journey.
> 
> Crossrail will be fully operational by the end of 2019. The line will boost London’s rail-based capacity by 10 per cent connecting Reading and Heathrow in the west and Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east. It is connecting people and places, providing faster journey times and up to 24 trains per hour between Paddington and Whitechapel during the peak.
> 
> It is estimated that Crossrail will generate at least 75,000 business opportunities and support the equivalent of 55,000 full time jobs right around the UK. Three out of five businesses currently winning work on the project are based outside London and over half are small and medium-size companies (SMEs).


PDF file by this link:
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/cdn/static/cms/documents/accessibility-summary-report.pdf


----------



## dimlys1994

Official from Crossrail, final digging has started:



> www.crossrail.co.uk/news/articles/crossrail-begins-new-docklands-tunnel-drive
> 
> *CROSSRAIL BEGINS NEW DOCKLANDS TUNNEL DRIVE*
> Wednesday 4th June 2014
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _Tunnel Boring Machine Jessica begins her journey from Limmo Peninsula_
> _End is now in sight for Crossrail’s tunnelling marathon with construction of new rail tunnels over 80% complete_
> _Crossrail today started its shortest tunnel drive from Limmo Peninsula, beside Canning Town station, towards Victoria Dock Portal in east London._
> 
> Tunnelling machine Jessica, named after British Olympic champion Jessica Ennis-Hill CBE, will create the 900m tunnel forming part of the south-east spur of London’s new rail line. The tunnel begins from a 35m deep access shaft alongside the mouth of the River Lea, and will run to Victoria Dock Portal, where the Crossrail tracks reach the surface at Custom House station. It is Jessica’s second tunnelling mission, having already completed a tunnel from Pudding Mill Lane, near Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, to Stepney Green over the winter.
> 
> Jessica’s launch continues Crossrail’s good progress with over 80% of rail tunnels now complete. Later this year Jessica’s sister machine Ellie will create the second tunnel from Limmo Peninsula to Victoria Dock Portal. Crossrail is creating 42 kilometres of bored tunnels using eight tunnel boring machines, four of which have already retired after completing their journeys.
> 
> Andrew Wolstenholme, Crossrail Chief Executive said: "The end is now in sight for Crossrail’s tunnelling marathon. We wish those operating Jessica a safe and speedy journey through to Victoria Dock. While this is our shortest tunnel drive, it still forms an important part of Crossrail’s south-east spur, which will bring tremendous benefits to Docklands and south east London.”
> 
> London’s population is set to grow from 8.4 million today to around 10 million by 2030. Government, the Mayor of London and Transport for London are investing in Crossrail and other transport infrastructure to support access to jobs, education, housing and to boost economic growth. It is estimated that Crossrail will generate at least 75,000 business opportunities and support the equivalent of 55,000 full time jobs around the UK. In addition to Crossrail, 61,000 jobs are created around the country annually through TfL's investment programme.
> 
> Crossrail is catalysing regeneration around London. Once construction is complete at the Limmo Peninsula site, the historic former home of the Thames Ironworks is to be developed into a high density residential development, contributing funds to the Crossrail funding envelope.
> 
> According to research from GVA, nearby Custom House Crossrail station has seen nine planning applications within a 1km radius between 2008-2013, comprising nearly 9,000 new homes, 340,000 square feet of office space and 45,000 square feet of retail space.
> 
> Crossrail aims for at least 95% of its excavated material to be beneficially reused. This includes transporting materials by river barge to Wallasea Island in Essex where it will help form a new nature reserve, established in partnership with RSPB. The concrete segments lining the tunnel are manufactured in Chatham, Kent and also transported to Limmo Peninsula by river barge.
> 
> When Crossrail opens in 2018, it will increase London's rail-based transport network capacity by 10 per cent and cut journey times across the city, bringing an extra 1.5m people to within 45 minutes of central London.


----------



## dimlys1994

Official from Crossrail:



> http://www.crossrail.co.uk/news/art...ts-design-proposals-for-areas-around-stations
> 
> *CROSSRAIL EXHIBITS DESIGN PROPOSALS FOR AREAS AROUND STATIONS*
> Tuesday 3rd June 2014
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _Bond Street station_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _Canary Wharf station_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _Around Forest Gate station_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _Around Ilford station_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _Around Maryland station_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _Tottenham Court Road station development_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _Whitechapel station_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _Around Whitechapel station_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _Around Woolwich station_
> 
> _Initial plans include over 2 million square feet of improved public areas outside Crossrail stations_
> _Proposals are part of the UK’s largest ever integrated rail design project_
> _Crossrail is exhibiting initial design proposals for public areas surrounding 31 of its stations. The designs offer a vision of how areas outside stations could appear in the future, and include landscaped areas, better way-finding and enhanced integration with other transport services across London and beyond_
> 
> The design proposals are at a high level and subject to further revision, in close consultation with local authorities and other stakeholders. They will be shown at the ‘Crossrail Places and Spaces’ exhibition at City Hall until 13 June, at the Royal Institute of British Architects from 16 June and The Building Centre from 21 July.
> 
> Areas outside the stations included in these proposals are equivalent in size to 19 Leicester Squares. The proposals aim to be attractive, accessible, free from clutter, safe and adaptable, so they can change over time. They also aim to be diverse and characteristic of their local area, stimulating regeneration opportunities by giving confidence to local communities and investors.
> 
> The initial proposals include 24 new station forecourts, 12 improved forecourts, 1,335 new cycle parking places, 328 new trees and 20 new pedestrian crossings. Designs for many areas include wider pavements, new pedestrian areas (including pedestrian prioritisation), paving, signage and road alterations to slow and reduce road traffic, improving safety.
> 
> The proposed designs are by some of the UK’s leading urban designers and masterplanners and have been created in a joint effort by local authorities, Transport for London, Crossrail and, on the surface section of the route, Network Rail. They have been subject to design reviews by a panel of experts appointed by CABE at Design Council, or by Urban Design London.
> 
> The total cost of the proposed urban realm improvements is estimated at £130m. Crossrail Limited aims to raise and implement £90m of improvements by the time trains are running in 2018. The funding will be split three ways between Crossrail, TfL and third parties - principally local authorities through developer contributions. Local authorities are being given the opportunity to secure funding towards the improvements through a £28.5m fund established by TfL. Boroughs eligible to apply for funding have been given guidance on how to do so and allocations will be announced later this year.
> 
> Examples of proposed improvements include Tottenham Court Road, which will be transformed by a new piazza and pedestrian links towards Soho; Farringdon, which will become a pedestrian priority area around the Cowcross Street entrance and Abbey Wood, which will have a new upper level concourse.
> 
> Crossrail and Network Rail will take the proposed designs forward for formal approval by local authorities. Some designs will be worked up in more detail by local authorities to attract funders.
> 
> The exhibition will also feature Crossrail designs for 11 property developments to be built above Crossrail stations, which will deliver three million square feet of top-quality office, residential and retail space to London’s supply-constrained property market. This makes Crossrail one of London’s largest property developers over the next five years. Crossrail is interested in speaking to development partners for several of the schemes, which will return funds to the Crossrail funding envelope.
> 
> Terry Morgan, Crossrail Chairman said: “Crossrail does not just stop at the top of the station escalators. Crossrail will help to improve London’s cityscapes, transforming the experiences of transport users. These urban realm proposals around Crossrail stations are well on the way to becoming a great addition to the project.”
> 
> Thomas Bender, Lead Advisor, Cabe at Design Council said: “We have conducted more than 80 reviews of different elements of Crossrail, helping the project deliver high quality, sustainable design. Our independence and breadth of expertise means Crossrail will enhance the lives of passengers using the stations, the spaces around the stations as well as ensuring value for the developer. We look forward to working with Crossrail in the future and sharing the vast knowledge that we built up around the project to benefit other towns and communities.”
> 
> Mike Brown MVO, the Managing Director for London Rail, said: “We are determined to ensure from day one customers’ journeys are improved not simply when using Crossrail services, but also when travelling on to their destinations by bus, bike or on foot. That is why TfL is making available £28.5m to support the introduction of the significant public realm and transport improvements as well as ensuring Crossrail services are fully integrated as part of London Underground and the rest of the TfL network.”
> 
> The exhibition marks the first time that a major UK rail project has taken an integrated approach to the design of routes, stations, operations, over station developments and areas surround the stations


----------



## dimlys1994

From London SE1:



> http://www.london-se1.co.uk/news/view/7612
> 
> *Railway platform gap to be reduced at Elephant & Castle Station*
> Friday 6 June 2014
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _Work is about to begin on a project to raise the height of platform 4 at Elephant & Castle railway station_
> 
> The platform, which is used by southbound trains, is on a curve and there are many signs warning passengers to take extra care because of the height difference between the train and the platform.
> 
> "For many years we have recognised that the gap on platform 4 at Elephant & Castle needs to be addressed and we are delighted that Network Rail is now carrying out this work," said Keith Jipps, customer service director at First Capital Connect.
> 
> "This will make it easier and safer for our passengers to board and alight our services."
> 
> The project, which is due to be completed by late August, involves the construction of a gently sloping surface from the back of the platform rising closer to the train doors.
> 
> A similar scheme was completed at Tulse Hill station in April this year.
> 
> Throughout the work the platform will remain open although areas will be fenced off at times


----------



## dimlys1994

Taken from London subforum, construction progress on brand new Tottenham Court Road station ticket hall:



potto said:


>


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## dimlys1994

From London subforum, prepatory works starts on new Abbey Wood station:



WigBaM said:


>


----------



## dimlys1994

Official from TfL:



> http://www.tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2014/june/have-your-say-on-crossrail-2
> 
> *Have your say on Crossrail 2*
> 09 June 2014
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _A further consultation focusing on specific areas of Crossrail 2 launches today_
> 
> Transport for London (TfL) and Network Rail have today launched a second consultation on Crossrail 2 which will look at variations to the proposed route.
> 
> Crossrail 2 would create a new high frequency, high capacity rail line with shorter journey times between south west and north east London.
> 
> Its route is designed to address capacity constraints in the south west as well as providing vital new connections across the capital which will help to support economic growth, providing opportunities for thousands of new jobs and homes.
> 
> The results of an earlier consultation on Crossrail 2 carried out last year by TfL and Network Rail demonstrated considerable support for Crossrail 2, particularly for the Regional route.
> 
> This route, which will travel through London and into Surrey and Hertfordshire, will provide greater benefits through journey and congestion relief across the existing rail network.
> 
> It will also create much needed additional capacity on the main line network and have a greater impact on regeneration and development particularly in outer London and the Upper Lea Valley.
> 
> However it also raised some issues on specific route alignments.
> 
> This second consultation will explore these specific aspects in more depth.
> 
> Work carried out to review the comments and proposed changes by the public consultation in 2013 identified some potential changes to the route which may offer further passenger benefits, better value for money and potentially better opportunities for local growth and regeneration to increase the supply of housing and jobs.
> 
> As a result a further consultation being launched today will look specifically at:
> 
> _Alternative route alignments in the London borough of Hackney;_
> _Extending the terminal destination for Crossrail 2 from Alexandra Palace to New Southgate;_
> _Alternative locations for the proposed station in Chelsea._
> Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said:
> 
> 'If London and its economy are to keep moving then it’s essential that we crack on and get Crossrail 2 delivered. It’s a vital project not just for the capital, but also for the regions from which hordes of commuters struggle into work on packed carriages each day. As we’ve seen with Crossrail 1, major transport projects like this have an enormous role to play not just in boosting capacity, but in galvanising economic development and unlocking the potential for jobs and homes. We know there’s huge appetite from passengers and from business to get this project off the ground and as we take the hugely important step in fine-tuning the potential route we’re genuinely keen to hear people’s views.'
> 
> TfL’s Managing Director of Planning, Michèle Dix, said:
> 
> 'People can clearly see the immense value of Crossrail 2 which will create a new high frequency, high capacity rail line with shorter journey times between southwest and northeast London and relieve pressure on suburban rail routes and the Underground as well as helping to spur economic growth in and beyond the capital. Crossrail 2 is a vital addition to London’s transport system and as we move forward with this second consultation we’re another step closer to making it a reality.'
> 
> Network Rail’s Group Strategy Director, Paul Plummer, said:
> 
> 'London’s railways are already the busiest and most congested in the country, with many main lines operating at, or close to, capacity. Working jointly with TfL we must press on with schemes such as Crossrail 2 so that public transport continues to support and drive economic growth.'
> 
> The consultation will run for six weeks, from 9 June to 25 July 2014.
> 
> More information can be found at www.crossrail2.co.uk.
> 
> Local drop-in sessions for people to find out more about the options will be held in Chelsea, Hackney and Dalston from mid June, further details and dates of the events are available on the website.
> 
> Even with the Tube upgrade works and the delivery of Crossrail 1, Crossrail 2 is needed to provided additional capacity on the transport network so that it is able to cope with London's forecasted population growth, expected to reach 10 million by 2030.
> 
> The results of this second consultation will inform a revision to the project safeguarding later in the year.
> 
> More detailed design will then be needed and an application for Powers to build could take place in 2018.


----------



## dimlys1994

^^Detailed map of Hackney and Chelsea options:


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## DaeguDuke

It wouldn't be too hard to build an underground station between Hackney Downs and Hackney Central with access shafts to both..


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## nr23Derek

DaeguDuke said:


> It wouldn't be too hard to build an underground station between Hackney Downs and Hackney Central with access shafts to both..


That would be a very long connecting tunnel! The two are about 1Km apart

Derek


----------



## DaeguDuke

nr23Derek said:


> That would be a very long connecting tunnel! The two are about 1Km apart Derek


I've not physically taken a tape measure but the platforms are closer than 500m apart. Certainly closer than Farringdon and Barbican. Assuming the same 250m platforms as for crossrail1 then 100/150m tunnels don't seem too difficult. It wouldn't work well for people transferring between Hackney Central & Downs but to and from Crossrail would be possible.


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## sotonsi

nr23Derek said:


> That would be a very long connecting tunnel! The two are about 1Km apart


More like 500m (currently - would become smaller)


DaeguDuke said:


> Assuming the same 250m platforms as for crossrail1 then 100/150m tunnels don't seem too difficult.


This is assuming that the Crossrail 2 platforms would be well aligned for the connection.

They are quite likely to be at 90 degrees to the NW-SE alignment of a straight line between both stations. Though if they want a good interchange with both, it will be a N-S station, rather than NE-SW. And actually, getting the Google maps tap measure out, you can get to both sets of platforms with relatively short passages, regardless of alignment, provided the southern end is near where the railways cross each other. Getting to the station buildings is harder, but a North-South aligned station can do both easily with sub 200m walkways.


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## dimlys1994

From Flickr user stevekeiretsu, works continues on upgrading Putney station:

Putney Station expansion work by stevekeiretsu, on Flickr

Putney Station expansion work by stevekeiretsu, on Flickr

Putney Station expansion work by stevekeiretsu, on Flickr


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## dimlys1994

From Construction Enquirer:



> http://www.constructionenquirer.com/2014/06/11/taylor-woodrow-wins-142m-crossrail-depot-deal/
> 
> *Taylor Woodrow wins £142m Crossrail depot deal*
> Wed 11th June 2014, 9:54
> 
> Taylor Woodrow has won a £142m contract from Bombardier Transport UK to design and construct a depot for its Crossrail train fleet at Old Oak Common, West London.
> 
> The 8-road depot will be able to accommodate 33 trains while routine maintenance is carried out.
> 
> Around 250 construction jobs will be created at the site.
> 
> Project Manager James Mendis said: “The award of this important contract is the latest stage of Taylor Woodrow’s extensive involvement with Crossrail.
> 
> “Our role at Old Oak Common will allow us to demonstrate our extensive capabilities in delivering railway infrastructure projects. “
> 
> Bombardier landed the Crossrail contract earlier this year covering the supply, delivery and maintenance of 65 new 200m-long trains.
> 
> Bombardier will manufacture and assemble the trains at their Derby plant, with the first due date to be delivered in May 2017.
> 
> The new fleet will be progressively introduced to the existing rail network, well in advance of services commencing through Crossrail’s central section in December 2018


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## dimlys1994

Official from Crossrail:



> http://www.crossrail.co.uk/news/articles/chancellor-unveils-crossrails-new-tunnels-under-the-thames
> 
> *CHANCELLOR UNVEILS CROSSRAIL’S NEW TUNNELS UNDER THE THAMES*
> Friday 13th June 2014
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _On Friday, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Rt. Hon. George Osborne MP, unveiled London's newest tunnel under the River Thames._
> 
> The ‘Thames Tunnel’, part of the £14.8bn Crossrail project, stretches for almost two miles and will help to significantly improve connections between southeast London and the rest of the capital when it opens in 2018. As a result of the new link, journeys times will be cut by up to half from Abbey Wood to Canary Wharf, Bond Street and Liverpool Street.
> 
> The Chancellor was joined 15 metres below ground under the river Thames at North Woolwich by Crossrail Chairman Terry Morgan and Crossrail apprentices who have worked on the tunnels.
> 
> Speaking from the site the Chancellor said: “As part of our long term economic plan we are investing in infrastructure around the country to create a more balanced, resilient economy.
> 
> “Crossrail is not only providing extra speed and capacity for London’s passengers, but also supporting new housing, jobs and businesses."
> 
> Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “London is the engine room of the UK and projects such as Crossrail are helping to drive our country’s economy in the right direction. Completion of The Thames Tunnel is yet another important chapter in the Crossrail story - a tale that perfectly highlights how investing in major transport schemes can trigger development and unlock the potential for thousands of new jobs and homes.”
> 
> Since 2008 there have been planning applications within a kilometre of Woolwich Crossrail station for 4,286 new homes, over 70,000 square feet of new office space and 114,000 square feet of new retail space.
> 
> Crossrail will also develop almost 500,000 square feet of residential development above the new station. Berkeley Homes is currently constructing 631 new homes above Woolwich Crossrail station, of which 265 (42%) will be affordable.
> 
> It is estimated that Crossrail will generate at least 75,000 business opportunities and support the equivalent of 55,000 full time jobs around the UK. Three out of five businesses currently winning work on the project are based outside London and over half (58%) are small and medium sized enterprises.
> 
> In January, the Crossrail project reached the half-way point in construction on time and on budget.
> 
> Rail minister Stephen Hammond said: “Crossrail will transform travel for millions of passengers across London and help regenerate communities along the route. The planned Woolwich station is already delivering on that promise and is transforming the southeast of London, attracting investment from businesses and developers, and supporting our plans for long-term economic growth. This is a major milestone in the Crossrail project and demonstrates that our plans to build a world-class railway are firmly on track.”
> 
> Terry Morgan, Crossrail Chairman said: “Crossrail will help to transform this part of London, boosting the local economy, creating new transport links, reducing congestion on existing rail services and supporting wider regeneration. We have now completed over 21 miles of new rail tunnels beneath the streets of the capital and are more than half way through the project.”
> 
> Mike Brown MVO, Managing Director London Underground and Rail said: “The completion of this tunnel under the Thames marks another key milestone in the construction of Crossrail which when it opens will boost rail capacity in the capital by 10 per cent. Cities are the engine of the UK’s growth and continued investment in infrastructure improvements is vital to create jobs and stimulate growth across the UK.”


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## dimlys1994

Official from Network Rail:



> http://www.networkrailmediacentre.c...ent-of-Tennison-Road-bridge-Croydon-20bf.aspx
> 
> *Network Rail to begin £10m complete replacement of Tennison Road bridge, Croydon*
> Friday 13 Jun 2014
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _The bridge now_
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> 
> 
> 
> 
> _The bridge after rebuilding_
> 
> Tennison Road bridge, near Norwood Junction, Croydon, will be closing from June 16 until spring 2015 to allow Network Rail to completely replace it with a bigger and better structure.
> 
> The bridge, which has spanned the main lines from London Bridge and Victoria to East Croydon since 1922, has to be replaced as it has reached the end of its life.
> 
> A main span of the new structure, which will be hydraulically pushed into place next Christmas, will be approximately 3.5 metres wider to allow for wider footways, safer cycling and a wider carriageway. It is due to open for public use in spring next year.
> 
> Network Rail’s enhancements manager for the South East, Mike Smith, said: “The old structure is past its use-by date and this is a great opportunity for us and Croydon Council to put something better in its place.
> 
> “We have already built a temporary footbridge so there will still be pedestrian access across the railway and it will also allow vital services, such as electricity, gas and water, to continue undisrupted while the old bridge is demolished in the coming months.
> 
> “We thank drivers and residents in the area for bearing with us as we do this vital work.”
> 
> Councillor Kathy Bee, cabinet member for transport and environment at Croydon Council, which is part-funding the replacement, said: “This is an important and necessary undertaking.
> 
> “Unfortunately, it appears there will be an overlap of these planned works with the current closure of Spring Lane bridge, which is due to be fully reopened in late July.
> 
> “However, the long-term benefits to local people and all who use the Tennison Road bridge outweigh the unavoidable inconvenience they experience while the replacement work is carried out.”
> 
> Demolition of the bridge will be a gradual process and there will be some changes to train services at various weekends during the autumn to allow for the safe removal of the existing bridge.
> 
> The main span of the new bridge will be pushed into place in one piece over Christmas and Boxing Day this year.
> 
> The bridge replacement will be carried out by contractors Graham Construction. For more information and contact details see www.graham.co.uk/tennisonroadbridge


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## dimlys1994

Official from Crossrail:



> http://www.crossrail.co.uk/news/art...hine-ellie-completes-journey-at-stepney-green
> 
> *CROSSRAIL TUNNELLING MACHINE ELLIE COMPLETES JOURNEY AT STEPNEY GREEN*
> Monday 16th June 2014
> 
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> 
> _Tunnel Boring Machine Ellie has broken through into a cavern 40m beneath Stepney Green, in the East End of London_
> 
> The breakthrough marks the structural completion of tunnels for Crossrail’s north east spur, between Whitechapel and Pudding Mill Lane. It has taken Ellie just over three months to complete the 2.7km journey, travelling as much as 72m in a 24 hour period.
> 
> In the coming weeks 1,000 tonne Ellie, named after Paralympic Champion Ellie Simmonds OBE, will be lifted out of the cavern and taken by road to Limmo Peninsula at Canning Town. From there she will be re-assembled ahead of recommencing tunnelling towards Victoria Dock Portal.
> 
> Andrew Wolstenholme, Crossrail Chief Executive said: “Ellie has made a safe journey from the shadow of the Olympic stadium to our site at Stepney Green. Our tunnel teams deserve congratulations for an impressive feat of engineering. Construction of the new rail tunnels for Europe’s largest infrastructure project is now over 80 per cent complete. Crossrail continues to be delivered on time and on budget.”
> 
> It is estimated that Crossrail will generate at least 75,000 business opportunities and support the equivalent of 55,000 full time jobs around the UK. In addition to Crossrail, 61,000 jobs are created around the country annually through TfL's investment programme.
> 
> When Crossrail opens in 2018, it will increase London's rail-based transport network capacity by 10 per cent and cut journey times across the city, bringing an extra 1.5m people to within 45 minutes of central London.
> 
> Joint Venture Dragados Sisk is constructing the eastern tunnels between Pudding Mill Lane and Stepney Green, Limmo Peninsula and Farringdon, and Victoria Dock Portal and Limmo.


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## dimlys1994

Official from Crossrail:



> http://www.crossrail.co.uk/news/articles/roof-above-canary-wharf-crossrail-station-completes
> 
> *ROOF ABOVE CANARY WHARF CROSSRAIL STATION COMPLETES*
> Wednesday 18th June 2014
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _Canary Wharf Group plc has completed the striking timber lattice roof above the Canary Wharf Crossrail station_
> 
> The final aluminium piece was placed on the Foster + Partners designed roof, marking the structural completion of the project which began in May 2009.
> 
> The roof will sit above a new roof garden and Canary Wharf Group’s four storey, 115,000 sq ft retail and leisure development including shops, restaurants, bars and a cinema. The roof garden and first phase of the retail and leisure space will open in May 2015, three years before trains run through the station.
> 
> Work began on the new station in May 2009 by creating a 250m long and 30m wide watertight dam in the waters of North Dock, using an innovative ‘silent’ piling method. The station box was then built ‘top down,’ 28 metres below the water surface to create the ticket hall and platform levels.
> 
> Canary Wharf is the most progressed of Crossrail’s 10 new stations. Eight 40 metre-long escalators, four lifts, flooring, wall cladding and space for station services are all in place in the ticket hall level.
> 
> Crossrail’s construction remains on time and within budget. Its tunnelling programme is over 80% complete. When Crossrail opens in 2018, it will increase London's rail-based transport network capacity by 10 per cent and cut journey times across the city, bringing an extra 1.5m people within 45 minutes of central London.


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## dimlys1994

Video from Crossrail about TBM breakthrough at Stepney Green:


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## dimlys1994

And another timelapse from London Bridge:


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## dimlys1994

Official from Crossrail:



> http://www.crossrail.co.uk/news/art...-consent-for-new-homes-above-woolwich-station
> 
> *CROSSRAIL GAINS PLANNING CONSENT FOR NEW HOMES ABOVE WOOLWICH STATION*
> Wednesday 3rd September 2014
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _Crossrail has received a green light from the Royal Borough of Greenwich to build nearly 400 new homes above the new Woolwich Crossrail station_
> 
> The major new residential development, to be known as Armourer’s Court, will consist of approximately 490,000 sq ft in five high quality buildings of varying heights set around a landscaped garden. Carefully located retail and business space will be at ground level.
> 
> The Armourer’s Court design by architects TP Bennett was reviewed by Design Council CABE and created in consultation with the local community, Royal Borough of Greenwich, Greater London Authority and English Heritage. It draws upon the heritage of the nearby Royal Arsenal buildings, with brick, metal and glass façades.
> 
> Crossrail will market the Armourer’s Court site to potential development partners in the coming year and aims to commence construction once the station has been completed in 2018. It is part of Crossrail’s strategy to develop three million sq ft of new commercial and residential space above stations, returning funds to the Crossrail budget and regenerating urban areas all along the line
> 
> ...


More about renders you can find here


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## dimlys1994

Another photo from London Bridge, taken from London SE1's Twitter page:


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## Spam King

Taken August 28, 2014


286. Tottenham Court Road Crossrail Site by geologicalsociety, on Flickr


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## Spam King

London Bridge Station:


London Bridge by unravelled, on Flickr


London Bridge by unravelled, on Flickr


London Bridge by unravelled, on Flickr


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## dimlys1994

Spam King said:


> London Bridge Station


Already were these photos in this forum. See previous page


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## dimlys1994

Consultation was launched on extension of Gospel Oak to Barking line (GOBLIN) of London Overground from Barking to new development at Barking Riverside. When I heard about this, initially I thought that there would be an extension Dagenham Dock. But now... Map taken from consultation page:










DLR extension plan to this area put on hold because of cost, which is £700m, Overground costs £170m If approved, Overground extension will be completed in 2019


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## dimlys1994

From London SE1:



> http://www.london-se1.co.uk/news/view/7826
> 
> *Waterloo International fully open for local trains 'in 2017'*
> Saturday 6 September 2014
> 
> _The former Eurostar platforms at Waterloo Station will be fully returned to public use by domestic commuter trains in 2017 - ten years after the last cross-channel train left the terminal - the Government said this week_
> 
> "I am very aware of how crowded South West Trains' suburban services are, particularly in the morning peak," transport minister Claire Perry told Parliament in a written statement this week.
> 
> "The result of the department's successful negotiation is 150 new vehicles – Thameslink variants – which will be used on the Windsor lines, leading to an internal cascade which will deliver a full 10 car suburban network, making use of platforms 1 to 4 at Waterloo which Network Rail are extending.
> 
> "The Windsor line trains will use the platforms at Waterloo International, which are being brought back into full use in 2017.
> 
> "There are a number of additional works along the route and at stations which will deliver benefits for passengers."
> 
> The 150 new carriages will be formed into 30 five-car trains. The Siemens Desiro City units will be similar in design to the class 700 trains recently ordered for the north-south Thameslink route
> 
> ...


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## dimlys1994

Draft design for Barking Riverside station, taken from consultation page. Provision will be made for further extension south. Presumably to Thamesmead and Abbey Wood:


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## dimlys1994

Last Crossrail TBM drive starts today at Limmo Peninsula shaft. Link:


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## dimlys1994

Consultation was launched for upgrading of Hackney Wick station. Taken from Olympic Park website:


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## dimlys1994

^^More renders - more you can find here:





































Looks like new Pudding Mill Lane station


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## dimlys1994

Photos from Canary Wharf Crossrail station, taken from London subforum:



chest said:


> a few from open house weekend
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## davroca5

^^
:drool:
Awesome pics!!!


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## dimlys1994

Consultation was launched on new Old Oak Common Overground station. Here are the options:


TfL Image - Old Oak Common Overground Consultation - Map A by Transport for London Press Images, on Flickr


TfL Image - Old Oak Common Overground Consultation - Map B by Transport for London Press Images, on Flickr


TfL Image - Old Oak Common Overground Consultation - Map C by Transport for London Press Images, on Flickr


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## dimlys1994

Another demolition at London Bridge station, this time for Platform 8


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## dimlys1994

From Railway Gazette:



> http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/...o-supply-crossrail-platform-screen-doors.html
> 
> *Knorr-Bremse to supply Crossrail platform screen doors*
> 23 Sep 2014
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> UK: Crossrail Ltd announced on September 23 that it had selected Knorr-Bremse Rail Systems (UK) Ltd as preferred bidder for contract C631, covering the supply of platform screen doors for seven underground stations. Contract value ‘is in the region of £28m’, says Crossrail.
> 
> Knorr-Bremse is to supply full-height platform screen doors with a total length of 4 km, to be installed at the Crossrail stations at Paddington, Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon, Liverpool Street, Whitechapel, Canary Wharf and Woolwich. Design and development, as well as manufacture of the operating system, is to take place at the Knorr-Bremse plant in Melksham. Assembly and testing is to be carried out at the former Railcare works in Wolverton.
> 
> ‘Crossrail has now awarded the last of the major railway systems contracts’, said Crossrail Programme Director Simon Wright. ‘As major construction concludes, work will get underway to fit out the new tunnels and stations’, including ‘over 40 km of track, power equipment as well as signalling, ventilation and drainage’.
> 
> Faiveley Transport and Singapore Technologies Electronics were also shortlisted for contract C631


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## dimlys1994

View on Crossrail sites from webcams. Paddington station:



















Bond Street station Davies St ticket hall:










And Hanover St ticket hall:










Farringdon station Cowcross St ticket hall:










And Lindsay St hall:










Liverpool Street station Bloomfield St hall:










And Moorgate hall:










Whitechapel station:










Custom House station:










See also pictures at London Reconnections, where I found information about webcams


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## dimlys1994

Official from Crossrail:



> http://www.crossrail.co.uk/news/art...free-access-for-all-london-crossrail-stations
> 
> *MAYOR AND TRANSPORT FOR LONDON ANNOUNCE STEP FREE ACCESS FOR ALL LONDON CROSSRAIL STATIONS*
> Wednesday 1st October 2014
> 
> The Mayor of London and Transport for London (TfL) have today confirmed funding to install step free access at Seven Kings, Maryland, Manor Park and Hanwell stations ahead of Crossrail fully opening in 2019 - meaning all Crossrail stations within London will be step free.
> 
> Crossrail will dramatically improve accessibility provision along the route and bring step free access to the heart of the West End. Step free access was already committed for 33 of the 40 stations on the route.
> 
> The new funding will mean 37 are step free, including every Crossrail station in London. All stations will be staffed whenever trains are running, providing for customers the 'turn-up and-go' assistance service already in operation across the London Underground and London Overground networks.
> 
> Detailed design and planning work will now get underway, with the cost of improvements to the four stations expected to be around £19m - provided though efficiencies and some reallocation of the operating budget. TfL will continue to work with the DfT to secure funding for step free access at the remaining three Crossrail stations; Taplow, Langley and Iver
> 
> ...


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## dimlys1994

Daytime pictures from Crossrail's webcam. Same order, except Whitechapel:


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## dimlys1994

Webcam of Whitechapel station:


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## dimlys1994

Again from webcams - Paddington station:



















Bond Street station:



















Farringdon station:



















Liverpool Street station:



















Whitechapel station:










Custom House station:


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## TedStriker

Wow Custom House. It seems like only yesterday I was there in a landscape of industrial dereliction.


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## Antje

UrbanRail.net now has the railways in better detail, just as when more TOCs are introducing metro-style services:


SPOILER 1: It's the largest in the UrbanRail.net's history.

SPOLIER 2: I made it.


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## dimlys1994

Antje said:


> SPOILER 1: It's the largest in the UrbanRail.net's history.
> 
> SPOLIER 2: I made it.


I like it, you are the best


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## dimlys1994

Again from webcams - same order. Paddington station:



















Bond St station:



















Farringdon station:



















Liverpool St station:



















Whitechapel station:



















Custom House station:


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## 437.001

Antje said:


> UrbanRail.net now has the railways in better detail, just as when more TOCs are introducing metro-style services:
> 
> http://www.urbanrail.net/eu/uk/lon/all-london-map.htm
> 
> SPOILER 1: It's the largest in the UrbanRail.net's history.
> 
> SPOLIER 2: I made it.


Just fabulous.


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## dimlys1994

From Travel Weekly:



> http://m.travelweekly.co.uk/Article.aspx?cat=news&id=49687
> 
> *Heathrow Express cuts prices*
> Oct 13, 2014
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Heathrow Express, the world’s most expensive railway, is cutting prices for the first time.
> 
> The move comes as high speed city centre to airport connection prepares for the potentially hugely damaging onslaught of Crossrail on the capital’s transport sector from 2019, The Times reported.
> 
> One-way fares are being reduced by £6, or more than 25%, for those passengers who book online one week ahead. The return fare on the same terms is being cut by £5.
> 
> Heathrow Express has long held a simple one-price structure for journeys to central London, at £21 one way and £34 return for the 15-minute journey.
> 
> The company, owned by Heathrow, attracts 6 million passengers a year, helping to bring in income of £124 million.
> 
> Managing director Keith Greenfield told the newspaper: “We want to grow all sections of our customer base, in particular leisure.
> 
> “Our hope is that advanced-purchase deals will achieve this.”
> 
> ...


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## dimlys1994

TBM Ellie breakthrough at Victoria Dock portal:


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## dimlys1994

More on Whitechapel Crossrail station construction:


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## dimlys1994

From News Shopper:



> http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/1...rrow_in_preparation_for_work_on_new_facility/
> 
> *Commuters to use temporary station east of permanent location due to close tomorrow*
> Sunday 26 October 2014
> 
> 
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> 
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> 
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> 
> A temporary train station operated by Southeastern has opened in Kidbrooke in preparation for a larger improved facility due to open in 2018.
> 
> The station is situated east of the previous Station Approach location, with car parking facilities closing tomorrow (October 27), and will be used for routes via Lewisham into central London and to Bexleyheath, Dartford and Slade Green.
> 
> The previous station closed October 18 however pedestrian access will still be available from the north side via Henley Cross.
> 
> Car users wishing to drop off or collect passengers will be able to do so at the interim station on Tudway Road.
> 
> Construction of the permanent Kidbrooke rail station will begin in March 2015 as part of Berkley Homes’ proposals for the Village Centre
> 
> ...


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## dimlys1994

Again from News Shopper:



> http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/1...way_for_Crossrail_as_temporary_station_opens/
> 
> *Interim station to operate at Abbey Wood until 2017*
> Monday 27 October 2014
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _Abbey Wood's temporary station_
> 
> A temporary train station at Abbey Wood has opened while Crossrail work takes place.
> 
> The interim station will operate until 2017 while Crossrail plans to transform public transport in south-east London, including adding up to 12 trains an hour to link Abbey Wood to central London and beyond.
> 
> The temporary station, which opened yesterday, has a staffed gate line, ticket machines and windows, cash point and for the first time, lifts to all platforms.
> 
> Work will be underway shortly to remove the existing station building. The design for the new two-level station, built above two new Crossrail tracks, will consist of two new ‘island’ platforms, six lifts and a spacious concourse connecting the station to the Harrow Manorway dual carriageway
> 
> ...


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## dimlys1994

The results of summer consultation for Crossrail 2 has published and here are the results:


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## Svartmetall

^^ I cannot believe the level of expansion of the rail system in London. If that goes ahead that'll be massive.


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## dimlys1994

^^Temporary footbridge at Abbey Wood station:


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## 437.001

Svartmetall said:


> ^^ I cannot believe the level of expansion of the rail system in London. If that goes ahead that'll be massive.


The problem is that this should have been done decades ago.
This is no more and no less than what Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, Berlin and other cities have already in service for many years, decades even. 
Obviously, taking into account the size of London and the delay, investments must be massive nowadays, as there's no other possible way for all this to be done.


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## Svartmetall

^^ I don't think that's very fair actually. The rail system of London when you look at the national rail on top of the tube, one can see very decent rail coverage to the vast majority of London. The Crossrail project appears to more be relieving the tube and providing a one-seat journey across London to speed things up rather. Feel free to correct me if I am wrong here, though. It's been a while since I lived in the UK, so I might be out of touch. But I've never, in my whole lifetime in the UK (well before these improvements) felt that I was unable to get around London well by public transport.


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## 437.001

^^
I think that we both mean the same things but written in different words. 

Maybe I was a little bit more... stingy.


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## DingeZ

I've been to Berlin, Paris, Barcelona and London and I can say that London has by far the most extensive rail transport network. The lines are longer, busier, much more frequent and there are more of them. The average distance of the Central line is comparable to the 'Schnellbahn' in Berlin, maybe even longer. Still, Crossrail is needed to relieve the line, headways of 1-2min are not enough. London is the probably the most ambitious city in rail transport outside Asia.


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## Woonsocket54

DingeZ said:


> The average distance of the Central line is comparable to the 'Schnellbahn' in Berlin, maybe even longer.


How does a line have an "average distance" and how does one compare one line to an entire S-Bahn?


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## 437.001

DingeZ said:


> I've been to Berlin, Paris, Barcelona and London and I can say that London has by far the most extensive rail transport network. The lines are longer, busier, much more frequent and there are more of them.


That's quite some thing to say...

But I wouldn´t like to compare every case vs London. Still, London is not always better in every case, far from that.



DingeZ said:


> The average distance of the Central line is comparable to the 'Schnellbahn' in Berlin, maybe even longer.


The Central line is an Underground line, we're not talking Underground here, but commmuter rail.



DingeZ said:


> Still, Crossrail is needed to relieve the line, headways of 1-2min are not enough.


This I agree. But not only to relieve the Underground, which is badly needed indeed, but first and most to create a faster, cross-city railway, which is non-existant or insufficient in many cases, Thameslink excepted, and which exists in all of the other cities I mentioned. That's quite practical, but London hasn't got that yet (it's on the way, though ).



DingeZ said:


> London is the probably the most ambitious city in rail transport outside Asia.


I'd rather say it has to be more ambitious nowadays than other cities, but precisely because for many years it just wasn't.


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## Skalka

I'd say that the Circle Line and the Berliner Ringbahn actually are comparable. Sub-surface lines have many features of an S-Bahn that the tube lines specifically lack, they're built as if mainline rail could run on them and they can easily be recombined. If any parts of the Underground get redistributed to Overground or any other Network Rail, then it's sub-surface sections and they're the lines that go sufficiently outside of Inner London. Guess why?

And whether Crossrail is to relieve the Underground or to create a new inner-city link that wasn't there before, it's actually the same. Crossrails make a great marriage of the two worlds of underground rail and commuter rail. Most of the line exists beforehand, only lacking the part in the middle.


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## 437.001

Skalka said:


> And whether Crossrail is to relieve the Underground or to create a new inner-city link that wasn't there before, it's actually the same. Crossrails make a great marriage of the two worlds of underground rail and commuter rail. *Most of the line exists beforehand, only lacking the part in the middle*.


But the missing middle links are absolutely crucial.
That's why Crossrail 1 (Paddington to Liverpool St) and Crossrail 2 (Victoria to Euston/King's Cross/St Pancras) will be so important, now some routes take forever.
Now there's only Thameslink, and that clearly isn't enough.


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## ajw373

Woonsocket54 said:


> How does a line have an "average distance" and how does one compare one line to an entire S-Bahn?


Good point, and that is the problem with debates like this. People compare apples to oranges. I mean to say is London underground a metro or a suburban railway system? Reality of course it is both. Whereas say Madrid and Paris undergrounds are true metro, with extensive suburban services too (of course London has non "Underground" suburban services too.

What can be measured however is London is far behind in terms of connecting mainline heavy railway across the city, which in turn leads to congestion in the inner city areas on lines like the Central and the Circle line, which connects most of the mainline suburban terminal stations. Clearly Crossrail is part of the solution here linking Paddington to Liverpool Street and beyond at both ends. 

But for comparison other cities such as Paris (with the RER) and Madrid (with the Cercanias from Atocha to Chamartin) have had Crossrail like functionality for a number of years. So in this sense London is many years behind and needs more than Crossrail 1 to catch up. And although a poster said he can easily get around London without Crossrail, that is not the point. Every change of mode causes congestion pinch points.


----------



## flierfy

DingeZ said:


> I've been to Berlin, Paris, Barcelona and London and I can say that London has by far the most extensive rail transport network. The lines are longer, busier, much more frequent and there are more of them.


And yet, it's nowhere near enough. Overcrowding is a real and severe problem in London. Which it certainly isn't in Berlin or Barcelona.

The extensiveness of Londons rail network can also be quite a misperception. There may be a rail station almost everywhere within walking distance. But service levels can vary from 34 tph to 2 tph.
London's main metro network, the Underground, may be a real gem where it runs. Its network, however, is lopsided as it covers more or less just one half of the metropolitan area. The other half is serviced by mainline services only which can barely described as frequent.



DingeZ said:


> London is the probably the most ambitious city in rail transport outside Asia.


It can hardly be described as ambitious to build behind an ever growing demand.


----------



## nidave

flierfy said:


> And yet, it's nowhere near enough. Overcrowding is a real and severe problem in London. Which it certainly isn't in Berlin or Barcelona.
> 
> The extensiveness of Londons rail network can also be quite a misperception. There may be a rail station almost everywhere within walking distance. But service levels can vary from 34 tph to 2 tph.
> London's main metro network, the Underground, may be a real gem where it runs. Its network, however, is lopsided as it covers more or less just one half of the metropolitan area. The other half is serviced by mainline services only which can barely described as frequent.
> 
> 
> It can hardly be described as ambitious to build behind an ever growing demand.


Its estimated that the National Rail Network in London will be moving 1.26-1.43 billion people a year. 
Source: http://www.londonreconnections.com/2014/london-2050-tracks-future/


----------



## DingeZ

flierfy said:


> And yet, it's nowhere near enough. Overcrowding is a real and severe problem in London. Which it certainly isn't in Berlin or Barcelona.
> 
> The extensiveness of Londons rail network can also be quite a misperception. There may be a rail station almost everywhere within walking distance. But service levels can vary from 34 tph to 2 tph.
> London's main metro network, the Underground, may be a real gem where it runs. Its network, however, is lopsided as it covers more or less just one half of the metropolitan area. The other half is serviced by mainline services only which can barely described as frequent.
> 
> 
> It can hardly be described as ambitious to build behind an ever growing demand.


The Underground is indeed excellent (apart from the fact that it takes a relatively long time to reach the platforms from street level), but having a hard time to cope with the demand. The Overground however is still greatly lacking ambition. Not in expansion, but in frequencies. Lots of lines have only 2 or 4 tph. The overcrowding at peak times is even worse than the Underground. I have once been in a situation where I couldn't even scratch my nose, because my arms were stuck between other passengers. It didn't seem to be very rare...


----------



## sotonsi

No Overground line has 2tph - all are 3tph or better.

Suburban National Routes, on the other hand...

Oh, and the Underground in zone 9 (dropping to every 34 minutes in the peaks).


----------



## DingeZ

My bad. Some connections are 2tph, but indeed no section has less than 3tph. I have no experience with the underground outside zone 4, but the fast services to Amersham and Chesham are bit of a weird kind in metro land (see what I did there?).


----------



## nidave

There are limits to the number of trains they can throw round the overgrround plus you have reserved paths for freight. its been a victim of its own success and hopefully it will allow revenue to, be used to pay for cavity improvements beyond 5 car trains. 



I am not 100% sure the current signalling can cope with a higher frequency without modification. I am happy to be proved wrong. 



Sent from my ME400C using Tapatalk


----------



## Nouvellecosse

sotonsi said:


> No Overground line has 2tph - all are 3tph or better.
> 
> Suburban National Routes, on the other hand...
> 
> Oh, and the Underground in zone 9 (dropping to every 34 minutes in the peaks).


Is that really true? There are parts of the Underground with intervals greater than 30 minutes?


----------



## po8crg

Nouvellecosse said:


> Is that really true? There are parts of the Underground with intervals greater than 30 minutes?


Yes. Two stations, Amersham and Chesham.

It's the far extension of the Metropolitan Line and the only part of the Underground that operates a timetable rather than just a train frequency.


----------



## CairnsTony

Nouvellecosse said:


> Is that really true? There are parts of the Underground with intervals greater than 30 minutes?


It is way out in the sticks; an outlier of the main system. In central London frequencies are much, much higher on underground lines.


----------



## sotonsi

po8crg said:


> the only part of the Underground that operates a timetable rather than just a train frequency.


Pretty sure that there are other bits (Richmond branch, Bakerloo north of Queens Park), but they don't reveal the timetable to the public.

All the Met north of Harrow is timetable rather than headway, IIRC.

Plus its funny that a peak-heavy station like Chesham (less so with all-day through trains) has marginally worse service during the peaks. Amersham is a lot busier in the peaks, though off-peak there's always passengers.

Amersham also has a similar frequency of Chiltern services, which overtake Met trains off-peak (when the Met trains aren't running fast).


----------



## Stravinsky

London is the only city, among those cited, where it takes more than half an hour to cross the city, because it does not have, yet, a proper RER system. Also, it's the only city that relies so heavily on buses. Check the bus map of Paris for a direct comparison.

Also, some new systems have been slow to attract passengers. The DLR's ridership is a mere 100 million per year and the Overground is at the same, low, level. The influence of the Tramlink is negligible.

However, London has been so far quite slow to catch up, possibly because public investement is always slower than private. The good news is that it seems things are going to change, with Crossrail and the expected extensions.


----------



## kwastell

> *First five-car Overground train now in service*
> 
> The project to lengthen trains on London Overground from four carriages to five has finally become a reality with the first lengthened train now in public service.
> 
> Work to extend platforms at Canada Water and Surrey Quays has now been completed.
> 
> At Rotherhithe the longer trains will not fit into the platforms so the two rear sets of doors in the back carriage will not open at this station.
> 
> At Canada Water even the extended platforms are too short so the rear set of doors will remain shut.
> 
> Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “With punctual services and an ever growing number of passengers I think it’s fair to say that London Overground has been a fantastic railway success story. Adding an extra carriage to the trains that criss-cross this network will allow more people to take advantage of what is now one of the most reliable and trusted rail services in the UK. As London’s population continues to rise, it is investment in our transport network like this which will help to keep London and its economy on the up.”
> 
> TfL’s Managing Director of London Rail, Mike Brown, said: “The ever-increasing popularity of the London Overground network has seen a huge rise in demand. As a result, we are now on course to carry 135m passengers – nearly four times the number we carried when we took over this railway in 2007.
> 
> “To enable us to continue and maintain the high levels of safe, reliable and frequent travel that our customers have come to expect, it is vital that we deliver more capacity by lengthening our trains from four to five carriages.
> 
> “We have set a standard for highly successful rail services and this is the model we will follow when we take over three-quarters of the rail services out of Liverpool Street station next year.”


http://www.se16.com/2621-first-five-car-overground-train-now-in-service


----------



## sotonsi

Stravinsky said:


> London is the only city, among those cited, where it takes more than half an hour to cross the city,


Perhaps because the city is vast? Half an hour to cross the city is average speeds about 40mph.


> because it does not have, yet, a proper RER system.


Even with one (arguably its RER-equivalent network has existed on-and-off for 146 years, just not treated as something special with separate branding), that won't sort it out. Romford - Bond Street is going to be 34 minutes after Crossrail, with Heathrow to Canary Wharf 39 minutes. Neither of those journeys are edge-to-edge, merely near the edge to the far edge of the core.

I'd be amazed if edge-edge gets much below an hour (St Albans - Redhill is currently 1h11, on the shortest axis, and that's with only a few intermediate stops, mostly in the core). Crossrail reckons on Slough - Gidea Park being 69 minutes.


> Also, it's the only city that relies so heavily on buses. Check the bus map of Paris for a direct comparison.


1)Corridors in London are very very heavily trafficked - even buses running along roads paralleled by a tube line are busy (partially as the tube has relatively large gaps between stations in order to serve far out quickly).
2)Paris' metro is very dense in a core and then hopeless once you are a four or five miles from the centre and outside the city proper. A bus map of Paris only covers the inner sections so wouldn't be a direct comparison - there's much more of a network outside the city, though it has about half the ridership of London's buses

According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modal_share Paris has 27% of journeys made by public transport, London has 44%. Car usage is about the same (a bit higher in Paris) - Paris walks and that probably is as the bus network is pretty poor inside the city proper and public transport in general isn't great outside it


----------



## SE9

In addition to sotosi's post, I'd rubbish Stravinsky's claim that 'new systems' like the DLR have been "slow to attract passengers". That's an extremely popular network and extensively used. Why else would they have embarked upon the 3-car capacity enhancement project.


----------



## Stravinsky

DLR's official statistics claim around 100 million passenger per year, and the Overground is around 130. Tramlink's at 30 million.

Just compare with cities of similar size, or even smaller, such as Berlin, whose tram network is four times the DLR and carries around half a billion annually.

London's network has been long biased towards buses.

Fortunately, things are set to improve (starting with Crossrail 1 & 2).


----------



## Stravinsky

sotonsi said:


> Perhaps because the city is vast? Half an hour to cross the city is average speeds about 40mph.Even with one (arguably its RER-equivalent network has existed on-and-off for 146 years, just not treated as something special with separate branding), that won't sort it out. Romford - Bond Street is going to be 34 minutes after Crossrail, with Heathrow to Canary Wharf 39 minutes. Neither of those journeys are edge-to-edge, merely near the edge to the far edge of the core.
> 
> I'd be amazed if edge-edge gets much below an hour (St Albans - Redhill is currently 1h11, on the shortest axis, and that's with only a few intermediate stops, mostly in the core). Crossrail reckons on Slough - Gidea Park being 69 minutes.


You're right, I meant to cross the central city.

It's not the branding that makes the difference, it's the average distance between stations.

If Crossrail wasn't needed, they wouldn't be building it.


----------



## dimlys1994

^^And from the same photogapher, Thameslink works on Bermondsey diveunder:


Bermondsey diveunder works by unravelled, on Flickr


Bermondsey diveunder works by unravelled, on Flickr


Bermondsey diveunder works by unravelled, on Flickr


Bermondsey diveunder works by unravelled, on Flickr


Bermondsey diveunder works by unravelled, on Flickr


Bermondsey diveunder works by unravelled, on Flickr


Bermondsey diveunder works by unravelled, on Flickr

And at London Bridge station:


London Bridge Station by unravelled, on Flickr


London Bridge Station by unravelled, on Flickr


----------



## dimlys1994

From TfL, some renders of Crossrail's stations after completion. Gidea Park station:


TfL image - Gidea Park by Transport for London Press Images, on Flickr

And Seven Kings station:


TfL image - Seven Kings by Transport for London Press Images, on Flickr

More to follow...


----------



## dimlys1994

Harold Wood station:


TfL image - Harold Wood by Transport for London Press Images, on Flickr


----------



## dimlys1994

West Drayton station:


TfL image - West Drayton by Transport for London Press Images, on Flickr


----------



## dimlys1994

Hayes & Harlington station:


TfL image - Hayes & Harlington by Transport for London Press Images, on Flickr

Hanwell station:


TfL image - Hanwell by Transport for London Press Images, on Flickr

Ilford station:


TfL image - Ilford by Transport for London Press Images, on Flickr

Romford station:


TfL image - Romford by Transport for London Press Images, on Flickr

Forest Gate station:


TfL image - Forest Gate by Transport for London Press Images, on Flickr

Abbey Wood station:


Network Rail image - ABBEY WOOD by Transport for London Press Images, on Flickr


----------



## dimlys1994

West Ealing station:


TfL image - West Ealing by Transport for London Press Images, on Flickr

Chadwell Heath station:


TfL image - Chadwell Heath by Transport for London Press Images, on Flickr

Acton Main Line station:


TfL image - Acton Mainline by Transport for London Press Images, on Flickr

Manor Park station:


TfL image - Manor Park by Transport for London Press Images, on Flickr

Maryland station:


TfL image - Maryland by Transport for London Press Images, on Flickr

Southall station:


TfL image - Southall by Transport for London Press Images, on Flickr

Goodmayes station:


TfL image - Goodmayes by Transport for London Press Images, on Flickr


----------



## dimlys1994

Official from Crossrail:



> http://www.crossrail.co.uk/news/articles/government-confirms-step-free-access-funding-for-crossrail
> 
> *GOVERNMENT CONFIRMS STEP-FREE ACCESS FUNDING FOR CROSSRAIL*
> Tuesday 18th November 2014
> 
> _All of the stations on the Crossrail project will now be ‘step free’ thanks to £14 million of investment announced by Transport Minister Baroness Kramer today, Tuesday 18 November_
> 
> The government’s investment at Langley, Taplow and Iver stations will make it easier for passengers to access Crossrail trains when they start running from these stations in 2019.
> 
> Baroness Kramer said: “I am delighted to confirm the funding of these important accessibility improvements. This is another example of our commitment to build a world-class rail network that is open to all. It is only right that everyone should be able to enjoy the huge benefits that Crossrail will bring.
> 
> “Crossrail will transform travel across London and the South East, and is already creating jobs and opportunities across the country. Continuing to invest in projects like these will help us build a stronger economy and a fairer society.”
> 
> ...


----------



## rheintram

I quite like many of these stations. They give you this small town vibe that you often get in London in certain areas and quarters.


----------



## Filip7370

On Romford station.... damn... nice legs


----------



## Suburbanist

Are there further plans for TfL to annex other rail routes in London, enlarging the "Overground" network?


----------



## dimlys1994

Suburbanist said:


> Are there further plans for TfL to annex other rail routes in London, enlarging the "Overground" network?


Except of Liverpool Street to Enfield Town, Cheshunt and Chingford services and Romford-Upminster line, no more "Overground" lines are planned


----------



## dimlys1994

Inside of Putney railway station, workers are installing new fare gates. Photo from Flickr user stevekeiretsu:


Putney station - new gateline going in by stevekeiretsu, on Flickr[/QUOTE]


----------



## dimlys1994

First track installed on Crossrail's Stockley flyover to Heathrow:


----------



## dimlys1994

Progress on restoring of Victorian arches underneath the tracks at London Bridge, taken from Daily Telegraph:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/pic...tion-undergoes-renovation.html#?frame=3115421





































Posters from old times, perhaps 19th century:



















One of former platforms and parts of old bridge:



















This one picture at the former location of London Dungeon. Nowadays museum located near County Hall and the London Eye:














































Remind you that The Vaults would become retail space. Here is again video:



dimlys1994 said:


> Reupload of London Bridge station 3D flythrough:


----------



## dimlys1994

Crossrail works at Abbey Wood station:



LordBerkley said:


> Demolition of Abbey Terrace houses
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Overview of station works from Harrow Manor Way bridge


----------



## 00Zy99

How are the new Canal Tunnels going to work? Does this mean the permanent closure of Hotel Curve and York Road? What will happen to those tunnels?

I'm concerned that the new Canal Tunnels seem to require crossing the ECML at grade.

Also, it seems to me that if they were to move the signal tower at the throat, they could squeeze in an extra terminating track at London Bridge. Or am I just guessing in the dark?


----------



## sotonsi

00Zy99 said:


> How are the new Canal Tunnels going to work? Does this mean the permanent closure of Hotel Curve and York Road?


They still exist other than as empty tunnels? I'm pretty sure they were permanently closed in the 70s.


> I'm concerned that the new Canal Tunnels seem to require crossing the ECML at grade.


Why? It's taking all the services on the slows (which then have a flying junction with the fasts), or near enough as to make no difference.

Far worse is the flat junction at Blackfriars, not that you can do much about that.


----------



## dimlys1994

Already out-of-date (taken in August) photo near portal of Canal Tunnel near ECML, found in Wikipedia:


----------



## dimlys1994

Full helicopter flight between Brighton and St. Pancras:


----------



## dimlys1994

Construction of Crossrail's Moorgate acces shaft. Moorgate station will be part of western ticket hall for Liverpool Street station:


----------



## dimlys1994

Official from TfL:



> http://www.tfl.gov.uk/info-for/medi...funding-and-financing-options-for-crossrail-2
> 
> *Funding and financing options for Crossrail 2*
> 27 November 2014
> 
> _Independent report by PricewaterhouseCoopers published_
> 
> An independent report by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) published today has set out funding and financing options for Crossrail 2, the high frequency, high capacity rail line that could link south west and north east London to provide additional transport capacity for the capital.
> 
> In the preparation of the report, PwC reported to a Steering Committee that included representatives from TfL, the Department for Transport (DfT), HM Treasury (HMT), Infrastructure UK (IUK) and Network Rail. The report was undertaken to look at funding and financing feasibility for the proposed new railway line that would link south west and north east London and on to Surrey and Hertfordshire.
> 
> The report sets out a number of options, which draw on funding mechanisms currently being used for Crossrail 1. These include paying back investment through a combination of revenue generated through fares, continuations of the Business Rate Supplement and Mayoral Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) currently being used to fund Crossrail 1, and other measures.
> 
> The report also looks at options that could see funding raised through existing mechanisms such as retaining the Council Tax contribution arrangements that were introduced to help fund the 2012 Olympic Games as well as potentially increasing the Mayoral CIL. Funding from property related developments and from land owners adjacent to the line could also be part of the mix of contributions. The report shows that over half of the costs of the scheme could be met by London using existing funding mechanisms
> 
> ...


More you can read in the link and in this report:
http://1267lm2nzpvy44li8s48uorode.w...4/Crossrail-2-Funding-and-Financing-Study.pdf

Some figures on funding:


----------



## Glom

Is optimism bias normally over 50% of the pre-adjusted cost?


----------



## dimlys1994

From Crossrail, photos from tunnels. Bond Street station:





































Liverpool Street station:










Whitechapel station:










Farringdon station:










Tottenham Court Road station:



















Paddington station:


----------



## Skalka

437.001 said:


> But the missing middle links are absolutely crucial.
> That's why Crossrail 1 (Paddington to Liverpool St) and Crossrail 2 (Victoria to Euston/King's Cross/St Pancras) will be so important, now some routes take forever.
> Now there's only Thameslink, and that clearly isn't enough.


The thing is that said middle parts would often not have been built at all if the locations of adjacent "old" railroads and termini hadn't pre-determined the rough course. I mean, it's not as if Paddington-Whitechapel etc. wouldn't have deserved a direct rapid transit connection before, but nobody ever bothered to do so unless termini as "natural" gatekeepers dictated a likewise course. 

In other networks, you can see how a crossrail also prompts the construction of new stations along the former "broken" lines especially at the termini's vicinity. A recent example would be Leipzig in Germany that opened its "city tunnel" a year ago. Out of six new stations, only four were actually underground in the tunnel as the remaining two have been built as infill stations near the end of their respective maiden lines, Leipzig Nord (in the north, d'oh) and Leipzig MDR (in the south, MDR is Central German Broadcasting). That's what I call synergic effects, there wouldn't have been much of a point in their construction without the tunnel making for a short underground line.

I wonder how a "metro option" for Crossrail 2 could actually have been conceived instead of merely having the "regional option" in mind from the start.
On the other hand, I'm ready to buy the statement that Brits do these things late but well when they do it that once in a lifetime. I was amazed when I saw how much of a stretch is to be newly built in Crossrail 1's southeastern branch. If there's no handy terminal in your vicinity, you got to make your own (symbolically).


----------



## dimlys1994

From Global Rail News:



> http://www.globalrailnews.com/blog/2014/12/12/bombardier-opens-crossrail-aventra-test-centre/
> 
> *Bombardier opens Crossrail Aventra test centre*
> 12 DEC, 2014
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Bombardier has launched its new ‘Iron Bird’ integration test facility for the 65 new Aventra trains it is manufacturing for London’s Crossrail network.
> 
> Mayor of London Boris Johnson opened the new centre, known internally as ‘Train Zero’, on December 11.
> 
> The Iron Bird is one small part of a large investment programme currently underway at Bombardier’s Litchurch Lane site. The manufacturer is close to breaking ground on a separate £12.5 million Aventra testing facility which is needed to house the longer 205-metre trains
> 
> ...


----------



## davroca5

Wow, very nice works. :cheers:


----------



## dimlys1994

Official from Crossrail:



> http://www.crossrail.co.uk/news/articles/90-tonne-bridge-lifted-into-place-at-custom-house-station
> 
> *90 TONNE BRIDGE LIFTED INTO PLACE AT CUSTOM HOUSE STATION*
> Monday 15th December 2014
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _A 34 metre long bridge has been installed as part of the construction of a new Crossrail station at Custom House, linking the station with ExCeL London_
> 
> The new structure was lifted into place over the weekend in three sections by two huge cranes with a combined weight of nearly a thousand tonnes. The bridge was fabricated in Dublin, painted in Widnes, Cheshire and then transported to the Custom House site in London under police escort.
> 
> The construction of the new station is almost half complete. Large sections of the station have been manufactured in Laing O’Rourke’s Explore Industrial Park in Steetley, near Sheffield, and then transported more than 130 miles to east London and assembled on site. This process ensures safer construction and saves time, with disruption to residents, existing rail services and the nearby ExCeL London conference centre minimised as far as possible
> 
> ...


----------



## dimlys1994

London Bridge progress, taken by Network Rail in late November:


----------



## dimlys1994

From Network Rail, timelapse of Tennison Road bridge replacement in East Croydon:


----------



## dimlys1994

From Construction Enquirer:



> http://www.constructionenquirer.com/2014/12/17/costainskanska-tipped-for-50m-last-crossrail-job/
> 
> *Costain/Skanska tipped for £50m last Crossrail job*
> Wed 17th December 2014, 8:04
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _Costain’s successful joint venture with Skanska is set to take the job to build a £50m passenger tunnel link at Paddington Station_
> 
> The deal will be the last significant works contract for the Crossrail project, although London Underground is the awarding client for the project.
> 
> It ranks as the eighth contract win on the Crossrail project for the duo, which are now looking for a repeat performance on the first phase of HS2 where they will also jointly bid.
> 
> On the Paddington passenger tunnel the Enquirer understands the two have fended off rival bids from Dragados, and Morgan Sindall’s joint venture with BeMo Tunnelling
> 
> ...


----------



## dimlys1994

Works on upgrading of Crossrail surface sections:


----------



## dimlys1994

Progress on new Custom House station:



gerryuk said:


> The nerve centre of Crossrail, Custom House Station.:lol:


----------



## dimlys1994

New entrance to Hanwell station, on Great Western Main line, future part of Crossrail:
https://anonw.wordpress.com/2014/12/09/hanwell-station-gets-a-second-entrance/


----------



## dimlys1994

From Crossrail's website, excavation of Acton Diveunder:
http://www.crossrail.co.uk/news/articles/crossrails-surface-works-one-third-complete


----------



## dimlys1994

More progress on London Bridge station, all taken by David Harvey (unravelled):
https://www.flickr.com/photos/unravelled


London Bridge works 20/12/2014 by unravelled, on Flickr


London Bridge works 20/12/2014 by unravelled, on Flickr


London Bridge works 20/12/2014 by unravelled, on Flickr


London Bridge works 20/12/2014 by unravelled, on Flickr


London Bridge works 20/12/2014 by unravelled, on Flickr


London Bridge works 20/12/2014 by unravelled, on Flickr


London Bridge works 20/12/2014 by unravelled, on Flickr


London Bridge works 20/12/2014 by unravelled, on Flickr


London Bridge works 20/12/2014 by unravelled, on Flickr


London Bridge works 20/12/2014 by unravelled, on Flickr


London Bridge works 20/12/2014 by unravelled, on Flickr


London Bridge works 20/12/2014 by unravelled, on Flickr


London Bridge works 20/12/2014 by unravelled, on Flickr


London Bridge works 20/12/2014 by unravelled, on Flickr


London Bridge works 20/12/2014 by unravelled, on Flickr


----------



## dimlys1994

Render of new Hayes & Harlington station:
http://www.crossrail.co.uk/news/art...-for-new-station-building-at-hayes-harlington


----------



## dimlys1994

Pictures of Stockley flyover, which will be serving Crossrail and Heathrow Express services:
http://www.ianvisits.co.uk/blog/2014/12/20/photos-from-crossrails-huge-stockly-flyover/































































































































Track map of flyover:


----------



## dimlys1994

Timelapse of Christmas works around London Bridge station:


----------



## davroca5

^^
:drool: London (and the UK) loves the railroad. Envy!


----------



## dimlys1994

Taken from UK Transport forum:



ChoCho123 said:


> https://twitter.com/TLProgramme/media


----------



## dimlys1994

From Rail Journal:



> http://www.railjournal.com/index.ph...win-crossrail-2-project-study.html?channel=00
> 
> *Arcadis-Hyder win Crossrail 2 project studyv*
> Friday, January 16, 2015
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _TRANSPORT for London (TfL) has awarded Hyder Consulting, in association with Arcadis Europe and EC Harris, the initial commission for the Crossrail 2 project – a proposed southwest to northeast rail link across London, which has an estimated capital value of £20bn_
> 
> The central section of Crossrail 2 requires 36km of new railway, 13 underground stations and two surface stations. There will be new connections to the existing mainline and London Underground networks at Euston, Tottenham Court Road and Victoria.
> 
> The initial commission for phase 1 is to develop a multi-disciplinary engineering feasibility and cost study in order to select a preferred route, which will be taken to public consultation for a Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) application to the Department for Transport (DfT)
> 
> ...


----------



## dimlys1994

More on LO's Barking Riverside extension consultation:



> https://consultations.tfl.gov.uk/london-overground/gobe
> 
> _*Update on 15 January 2015:*_
> 
> In autumn 2014 Transport for London (TfL) conducted a public consultation on the principle of an extension of the London Overground to the Barking Riverside development. The consultation ran from 8 September to 19 October. Thank you to all those people and organisations who provided feedback during the consultation. A report is available below, together with our response to key issues raised:
> 
> Barking Riverside - Consultation Report (PDF)
> 
> Barking Riverside - Response to issues raised (PDF)
> 
> *What Happens Next*
> 
> TfL will consider the responses to the consultation while we progress the scheme to the next stage. We anticipate a second round of public consultation on different scheme options in the spring of 2015, at which point we will also explain why alternative transport proposals have been not taken forward. Depending on the progress of the scheme’s design, which will consider the outcome of the spring 2015 consultation, a third round of public consultation may be necessary before making any application for powers to build and operate a railway extension through a Transport and Works Act Order.


----------



## dimlys1994

Official from Crossrail:



> http://www.crossrail.co.uk/news/art...s-plans-for-improvements-to-goodmayes-station
> 
> *CROSSRAIL SUBMITS PLANS FOR IMPROVEMENTS TO GOODMAYES STATION*
> Thursday 15th January 2015
> 
> _Crossrail has submitted proposals for improvements to Goodmayes station for approval.
> 
> The proposed improvements, which will be delivered by Network Rail, have been submitted to the London Borough of Redbridge and include:_
> 
> _Three new lifts to provide step free access to all platforms _
> _Platform extensions to ensure that the station can accommodate the new, 200m long Crossrail trains_
> _New platform lighting_
> In addition to these upgrades, Crossrail has been working with Redbridge Council on proposals for improvements to the area around the station.
> 
> From 31 May 2015, Transport for London (TfL) will begin operating the existing rolling stock between Shenfield in Essex and Liverpool Street. In 2017, new Crossrail rolling stock will be introduced on the line. In 2019, when the Crossrail route fully opens, passengers will be able to travel right through central London without having to change trains
> 
> ...


----------



## dimlys1994

From Camden New Journal:



> http://www.camdennewjournal.com/news/2015/jan/plans-new-west-hampstead-station-look-petrol-station
> 
> *Plans for new West Hampstead station 'look like petrol station'*
> 15 January, 2015
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _An artist's impression of how the new station will look_
> 
> PLANS to bulldoze an Edwardian train station and replace it with a modern building more than five times the size have divided opinion in West Hampstead.
> 
> As revealed in the New Journal last month, the overground station in West End Lane, which was built in the early-1900s, will be upgraded in an attempt to deal with the growing number of passengers, but concerns have been raised over the loss of the quaint red-brick building.
> 
> The new complex will be 600 square metres larger than the existing one and has been described as an “eyesore” that “resembles a petrol station”
> 
> ...


----------



## Antje

It does look like a petrol station! Maybe LOROL needs to look up Antoni Gaudí.


----------



## Kolothos

Looks a bit like Partick - which isn't very popular on these forums.


----------



## CairnsTony

I'm sure at least half the members of these boards could come up with a better design than this... I'm all for modernity, but a little bit of style and imagination go a long way as well.


----------



## dimlys1994

Author of future Canary Wharf station art explains his masterpiece:


----------



## Roaming Girl

It is impossible to please some architecture-minded folks.

If you leave station buildings "as is", it will lack amenities and modern comforts or even disability accommodation.

If you gut them inside out and preserve the exterior features, it becomes "fake and shallow".

If you demolish and build anew, it "lacks history and charm". 

I have read people complaining that new Crossrail stations looked "too Scandinavian" (sic). I have also read people complaining St. Pancras being "arrogantly rebuilt".

Couldn't they make up their minds, please?


----------



## nr23Derek

Roaming Girl said:


> It is impossible to please some architecture-minded folks.
> 
> If you leave station buildings "as is", it will lack amenities and modern comforts or even disability accommodation.
> 
> If you gut them inside out and preserve the exterior features, it becomes "fake and shallow".
> 
> If you demolish and build anew, it "lacks history and charm".
> 
> I have read people complaining that new Crossrail stations looked "too Scandinavian" (sic). I have also read people complaining St. Pancras being "arrogantly rebuilt".
> 
> Couldn't they make up their minds, please?


All of the above is true, but it is also true there is a lot of "idenikit" buildings around and the above two examples fit that style exactly. Everywhere is getting to look like everywhere else and that's dull.

Derek


----------



## Stravinsky

Tube stations have a practical purpose: get commuters from home to work and back.

Art is costly to maintain, does not appeal universally to users, and may distract people during their commute. Stations should be as devoid of decoration as possible.


----------



## Roaming Girl

I think it depends on the art installation, actually.

If it is easily cleanable as part of the regular station maintenance routine, then fine.

If it is something prone to accumulate dust, or requiring protection against harsh detergents or hot water, then there is a problem. 

They have build some impressive ceilings on stations in Sweden and Italy recently.

They look stunning, but I wonder how will they age as natural infiltration on exposed rock or trapped humidity do their thing.


----------



## dimlys1994

More progress on new Abbey Wood station, taken by unravelled:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/unravelled


Crossrail works, Abbey Wood area by unravelled, on Flickr


Crossrail works, Abbey Wood area by unravelled, on Flickr


Crossrail works, Abbey Wood area by unravelled, on Flickr


Crossrail works, Abbey Wood area by unravelled, on Flickr


Crossrail works, Abbey Wood area by unravelled, on Flickr


Crossrail works, Abbey Wood area by unravelled, on Flickr


Crossrail works, Abbey Wood area by unravelled, on Flickr


Crossrail works, Abbey Wood area by unravelled, on Flickr


----------



## dimlys1994

More on Custom House station construction:
https://anonw.wordpress.com/2015/01/25/custom-house-station-25th-january-2015/


----------



## dimlys1994

TBM Elizabeth is close to reach the goal - 750m of tunnel remained to bore before breakthrough at Farringdon this Spring


----------



## dimlys1994

One more video - TBM Elizabeth reached Liverpool Street station:






And more pics from there:
http://www.crossrail.co.uk/news/articles/elizabeth-arrives-in-the-city





































Current status of TBMs:


----------



## Glom

This is great. Now there is a path from the Pudding Mill Lane to Liverpool Street. 

Hmm, put that way it doesn't sound that impressive.


----------



## dimlys1994

Taken from London subforum:



LordBerkley said:


> Plumstead Portal
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Abbey Wood Station


----------



## 00Zy99

If the trackwork was finished early, could they not take a few 315s and run a shuttle from Abbey Wood to, say, Custom House? Or even Canary Wharf?


----------



## Glom

00Zy99 said:


> If the trackwork was finished early, could they not take a few 315s and run a shuttle from Abbey Wood to, say, Custom House? Or even Canary Wharf?


I'm not sure if there is any way to reverse short of Whitechapel.


----------



## Borough

davroca5 said:


> Improvements on London's railways never stops


With a population rising at 100,000 each year and rising they are needed just to stand still.


----------



## dimlys1994

From Rail Journal:



> http://www.railjournal.com/index.ph...-signalling-contract-awarded.html?channel=532
> 
> *SSL wins Crossrail GE signalling contract*
> Thursday, March 19, 2015
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _BRITISH infrastructure manager Network Rail has awarded Signalling Solutions (SSL), a 50:50 joint venture between Alstom and Balfour Beatty Rail, a £43m contract to carry out resignalling work on the Great Eastern Main Line (GEML) as part of London's new east-west Crossrail link, which is due to open at the end of 2018_
> 
> The contract covers the supply, installation, testing, and commissioning of the new signalling system, which uses Alstom's Smartlock electronic interlocking, on the line between Pudding Mill Lane Junction in east London, where the Crossrail tunnel joins the GEML and the terminus for Crossrail services at Shenfield
> 
> ...


----------



## dimlys1994

More on London Bridge station redevelopment - new escalators to the station hall:



Mr Cladding said:


> Some photos of construction of a new escalators being built , outside the news building.
> 
> New London Bridge Underground Entrance/Exit by Rukuphotos, on Flickr
> 
> New London Bridge Underground Entrance/Exit by Rukuphotos, on Flickr
> 
> New London Bridge Underground Entrance/Exit by Rukuphotos, on Flickr
> 
> New London Bridge Underground Entrance/Exit by Rukuphotos, on Flickr


----------



## dimlys1994

Video regarding completion of Custom House station construction:


----------



## dimlys1994

Official from Crossrail:



> http://www.crossrail.co.uk/news/art...rossrail-improvements-to-west-drayton-station
> 
> *GREEN LIGHT FOR MAJOR CROSSRAIL IMPROVEMENTS TO WEST DRAYTON STATION*
> Friday 27th March 2015
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _Major improvements to West Drayton station as part of the Crossrail programme have been given the go ahead by Hillingdon Council_
> 
> A new glass and steel extension will provide an additional entrance as well as a covered walkway between the existing building and a new footbridge. Three new lifts will provide step-free access to every platform. The station and platform improvements will be delivered by Network Rail.
> 
> The designs ensure that the existing Victorian station building remains the focal point of the station. The glazed station extension has been designed by Bennetts Associates.
> 
> Additional upgrades include:
> 
> A new entrance canopy stretching across the existing building and the extension
> Platform extensions to ensure that the station can accommodate the new, 200m long Crossrail trains
> A new lift to provide step-free access between the subway and the new station extension
> New lighting in the station and on the platforms
> Improved customer information screens, station signage, help points and CCTV.
> The span for the new footbridge is planned to be installed over Easter. The work on the station is expected to last around 18 months
> 
> ...


----------



## dimlys1994

Farringdon Crossrail station works around Barbican tube station, where Crossrail ticket hall will be:



Mr Cladding said:


> Barbican Station Prior Crossrail
> 
> Barbican before Crossrail , March 2015 by Rukuphotos, on Flickr
> 
> Barbican Before Crossrail , March 2015 by Rukuphotos, on Flickr
> 
> Moorgate
> 
> Crossrail , Liverpool Street. Western Ticket Hall , Moorgate (U/c) by Rukuphotos, on Flickr
> 
> Crossrail , Moorgate by Rukuphotos, on Flickr


----------



## dimlys1994

From Construction Enquirer:



> http://www.constructionenquirer.com...arts-race-for-30m-sidings-depot-at-plumstead/
> 
> *Crossrail starts race for £30m sidings depot at Plumstead*
> Friday 27th March 2015, 7:41
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _Crossrail has started the search for a firm to deliver a permanent train sidings depot at Plumstead after the Government nodded through plans earlier this week_
> 
> The firm already had permission to use the White Hart Triangle site for temporary train sidings during the installation of track on the railway.
> 
> But it has now decided to build a permanent base from which the central section of the Crossrail network can be maintained and where trains can be stationed when not in use
> 
> ...


----------



## lkstrknb

Here is a video with an overview of the DLR, Underground, and Overground. Enjoy.

Luke


----------



## I(L)WTC

In what year did enter service thameslink new trains ?


----------



## dimlys1994

Recent progress on London Bridge station redevelopment:



geogregor said:


> Few shots from today.
> Sorry for the quality but I onlu had my small camera and weather didn't help either.
> 
> 
> DSC09570 by Geogregor*, on Flickr
> 
> 
> DSC09586 by Geogregor*, on Flickr
> 
> 
> DSC09575 by Geogregor*, on Flickr
> 
> 
> DSC09578 by Geogregor*, on Flickr
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> [/url]
> DSC09587 by Geogregor*, on Flickr[/IMG]
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> [/url]
> DSC09579 by Geogregor*, on Flickr[/IMG]
> 
> 
> DSC09589 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


----------



## lkstrknb

This is my video of the London Bridge from Late March.


----------



## dimlys1994

From Rail Journal:



> http://www.railjournal.com/index.ph...n-mainline-testing-in-august.html?channel=529
> 
> *Thameslink EMUs to begin mainline testing in August*
> Thursday, April 02, 2015
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _SIEMENS presented the new class 700 EMU for cross-London Thameslink suburban services to the press at its Krefeld plant in Germany on April 2, confirming that the first sets will be delivered to the new depot at Three Bridges in August in readiness for the start of mainline testing_
> 
> The fleet of 115 dual-voltage (750V dc/25kV ac) 160km/h EMUs will be supplied as 55 12-car sets, each seating up to 666 passengers, and 60 eight-car trains, which will seat 427.
> 
> Trials using Automatic Train Operation will be carried out on the Hertford Loop north of London later this year
> 
> ...


----------



## dimlys1994

More on London Bridge station:



ChoCho123 said:


> https://twitter.com/TLProgramme


----------



## davroca5

Something new on Crossrail project? :cheers:


----------



## dimlys1994

Thameslink works around London Bridge station:


----------



## dimlys1994

davroca5 said:


> Something new on Crossrail project? :cheers:


Nothing new for now, just wait until last TBM breakthrough at Farringdon. But here are some pics from webcams:
http://www.crossrail.co.uk/construction/webcam-gallery

Paddington station:



















Bond Street station:



















Farringdon station:



















Liverpool Street station:










Whitechapel station:










Now that's a shot - actually this is an familiar webcam site at Durward Street worksite, but I'm surprised over this look on Overground platforms:










And Custom House station:


----------



## dimlys1994

From Railway Gazette:



> http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/...ncession-expressions-of-interest-invited.html
> 
> *London Overground concession expressions of interest invited*
> 08 Apr 2015
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> UK: Transport for London has invited expressions of interest in the next concession to operate London Overground inner-suburban passenger services. The current contract held by the London Overground Rail Operations Ltd joint venture of MTR Corp and Arriva expires on November 12 2016.
> 
> The new concession is planned to run for seven years and five months, with an option for TfL to extend the contract by two years. It would cover the current London Overground network, as well as services which are due to transfer from the Greater Anglia franchise next month
> 
> ...


----------



## Winter Paradox

Thanks to Londonist for Thameslink train update.


----------



## dimlys1994

From Londonist, video about St. Pancras:


----------



## dimlys1994

Progress on Crossrail at West Drayton station:



Mr Cladding said:


> West Drayton , Crossrail Footbridge. by Rukuphotos, on Flickr
> 
> West Drayton , Crossrail Footbridge. by Rukuphotos, on Flickr


----------



## dimlys1994

More on Thameslink - Bermondsey diveunder:
https://anonw.wordpress.com/2015/04/23/a-modern-take-on-victorian-railway-arches/


----------



## dimlys1994

Official from TfL:



> http://www.tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2015/april/01-base-page-40036
> 
> *New London Overground entrance at Shepherd’s Bush*
> 27 April 2015
> 
> London Overground customers using Shepherd's Bush station now have a new second entrance and a new footbridge, which will make their journeys easier and more convenient.
> 
> The £1.35m station upgrade includes two new ticket machines, improved customer information screens and a new pedestrian footbridge bridge - enabling customers to cross from one platform to the other without using the main station entrance.
> 
> The Director of London Overground, Mike Stubbs, said: `This will be a great improvement for passengers by helping to reduce their journey times and relieving congestion at the main station entrance and exit by providing alternative access to and from this popular and busy station. During peak times the new exit, combined with the new pedestrian footbridge, will allow a quicker and more convenient route to Westfield shopping centre.'
> 
> Shepherd's Bush station has also recently benefited from new longer platforms, which were installed and funded by Network Rail, as part of a £25 million project to accommodate Southern trains, which are up to eight carriages long. A culmination of nine months work by Network Rail has seen platforms lengthened at stations along the West London line - Clapham Junction, Imperial Wharf, West Brompton and Shepherd's Bush
> 
> ...


----------



## dimlys1994

^^Some photos on new entrance, taken by one Flickr user in February:


IMAG1871 by dmncf, on Flickr


IMAG1873 by dmncf, on Flickr


----------



## dimlys1994

Progress on Crossrail's future Acton dive under:
https://anonw.wordpress.com/2015/04/28/acton-dive-under/


----------



## dimlys1994

How about that - first mentioning of TfL Rail:



Jon10 said:


> _(photo: Will Howells)_
> 
> *
> TfL Rail on the map *
> 
> .


----------



## dimlys1994

More on Canary Wharf station:



woodgnome said:


> Things are progressing apace at Crossrail Station, Canary Wharf in anticipation of the shops opening in May.
> 
> The Everyman Cinema has it's first screening on 15th May featuring the new Mad Max. Although, at £19.20 a pop I'll stick to using my Unlimited card at Cineworld WIQ - until there's something I absolutely have to see in glorious 4K.
> 
> Taken this afternoon...


----------



## Winter Paradox

dimlys1994 said:


> How about that - first mentioning of TfL Rail:


Getting things ready for the end of May. As I said before, even the carriages have changed their exterior colour change closer to TFL theme.


----------



## dimlys1994

Welcome to Crossrail Place at Canary Wharf, home of future Crossrail station:



woodgnome said:


> From today's opening of the rooftop garden at Crossrail Station, Canary Wharf.





Core Rising said:


> Likewise, opening day.
> 
> DPP_0007 by corerising, on Flickr
> 
> DPP_0008 by corerising, on Flickr
> 
> DPP_0009 by corerising, on Flickr
> 
> DPP_0010 by corerising, on Flickr
> 
> DPP_0011 by corerising, on Flickr
> 
> DPP_0012 by corerising, on Flickr
> 
> DPP_0013 by corerising, on Flickr
> 
> DPP_0014 by corerising, on Flickr
> 
> DPP_0015 by corerising, on Flickr
> 
> DPP_0016 by corerising, on Flickr
> 
> DPP_0017 by corerising, on Flickr
> 
> DPP_0018 by corerising, on Flickr
> 
> DPP_0019 by corerising, on Flickr
> 
> DPP_0020 by corerising, on Flickr
> 
> DPP_0021 by corerising, on Flickr
> 
> DPP_0022 by corerising, on Flickr
> 
> DPP_0023 by corerising, on Flickr
> 
> DPP_0024 by corerising, on Flickr
> 
> DPP_0025 by corerising, on Flickr
> 
> DPP_0026 by corerising, on Flickr


----------



## Arnorian

Very nice.


----------



## davroca5

O...M...G... :uh::uh::eek2::eek2::rock:


----------



## dimlys1994

Track replacement at Waterloo station:


----------



## dimlys1994

More photos on Shepherd's Bush Overground station with longer platforms:
https://anonw.wordpress.com/2015/05/05/westfield-gets-its-own-overground-station/


----------



## dimlys1994

More photos on Whitechapel station rebuilding:
https://anonw.wordpress.com/2015/05/06/whitechapel-station-is-emerging/


----------



## dimlys1994

First tracks are laid for Crossrail between Plumstead Portal and Abbey Wood station:


----------



## TitanSound

dimlys1994 said:


> First tracks are laid for Crossrail between Plumstead Portal and Abbey Wood station:
> 
> ]


The music sounds like something from Sim City


----------



## dimlys1994

Second round of consultations for Overground extension to Barking Riverside is launched and will last until 21 June:
https://consultations.tfl.gov.uk/rail/barking-riverside-extension/consult_view


----------



## dimlys1994

More on first Crossrail tracks:
http://www.crossrail.co.uk/news/articles/first-new-crossrail-tracks-laid-in-southeast-london


----------



## 437.001

^^
That's Plumstead, isn't it?


----------



## dimlys1994

437.001 said:


> ^^ That's Plumstead, isn't it?


Yes


----------



## davroca5

Crossrail will use catenary or third rail? :?


----------



## dimlys1994

davroca5 said:


> Crossrail will use catenary or third rail? :?


It will use catenary


----------



## dimlys1994

Two more videos on Crossrail:


----------



## Union Man

When will the above ground station, such as Bond Street and Liverpool Street be externally complete?


----------



## dimlys1994

More on track laying between Plumstead Portal and Abbey Wood station:
https://anonw.wordpress.com/2015/05/15/track-laying-at-abbey-wood/


----------



## Winter Paradox

I just traveled on the route between Romford and Upminster, where London Overground will take over next week, and it is quite slow. It's a single track with only one train on the line so let's hope it travels faster.


----------



## Brenda goats

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/u...twork-will-be-controlled-by-tfl-10266094.html

Check this map fans!


----------



## po8crg

Brenda goats said:


> Check this map fans!


We have more stops in zones 7, 8 and 9 on the map, and there's whatever Shenfield is (the same as Watford Junction, presumably).


----------



## Winter Paradox

Brenda goats said:


> http://www.independent.co.uk/news/u...twork-will-be-controlled-by-tfl-10266094.html
> 
> Check this map fans!


So Abellio Greater Anglia will still have control of Stansted Express, Norwich, Southend Victoria, Ipswich and Chelmsford routes. Still a good deal for fast trains to Essex and East Anglia.

I did see the London Overground Train for the Romford to Upminster route "parked up" at the Seven Kings depot but don't know how many carriages they will use. Let's just hop it travels a lot more faster than the one they have now. Plus the carriages for TfL Rail are slowly changing colour to White and Blue.


----------



## dimlys1994

Official update of TfL map:
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/cdn/static/cms/documents/tube-map-may-2015.pdf


----------



## dimlys1994

More on Thameslink from photographer David Harvey - Bermondsey diveunder:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/unravelled


Bermondsey Diveunder works by David Harvey, on Flickr


Bermondsey Diveunder works by David Harvey, on Flickr

And London Bridge station reconstruction:


London Bridge works by David Harvey, on Flickr


London Bridge works by David Harvey, on Flickr


London Bridge works by David Harvey, on Flickr


London Bridge works by David Harvey, on Flickr


London Bridge works by David Harvey, on Flickr


London Bridge works by David Harvey, on Flickr


----------



## dimlys1994

More on London Bridge station rebuilding:



geogregor said:


> Fresh shots from today:
> 
> P5212154 by Geogregor*, on Flickr
> 
> 
> P5212153 by Geogregor*, on Flickr
> 
> 
> P5212151 by Geogregor*, on Flickr
> 
> 
> P5212147 by Geogregor*, on Flickr
> 
> 
> P5212146 by Geogregor*, on Flickr
> 
> 
> P5212143 by Geogregor*, on Flickr
> 
> 
> P5212140 by Geogregor*, on Flickr
> 
> 
> P5212139 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


----------



## dimlys1994

More on Crossrail from webcams:
http://www.crossrail.co.uk/construction/webcam-gallery

Paddington station:



















Bond Street station:



















Farringdon station:



















Liverpool Street station:



















Whitechapel station:



















Custom House station:


----------



## dimlys1994

More on London Bridge station rebuilding:



geogregor said:


> They should be soon ready to install beams above the concourse for the new set of tracks and platforms.
> 
> P5242187 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


----------



## SE9

I pass London Bridge regularly by train on the active Southeastern platforms. 

Impressive project given the constraint of having a busy station to work within.


----------



## dimlys1994

New London Bridge station timelapse:


----------



## dimlys1994

New video from Londonist about Paddington station:


----------



## dimlys1994

Official from Network Rail:



> http://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/news/closing-the-gap-at-vauxhall-station
> 
> *Closing the gap at Vauxhall station*
> Thursday 28 May 2015
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> A new platform surface has reduced the step for passengers and increased safety at one of London’s busiest – and most historic - stations.
> 
> Rumour has it that the South West Trains station of Vauxhall once so impressed the Russian Tsar, on a visit in the 1840s, that it actually gave its name to the Russian word for ‘large station’ (vokzal). That may or may not be true, but recent investment by the Network Rail / South West Trains Alliance has given the 167-year-old station a fresh look on platforms 7 and 8.
> 
> Despite its low profile, the station provides an interchange with the Victoria Line and buses, leaving it as the country’s 18th busiest station – and London’s 14th - with 20m passengers a year
> 
> ...


----------



## dimlys1994

More TfL updated maps:

https://tfl.gov.uk/cdn/static/cms/documents/london-rail-and-tube-services-map.pdf
https://tfl.gov.uk/cdn/static/cms/documents/london-overground-network-map.pdf (Romoford to Upminster line is in special box)

And new one - TfL Rail map, temporarily:
https://tfl.gov.uk/cdn/static/cms/documents/tfl-rail-map.pdf


----------



## dimlys1994

New lifts at South Tottenham station:
https://anonw.wordpress.com/2015/05/29/south-tottenham-station-29th-may-2015/


----------



## dimlys1994

New Overground branding on Enfield branch. It was taken by London blogger yesterday, so rebranding of some stations to Overground and TfL Rail is still underway:
https://anonw.wordpress.com/2015/05/30/the-orange-is-starting-to-appear/




























New rubber floor at Enfield Town station:



























































































Lincoln Road level crossing at Enfield:



















New Tottenham Hotspur FC stadium, it's just 320 m away:



















Change here for Hackney Central station:


----------



## dimlys1994

dimlys1994 said:


> More on Farringdon Crossrail station construction:
> http://www.ianvisits.co.uk/blog/2015/07/22/photos-from-the-crossrail-tunnels-under-farringdon/


Video from the same place, from Londonist:


----------



## dimlys1994

Whitechapel station redelopment continues, with new steel beans installed over Overground platforms. Service was restored on Monday, next closure - 1 and 2 August:
http://anonw.com/2015/07/29/whitechapel-station-29th-july-2015/






















































































































Two more pics - webcam views:
http://www.crossrail.co.uk/construction/webcam-gallery


----------



## dimlys1994

Custom House Crossrail station construction continues - I think that station will have platform screen doors and it seems that track laying has just began on London-bound direction:
http://anonw.com/2015/07/29/custom-house-station-29th-july-2015/




































































































Crossrail webcam view this morning:
http://www.crossrail.co.uk/construction/webcam-gallery


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## Skalka

What I've been thinking is that London is a late bloomer when it comes to branding its suburban rail, especially if you consider that London and its environs is one of the most classic commuter lands in the world and it's even more true the more expensive London becomes. Berlin has one S-Bahn, Paris has one RER, but London needs three names for its non-terminus suburban rail and it seems like all these names are supposed to have specific advertisement effects.

For Thameslink, it's like saying that yes, you can actually penetrate through inner-city London after all and Thames River for that matter as well and treat it like a new tube line, but (as of 1990) don't count on any extra links, you entitled bastards.
For Overground, it's like saying that the tube is growing onto the upside of the soil to your vicinity, making your place a part of the tube network as well.
For Crossrail, it's like saying that this is such a cool new thing that we'll order a new stock of trains for it and totally can't serve it with the same trains as the Overground.

What do you think will be the moment when the various urban Network Rail systems in London will finally be united under one brand? A brand that unites both the cross-city lines and the orbital lines, with a united numeration system for all the lines? What do you imagine the London S-Bahn/RER/Cercanias to be called?


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## Nouvellecosse

But Paris' suburban rail isn't all under the RER branding. I'm not sure about Berlin but in Paris there are quite a few non RER lines.


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## Skalka

You mean the Transilien lines, well, the end in termini and I actually excluded them.

EDIT: Auto-correction from a smartphone is sub-optimum at times.


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## dimlys1994

From Rail Journal:



> http://www.railjournal.com/index.ph...ink-train-arrives-in-britain.html?channel=529
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> *First Siemens Thameslink train arrives in Britain*
> Friday, July 31, 2015
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> Siemens and Govia Thamselink Railway will now start testing the train to prepare for the fleet's entry into service initially on the Bedford – London – Gatwick Airport - Brighton corridor in spring next year.
> 
> When reconstruction of London Bridge station and other track improvement works have been completed in 2018, the Thameslink network will be expanded to include Cambridge and Peterborough, as well as other destinations in Kent and Sussex
> 
> ...


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## dimlys1994

Progress on London Bridge station:



Shardview77 said:


> Station frontage on St Thomas St starting to come together.


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## link_road_17/7

Skalka said:


> What do you think will be the moment when the various urban Network Rail systems in London will finally be united under one brand? A brand that unites both the cross-city lines and the orbital lines, with a united numeration system for all the lines? What do you imagine the London S-Bahn/RER/Cercanias to be called?


Back in the late 1980s, it was called Network SouthEast. It had the same colour scheme as LU (blue, white, red), with joint ticketing (TravelCard) and network map.

Shamefully, privatisation shattered it into various TOCs. However, elements of it still exits today through tickets such as TravelCards, GoldCards, Network Railcard.


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## dimlys1994

Again on London Bridge station:



*Nurse* said:


> Thanks for the updates Shardview77!
> That made my day, and inspired me to go there this morning. Here's what they've done with some of those pieces:
> 
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## dimlys1994

New photos from Crystal Palaca station:
http://anonw.com/2015/08/03/a-station-that-needs-its-lifts/


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## dimlys1994

More on Abbey Wood station construction:
http://anonw.com/2015/08/04/new-tracks-and-platforms-at-abbey-wood-station/


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## Clery

link_road_17/7 said:


> Skalka said:
> 
> 
> 
> What do you think will be the moment when the various urban Network Rail systems in London will finally be united under one brand? A brand that unites both the cross-city lines and the orbital lines, with a united numeration system for all the lines? What do you imagine the London S-Bahn/RER/Cercanias to be called?
> 
> 
> 
> Back in the late 1980s, it was called Network SouthEast. It had the same colour scheme as LU (blue, white, red), with joint ticketing (TravelCard) and network map.
> 
> Shamefully, privatisation shattered it into various TOCs. However, elements of it still exits today through tickets such as TravelCards, GoldCards, Network Railcard.
Click to expand...

That's not really comparable to the RER or the S-Bahn really, both frequency and ridership are significantly smaller. This is more about a regional rail network.

And for the matter, the RER does not group all suburban rail networks in the Paris region. Only lines going all through the center underground with a high frequency.

RER A and RER B lines are actually more comparable to the Central or Piccadilly lines in London than they are with South East regional rail. They have similar length and number of stations, but both RER lines have a much higher ridership.

Here is for instance a map of the Northern network of Paris regional rail. Very highly comparable to the South East map you posted (except it's partial I know).


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## TheMoses

Clery said:


> That's not really comparable to the RER or the S-Bahn really, both frequency and ridership are significantly smaller. This is more about a regional rail network.


Ridership isn't actually that different:

RER+Transilien ridership 2013: 1.198 billion
South East rail ridership 2014-15: 1.15 billion


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## Clery

TheMoses said:


> Ridership isn't actually that different:
> 
> RER+Transilien ridership 2013: 1.198 billion
> South East rail ridership 2014-15: 1.15 billion


You're comparing apples and oranges here. RER+Transilien is strictly urban, serving strictly the Paris urban area, it's a lot more restrictive than the overall English South East rail netwok. Not to mention that RER (especially the one of the RATP) and SNCF Transilien are strongly different in nature, but that's another debate.

To compare with South East, you would need to add together both Transilien and TERs from Picardy, Upper Normandy, Centre Val-de-Loire, Champagne and Bourgogne.

Services are not structured the same way, but it doesn't change the fact that taking the train from London to Southampton is much more similar to taking the train from Paris to Amiens than it is to taking the RER from Châtelet to La Défense. And I know what I'm talking about because I've done all those trips by myself. South East rail is regional rail, it cannot be compared to Paris RER or Berlin S-Bahn.


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## dimlys1994

More on Crossrail - new Tottenham Court Road station ticket hall:
http://anonw.com/2015/08/10/the-southern-entrance-to-tottenham-court-road-station-takes-shape/





































Liverpool Street Crossrail station:
http://anonw.com/2015/08/10/crossrail-works-in-front-of-liverpool-street-station/
































































Same Broadgate entrance from Crossrail's webcam:










Bond Street station:



















Paddington station:



















Farringdon station:



















And Whitechapel station:


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## Woonsocket54

I share Mr. Schwandl's bemusement with the British fetish for monochromatic confusion, especially regarding how Overground, DLR and District Line services are portrayed on maps:

http://schwandl.blogspot.de/2015/08/transport-in-london.html


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## dimlys1994

More London Bridge station renders:
http://www.networkrailmediacentre.c...ues-multi-billion-pound-southwark-renaissance


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## Skalka

Clery said:


> You're comparing apples and oranges here. RER+Transilien is strictly urban, serving strictly the Paris urban area, it's a lot more restrictive than the overall English South East rail netwok. Not to mention that RER (especially the one of the RATP) and SNCF Transilien are strongly different in nature, but that's another debate.
> 
> To compare with South East, you would need to add together both Transilien and TERs from Picardy, Upper Normandy, Centre Val-de-Loire, Champagne and Bourgogne.
> 
> Services are not structured the same way, but it doesn't change the fact that taking the train from London to Southampton is much more similar to taking the train from Paris to Amiens than it is to taking the RER from Châtelet to La Défense. And I know what I'm talking about because I've done all those trips by myself. South East rail is regional rail, it cannot be compared to Paris RER or Berlin S-Bahn.


Yes, that's why I don't take Network SouthEast as an answer. If it were an acceptable answer, it wouldn't have that many branches with its own names. I don't know if taking that many TERs like Clery said were really prudent, but let's say that there's a very good reason why Berlin S-Bahn GmbH is separate from DB Regio Nordost which stretches over the rural half of the former GDR from the Baltic Sea down to Lusatia.

And as we're at it, our German S-Bahn networks may be run as part of the local DB Regio chapter, but only as a part of it and not its entirety. No, you need a brand inside Network SouthEast.


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## sotonsi

Skalka said:


> What I've been thinking is that London is a late bloomer when it comes to branding its suburban rail, especially if you consider that London and its environs is one of the most classic commuter lands in the world and it's even more true the more expensive London becomes.


Why do commuters need one brand of rail? Surely they would investigate service frequencies and journey times from the station regardless?


> Berlin has one S-Bahn, Paris has one RER, but London needs three names for its non-terminus suburban rail


Because they do different things?


link_road_17/7 said:


> Back in the late 1980s, it was called Network SouthEast. It had the same colour scheme as LU (blue, white, red), with joint ticketing (TravelCard) and network map.


Indeed - we had one brand - London isn't a late bloomer here, but perhaps was ahead of the curve before privatisation (which cannot be undone until we leave the EU).


Clery said:


> That's not really comparable to the RER or the S-Bahn really


Yet it was an even more unified monobrand concept that Skalka thought was a good idea - not just suburban, but all the commuter routes as well (almost all of which run at similar frequencies to inner services).


> both frequency and ridership are significantly smaller.


Really? Compare inner and outer suburban frequencies and ridership in London and you'll find they are similar. Why should the branding stop at the edge of the urban area? Because in Paris the good frequencies end there? What a poor reason if true!

You mentioned, in another post, Waterloo - Southampton. That's a route served by 3 white trains every hour, and one slower train. Does Amiens really get 4tph TER service to Paris (which is what you compared it to)? There's tube stations with lower frequencies, and journey times to Waterloo that aren't much shorter (certainly when I used to travel Amersham - Waterloo - Winchester the SWT leg was slightly quicker than the Chiltern-Bakerloo leg and taking the Met rather than the Chiltern would have meant I could have got to Soton Airport Pkwy from Waterloo in less time than I spend getting to Waterloo).


Clery said:


> You're comparing apples and oranges here.


But you are trying to make an orange into an apple. They are apple and orange networks: of course there is apple and orange branding!


> RER+Transilien is strictly urban, serving strictly the Paris urban area, it's a lot more restrictive than the overall English South East rail netwok.


Indeed, but the desire was to see uniform branding for London and Link Road simply showed the uniform brand there once was.


> Not to mention that RER (especially the one of the RATP) and SNCF Transilien are strongly different in nature, but that's another debate.


But does that difference not apply to different London brands? Yes (once you bring back NSE).

Does that difference apply to the difference between SWT blue train routes and SWT red train routes? Not really - other than the outer suburban colour gets treated better as they pay more, what with coming from beyond the urban area.


> Services are not structured the same way


Exactly! Oh, you don't mean between cities, but between different (fairly arbitrary) lines on a map that you've made.


Skalka said:


> Yes, that's why I don't take Network SouthEast as an answer. If it were an acceptable answer, it wouldn't have that many branches with its own names.


London is a big place. There are lots of rail routes serving it. The measily 6 names to service groups that NSE had is merely one more than the RER has now!

See also this issue that was brought up about the Overground not having subbrands:


Woonsocket54 said:


> I share Mr. Schwandl's bemusement with the British fetish for monochromatic confusion


It's Skalka and other continentals who not only want monochromatic (ie fewer branches with their own names) networks, but monochromaticism between cities with their "that's an orange, why do you not have apples" questioning, not accepting "because an orange is what we have" as an answer.


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## dimlys1994




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## dimlys1994

More on Crossrail:



*Nurse* said:


> I haven't seen any photos of the Royal Oak portal for a long time, so I headed over there this morning. According to the website there is or has been plenty of work there this month.


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## dimlys1994

Plans for Peckham Rye station area redevelopment:



Jon10 said:


> .
> *Doing up Peckham station...*
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## The Shard Baby

London Bridge Station, from the 30th floor of Guy's Hospital Tower, from Tuesday (18.08.2015):

London Bridge Station redevelopment - Overview (18.08.2015) by The Shard Baby 2006-2015, on Flickr 

London Bridge Station - Work continues apace! (18.08.2015) by The Shard Baby 2006-2015, on Flickr

London Bridge Station - Working distance (18.08.2015) by The Shard Baby 2006-2015, on Flickr


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## mrsmartman

*CROSSRAIL DOCUMENTARY: THE FIFTEEN BILLION POUND RAILWAY*

The BBC produced a three-part documentary series which took the public behind the scenes of Europe’s largest infrastructure project as it constructs a new rail line through the heart of one of the world’s busiest cities.










BBC 2’s The Fifteen Billion Pound Railway first aired in summer 2014 and followed the construction of the new train tunnels and stations under London.

The series has been released on DVD. It can be ordered via the London Transport Museum shop and Amazon.

For more information about The Fifteen Billion Pound Railway visit the BBC website.


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## dimlys1994

More on new Custom House Crossrail station:



gerryuk said:


> Custom House Station - taken from my mobile on Thursday.
> Lift shaft and stairs to entrance on Freemasons Road
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## Winter Paradox

dimlys1994 said:


> More on new Custom House Crossrail station:


Progress is coming along nicely.


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## dimlys1994

More on Thameslink:


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## dimlys1994

Consultation results on Barking Riverside Overground extension are published - 90% are in favour of extension, 55% are in favour of Option B (two stations in extension):
https://consultations.tfl.gov.uk/ra...arking-riverside-2015-consultation-report.pdf
https://consultations.tfl.gov.uk/ra..._uploads/barking-riverside-map-opt-b-f-.pdf-1


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## dimlys1994

Official from TfL:



> https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/p...ctless-payments-and-oyster-extended-to-dartfo
> 
> *Contactless payments and Oyster extended to Dartford*
> 04 September 2015
> 
> Thousands of rail passengers are set for cheaper fares and more convenient journeys from Sunday 6 September as acceptance of contactless payments and Oyster is extended to pay as you go travel on Southeastern services to and from Dartford station.
> 
> The move is part of Transport for London's (TfL's) work to make life easier for customers, and will mean Dartford station moves into Zone 8, with customers able to use pay as you go and Zone 1-8 Travelcard season tickets. Customers using contactless payments to travel will pay the same fare as Oyster and, whether using Oyster or contactless payments, customers will make significant financial savings.
> 
> A standard anytime single fare for travel to Dartford is currently £8.40, but from Sunday the new pay as you go contactless payment or Oyster single fare will be £7.00 in the peak (saving £1.40) and £4.00 off peak (saving £4.40)
> 
> ...


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## dimlys1994

From Railway Gazette:



> http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/...iew/view/crossrail-emu-bodyshell-on-test.html
> 
> *Crossrail EMU bodyshell on test*
> 10 Sep 2015
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> UK: A test bodyshell for the Class 345 electric multiple-units ordered for London’s Crossrail project has been assembled at Bombardier Transportation’s Derby plant, where it is being used to refine the design and manufacturing techniques ahead of full production of the 594 cars for 66 nine-car trainsets.
> 
> 'This assembled body shell, which has progressed rapidly from a blank piece of paper through to build and test, is the first off the production line for the Crossrail project’, said Bombardier's Project Director Joe Bednall. ‘It will first go to be tested, to validate the bodyshell design, before being painted and re-assembled to form the client's cab and saloon mock up. The on-time completion of this new lightweight body shell design marks an important milestone in the ongoing successful delivery of the Crossrail project'
> 
> ...


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## dimlys1994

More on Thameslink works around Bermondsey:


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## dimlys1994

Inside of Canary Wharf station, official from Crossrail:
http://www.crossrail.co.uk/news/art...on-released-as-station-construction-completes


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## dimlys1994

More on Crossrail:



Mr Cladding said:


> They've been doing some works to the footbridge to enable step free access and to link up the enlarged ticket hall at West Drayton.
> 
> Platform 2 by Luke, on Flickr
> 
> Footbridge Works by Luke, on Flickr


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## dimlys1994

New London Lines map, without stations unfortunately:
http://carto.metro.free.fr/cartes/lines-london/


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## dimlys1994

October pictures of London Bridge station rebuilding, taken from Thameslink Programme page on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/TLProgramme


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## dimlys1994

More on Crossrail progress. Abbey Wood station:



LordBerkley said:


> Abbey Wood station progressing


And West Drayton station:



Mr Cladding said:


> Footbridge works at West Drayton
> 
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## RedArkady

Anyone know when the Class 700's will make it as far as Hornsey Depot? I know that they are due to start being brought into service on the KX-Cambridge route from 2016, in advance of the St Pancras tunnels being opened to passengers in 2018, so presumably it must be soon. Be great to get a picture of the first 700 to go through that tunnel, even if it has no passengers!


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## davroca5

dimlys1994 said:


> Inside of Canary Wharf station, official from Crossrail:
> http://www.crossrail.co.uk/news/art...on-released-as-station-construction-completes


OMG! I didn`t saw this!!!! :drool: :drool:


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## dimlys1994

More on Abbey Wood station rebuilding:


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## dimlys1994

From Railway Gazette:



> http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/...nce-at-the-heart-of-thameslink-emu-depot.html
> 
> *Predictive maintenance at the heart of Thameslink EMU depot*
> 15 Oct 2015
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> UK: ‘We want to prevent malfunctions before they even occur,’ said Siemens Mobility Division CEO Jochen Eickholt when Secretary of State for Transport Patrick McLoughlin officially opened the new rolling stock depot at Three Bridges on October 15.
> 
> The depot will maintain the 115 Class 700 Desiro City electric multiple-units which Siemens is supplying for north–south commuter routes through central London.
> 
> The Department for Transport has ordered the EMUs under a 20-year deal with Cross London Trains, a special purpose joint venture of Siemens Project Ventures, Innisfree and 3i Infrastructure. Siemens has a separate contract for their maintenance, and ‘making sure our trains are available for service day-in, day-out, is key’, said Eickholt
> 
> ...


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## dimlys1994

Inside of Crossrail tunnels near future Bond Street station:
http://www.cityam.com/227208/crossr...ndons-infrastructure-project-is-to-completion
http://www.crossrail.co.uk/news/articles/construction-advances-at-bond-street























































Western ticket hall at Davies St:


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## Garbo

I need an info please. Which is the best way to reach Reading from the centre of London? And how many times it takes?

Thanks!!


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## capslock

Garbo said:


> I need an info please. Which is the best way to reach Reading from the centre of London? And how many times it takes? Thanks!!


Paddington station. 

Loads of trains

Should be about 25 minutes


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## dimlys1994

From Railway Gazette:



> http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/...ertakes-further-crossrail-2-consultation.html
> 
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> 29 Oct 2015
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> UK: Transport for London has begun public consultation on the route and design of Crossrail 2, a proposed tunnel running under London from Wimbledon in southwest to Tottenham Hale and New Southgate in the north. This would connect existing suburban rail networks at each end.
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> TfL said two previous consultations had demonstrated ‘overwhelming support’ for the project from the public and businesses. The latest round of consultation is seeking views on:
> 
> Locations of proposed station entrances, tunnel portals and ventilation shafts;
> Locations for construction sites;
> Proposed Crossrail 2 service patterns and changes to existing rail services
> This round of consultation runs until January 8 2016, and would be followed by others as the project progresses. Subject to government approval and funding for the scheme, TfL envisages that construction could begin in 2020 with the first services running in 2030
> 
> ...


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## dimlys1994




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## dimlys1994

Press release from Thameslink Railway:



> http://www.thameslinkrailway.com/about-us/news/crossrail-work-begins-at-farringdon-station/
> 
> *Crossrail work begins at Farringdon station*
> 29 Oct 2015
> 
> Crossrail works are starting at Farringdon station on 31 October and will last for 3 years, while the station is redeveloped to provide a direct connection for passengers to Crossrail services.
> 
> This will result in changes to the ticket hall, including a complete closure of the ticket office over this weekend (31 October/1 November) and one of the two sets of stairs to Thameslink platform 4 northbound services will be closed.
> 
> Once the work is completed, passengers will benefit from a new escalator, (lift and stairs) to Thameslink and Crossrail platforms, a major new rail interchange providing access to three rail networks: Crossrail, London Underground and Thameslink Network Rail, bringing passengers from outer London to the business hubs in the West End, the City and Canary Wharf, and connecting with three of London’s five airports, providing a highly desirable railway connection to Heathrow, Gatwick and Luton
> 
> ...


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## dimlys1994




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## dimlys1994

From Railway Gazette:



> http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/...less-to-reach-gatwick-airport-in-january.html
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> 10 Nov 2015
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> 
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> 
> ...


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## dimlys1994




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## dimlys1994

More on London Bridge station redevelopment:



No Expert said:


> 11th November 2015
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## dimlys1994




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## dimlys1994

More on London Bridge station redevelopment:



No Expert said:


> From northside 16-11_15


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## dimlys1994

From David Harvey, progress on Abbey Wood station redevelopment:


Abbey Wood by David Harvey, on Flickr


Abbey Wood by David Harvey, on Flickr


Abbey Wood by David Harvey, on Flickr


Abbey Wood by David Harvey, on Flickr

And track laying near Plumsteas portal:


Crossrail MPG Plunstead by David Harvey, on Flickr


Crossrail MPG Plunstead by David Harvey, on Flickr


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## Hagelkorn

*Upgrade of 10 London Overground Stations - Murphy wins LO station contract*



> *Murphy wins LO station contract*
> 17/11/2015 in Network
> 
> J Murphy & Sons has won a £6.5 million contract from Transport for London to upgrade ten London Overground stations with new shelters and seating, upgraded lighting, better paving and new handrails.
> 
> Staff offices, customer information screens, public address systems, help points and CCTV systems will also be refreshed. Murphy will also undertake preparatory works for new ticket machines and gatelines at some stations.
> 
> The stations involved in the contract are *Bethnal Green, Cambridge Heath, Edmonton Green, Enfield Town, Hackney Downs, London Fields, Southbury, Theobalds Grove, Turkey Street and White Hart Lane*.


http://www.railmagazine.com/news/network/2015/11/17/murphy-wins-lo-station-contract

(via http://anonw.com/2015/11/17/ten-london-overground-stations-for-upgrade/)


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## dimlys1994




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## dimlys1994

More on Crossrail:



Vulcan's Finest said:


> Apparently 50% of the surface works for Crossrail are now complete.
> 
> http://www.railtechnologymagazine.c...log/halfway-there-for-crossrail-surface-works
> 
> A very nice view of Acton diveunder.


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## dimlys1994

More on London Bridge station redevelopment:



Core Rising said:


> London Bridge Station redevelopment by corerising, on Flickr
> 
> London Bridge by corerising, on Flickr


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## stefeni-ts

from Techradar a piece on the new Cross rail rolling stock
http://www.techradar.com/news/world...t-are-looking-to-change-london-travel-1309347


----------



## Richard_P

In case someone missed that out, YouTube user Southern Train Routes posted some of Southern trains routes from drivers view position. As those are mostly from "metro" services this topic is best for it. Below latest video, but user has its more and mostly from both directions, enjoy :cheers2:


----------



## dimlys1994

Steelwork above East London line platfroms at Whitechapel:
http://anonw.com/2015/11/21/whitechapel-station-steelwork-against-the-sky/


----------



## Richard_P

Going somewhere into future it is worth to note that Brighton Main Line study pointed at East Croydon or rather Windmill Junction just north of that station as biggest bottleneck on that line. Subject was wider discussed in this and this articles. Apart from description and some pictures of mentioned objects first features present track layout and second proposed to be build in CP6 so after 2019 including its implications on services. Worth to reed to know what will be going on after Thameslink is finished. Reportedly expansion to 8 platforms of East Croydon was delayed as it would pose too much problems in area which sees much problems due to Thameslink construction thus delaying investment after 2019.


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## matago

I've just seen pics and clips of what the new Crossrail Class 345 trains will look like.

I am disgusted. 

From the point of view of someone in Zone 5, Crossrail will be a downgrade compared to the existing Liverpool Street to Shenfield rail service. It certainly will make my commute worse - they are even taking away the peak time semi-fasts. 

Thanks TFL, for less seats, more stops and overcrowding.


----------



## TheMoses

Well that's unfortunate but they are Transport for London, not Transport for Matago.


----------



## dimlys1994

New Thameslink trains:



mackenziesoley said:


> 700107 was the first 700 to make a trip on the mainline under its own power last night working the following
> 
> 5Z90 22+44 Three Bridges TL Depot Up Side to Brighton
> 5Z91 23+26 Brighton to Three Bridges TL Depot Up side
> 
> Arriving (click on for video)
> 
> 700107 arrives at Brighton by Mackenzie Soley, on Flickr
> 
> Departing (click on for video)
> 
> 700107 leaves Brighton by Mackenzie Soley, on Flickr
> 
> 700107 in Brighton shed
> 
> 700107 at Brighton by Mackenzie Soley, on Flickr
> 
> 700107 at Brighton by Mackenzie Soley, on Flickr
> 
> 700107 at Brighton by Mackenzie Soley, on Flickr
> 
> 700107 at Brighton by Mackenzie Soley, on Flickr
> 
> 700107 at Brighton by Mackenzie Soley, on Flickr
> 
> 700107 made it first of many trips here. This will soon be a very common sight
> 
> 700107 at Brighton by Mackenzie Soley, on Flickr


----------



## dimlys1994

Track laying inside of Crossrail tunnels:






































Inside of Woolwich station:
http://www.crossrail.co.uk/construction/railway-systems/










Inside of Thames Tunnel:










Inside of Connaught Tunnel:


----------



## Winter Paradox

Every time I see pictures of Connaught Tunnel, I always think its too tight for two trains. Or is it just my eyes and picture not agreeing.


----------



## Antje

The tunnel is now deeper rather than taller, because it will needs to accommodate overhead wires. When it carried the North London line, it used 3rd rail, which did not require much space as Crossrail will need.


----------



## dimlys1994

Antje said:


> The tunnel is now deeper rather than taller, because it will needs to accommodate overhead wires. When it carried the North London line, it used 3rd rail, which did not require much space as Crossrail will need.


And much different too - part of tunnel that exactly under water was rebuilt. Again for the same reasons


----------



## Richard_P

Winter Paradox said:


> Every time I see pictures of Connaught Tunnel, I always think its too tight for two trains. Or is it just my eyes and picture not agreeing.


It's just an illusion, just look at how it looked earlier








This overbuild was constructed to give greater clearance for shipping canal and was dismantled as part of Crossrail. More on that in this article from which above picture comes from.


----------



## dimlys1994

More on Crossrail:



kleon said:


> Work has begun on the above-ground part of Woolwich Station:


----------



## rjee

dimlys1994 said:


> Track laying inside of Crossrail tunnels:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Inside of Woolwich station:
> http://www.crossrail.co.uk/construction/railway-systems/
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Inside of Thames Tunnel:


oh my god, these new crossrail tunnels look so futuristic! especially when you combine them with that rail-laying or whatever machine..


----------



## dimlys1994

Another nice video from Londonist blog on future Crossrail services:


----------



## 00Zy99

Why do the new Crossrail trains not have the mandated yellow front panels? Even if the Underground stock doesn't require them, the Overground stock does.


----------



## link_road_17/7

00Zy99 said:


> Why do the new Crossrail trains not have the mandated yellow front panels? Even if the Underground stock doesn't require them, the Overground stock does.


Changes to the Rule Book mean that yellow ends will no longer be required.


----------



## 00Zy99

link_road_17/7 said:


> Changes to the Rule Book mean that yellow ends will no longer be required.


When was this written? When does it take effect? Which trains are impacted? I don't see any of the renders of the IEP having anything other than yellow ends.


----------



## dimlys1994

Official from TfL:



> https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/p...nderway-on-new-rail-link-to-barking-riverside
> 
> *CONSULTATION GETS UNDERWAY ON NEW RAIL LINK TO BARKING RIVERSIDE*
> 03 December 2015
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> A detailed public consultation has begun on plans to build a vital new rail link to Barking Riverside, east London's largest housing development site.
> 
> The proposed 4km extension will see the London Overground Gospel Oak to Barking line extended to serve a new station at the heart of the development.
> 
> It will mean a wide range of benefits for people in the local area and beyond, including:
> 
> Up to nearly 11,000 new homes being built, many of which are affordable, along with a new school and healthcare facilities;
> The construction of a new district centre with commercial and leisure facilities;
> Four trains an hour to Barking where customers can connect with District and Hammersmith & City Tube services, and c2c services into Fenchurch Street station
> 
> ...


Consultation page:
https://consultations.tfl.gov.uk/rail/barking-riverside-extension-consult?cid=barking-riverside


----------



## dimlys1994




----------



## dimlys1994

Progress on Crossrail’s Acton diveunder:
http://www.ianvisits.co.uk/blog/2015/12/06/a-look-at-crossrails-critical-acton-dive-under/


----------



## dimlys1994

More on Crossrail:



kleon said:


> Between Silvertown and North Woolwich, Crossrail briefly surfaces before diving into the Woolwich Tunnel under the Thames. Track installation is underway here.
> 
> 
> _Connaught Tunnel east entrance_
> 
> 
> _Near Tate & Lyle sugar refinery_
> 
> 
> _New tracks ready for Crossrail_
> 
> 
> _Hoardings along Factory Road, North Woolwich. This is where the Woolwich Tunnel begins_


----------



## dimlys1994




----------



## Stratford

*TfL to take command of the capital's entire suburban rail network with London Overground*
http://www.standard.co.uk/news/transport/tfl-to-take-command-of-londons-entire-suburban-rail-network-a3161586.html

They really do need to sort out how to distinguish between overground lines otherwise half the underground map is going to become orange.


----------



## sotonsi

Stratford said:


> *TfL to take command of the capital's entire suburban rail network with London Overground*
> http://www.standard.co.uk/news/transport/tfl-to-take-command-of-londons-entire-suburban-rail-network-a3161586.html


You'd have thought that the Standard would understand that "Commuter services running from Cannon Street, Charing Cross, Moorgate, Victoria, Waterloo and London Bridge, would all be transferred under the plans" (their third slide in the video) is not the headline/first slide "entire suburban rail network".

The following suburban lines are not going to be Overground come 2021
GWML suburban services (OK, TfL will have these under their control with Crossrail)
Greenford Branch (probably will be run by Chiltern)
Marylebone suburban services (as TfL feel Chiltern is awesome)
Thameslink (which will still be run by the TOC)
Liverpool Street suburban via Tottenham Hale (awaiting Crossrail 2)
Stratford - Angel Road service (awaiting Crossrail 2)
GEML suburban services (OK, TfL will have these under their control with Crossrail)
Fenchurch Street routes (as TfL feel c2c is awesome)
Blackfriars terminators (? they weren't listed, though the peak services via Herne Hill are on the map)
 LondonReconnections wrote it all up in October and had this TfL map:











> They really do need to sort out how to distinguish between overground lines otherwise half the underground map is going to become orange.


Isn't it already half orange? 

It's quite obvious and easy to see a way to distinguish them - use the style of line, but different colours. SE blue, SC (save the MK service) green, SW red, Moorgate the awful colour they have on the map and give Liverpool Street some new colour would be a good start, even though that's still big blocks with one colour.


----------



## po8crg

You missed Tring stoppers!


----------



## sotonsi

po8crg said:


> You missed Tring stoppers!


Not suburban (currently only 2 stops in Greater London, one of which is Euston), but Crossrail will take them over.


----------



## Suburbanist

Where will TfL expansion stop? Will they ultimately takeover all lines in the Southeast except HS1?


----------



## Winter Paradox

With this big news, they may either have to come up with a new brand, ie TfL Rail, London Overground, or just have a separate map just for Overground and split the routes into different colours and names, ie Gos-King/GosBark Line (that's including extension to Dagenham Docks and Riverside) Stratmond Line, Clapford Line (calling it Stratham may confuse it with Stratmond), Liverford Line, Enpool Line etc.

Okay poor names but you get the idea.


----------



## sotonsi

Winter Paradox said:


> ie Gos-King/GosBark Line (that's including extension to Dagenham Docks and Riverside)


You mean Goblin* (including extension to Barking Riverside)? 

*Gospel Oak to Barking line


----------



## Suburbanist

I think they need to to like other cities that have regional/suburban rail services that double as heavy-capacity main link in central areas: one map for the core (say, areas 1-5), one complete map and one "outer map" that blurs the central area.

Does TfL rail plan on changing outdated third-rail electrification for overhead wires on Overground lines where applicable?


----------



## Swede

I'm guess they'd like to be able to replace the third rail systems but the cost would be amazing and there'd be far too many places there just isn't the clearance available above the trains for OHLE.


----------



## theferret0

I think with the next expansion, they'll finally resort to giving the different Overground routes proper names (though I get the impression that boring numbers are just as likely). One of the aims set out in the document released yesterday was to untangle the confusion with "lines" and they'd be hypocrites if they allowed the network maps to continue in one big mass of orange.

London Overground is a strong enough and well-known enough name to not need promoting as an individual route now.


----------



## po8crg

Swede said:


> I'm guess they'd like to be able to replace the third rail systems but the cost would be amazing and there'd be far too many places there just isn't the clearance available above the trains for OHLE.


They'd also have the problem of the various bits where there is shared-track with underground - third-rail can be combined with underground fourth-rail (you just electrically bond the centre-rail to the running rails) but OHLE can't be combined, and (unlike normal trains) you couldn't have dual-voltage LU trains because there's nowhere to put the pantograph when they're in those tight tube tunnels.

The places you really want to use OHLE are the faster outer-surburban and long-distance lines outside of London (where the ability to exceed 100mph is more useful), so it's more an NR priority than a TfL one.


----------



## sotonsi

^^ Not to mention that the Underground is all 4th rail, meaning that Queens Park - Harrow & Wealdstone and Gunnersbury - Richmond are very hard to convert.

3rd rail isn't bad for Metro services - the priority for conversion needs to be the higher speed Intercity Mainlines to Weymouth, Brighton and East Kent where it limits speed or capacity or both. Of course, the business case for conversion only works if the 3rd rail infrastructure needs to be replaced.

London Reconnections has got its article explaining the proposal in detail up.


----------



## Stuu

sotonsi said:


> ^^ Not to mention that the Underground is all 4th rail, meaning that Queens Park - Harrow & Wealdstone and Gunnersbury - Richmond are very hard to convert.


But why would you need to convert it? If it was a decided to add OHLE to those sections then it would actually be much easier to leave the 4th rail system in place for the underground, and have the overhead system as well, as it is the return current that is the issue with dual OHLE/3rd rail systems. The 4th rail means that system can be kept separate


----------



## sotonsi

Stuu said:


> But why would you need to convert it?


Indeed, but Suburbanist started a conversation where it was assumed to be a good thing to convert 3rd rail routes. It, just about (and even then, only when the 3rd rail infrastructure is being reviewed), makes sense on the SWML fasts where more capacity can be eked out beyond Poole and more speed can be found between Woking and Southampton Airport. Metro routes in London really don't need conversion.


> If it was a decided to add OHLE to those sections then it would actually be much easier to leave the 4th rail system in place for the underground, and have the overhead system as well, as it is the return current that is the issue with dual OHLE/3rd rail systems.


That's very hard electrically to deal with having both systems. This is why they keep overlap sections to a minimum (typically putting them at stations so the changeover can happen over a short distance).

When they extended the OHLE electrification on the WLL south as part of the Shepherd's Bush station construction, they had issues with isolation where the WLL crossed the H&C - how much worse will it be when they share?

One of the key drivers for getting rid of the NLL east of Stratford was so that they could get rid of the long dual-system electrification through Hackney and make it OHLE only.


----------



## Stuu

No, the problem is the use of the running rails for the return current, and whether or not they are bonded to earth. The 4th rail system avoids that completely, so in theory it is much simpler to have a dual electrified OHLE/4th rail than OHLE/3rd rail. IIRC the issues with Shepherds Bush were to do with immunising the signalling on the H&C


----------



## 00Zy99

sotonsi said:


> Indeed, but Suburbanist started a conversation where it was assumed to be a good thing to convert 3rd rail routes. It, just about (and even then, only when the 3rd rail infrastructure is being reviewed), makes sense on the SWML fasts where more capacity can be eked out beyond Poole and more speed can be found between Woking and Southampton Airport. Metro routes in London really don't need conversion.That's very hard electrically to deal with having both systems. This is why they keep overlap sections to a minimum (typically putting them at stations so the changeover can happen over a short distance).





> When they extended the OHLE electrification on the WLL south as part of the Shepherd's Bush station construction, they had issues with isolation where the WLL crossed the H&C - how much worse will it be when they share?


What was the situation before then on the WLL?



> One of the key drivers for getting rid of the NLL east of Stratford was so that they could get rid of the long dual-system electrification through Hackney and make it OHLE only.


Where exactly was this? Why didn't they just drop the 3rd rail anyways since there were AC stretches already IIRC? And what were the other reasons for dropping the NLL east of Stratford? I would think that it would be a useful connector to Crossrail at this point. Have NLL trains stop at Silvertown and a new underground North Woolwich station in addition to the Crossrail stops.


----------



## Woonsocket54

They're not going to untangle the Overground just as they're not going to untangle the District Line.

I didn't read maths in Britain, but I presume they don't teach pupils that the following is a "Line"


----------



## Justme

sotonsi said:


> LondonReconnections wrote it all up in October and had this TfL map:


Interesting map, but I have a question on that. I can't quite make out the two stops above Watford. I have family in Hemel Hempstead and was wondering what that dark green line is and if it goes up to Hemel, and what difference it will make.


----------



## sotonsi

Justme said:


> Interesting map, but I have a question on that. I can't quite make out the two stops above Watford.


Bletchley and Milton Keynes Central


> I have family in Hemel Hempstead and was wondering what that dark green line is and if it goes up to Hemel, and what difference it will make.


It's the 1tph (might become 2tph) Southern service to MK via the WLL.

Hemel is planned to be on Crossrail as part of the HS2/Old Oak Common works.


----------



## Glom

Sameboat said:


> This feels like Boris' scheme to please the royal family for his own sake.
> 
> 
> 
> Terribly irrelevant reason (which i don't dare to write it in Reddit to get tons of downvotes) I prefer "Elizabeth line": "Crossrail 1" in Chinese is localised to "Horizontally Piercing Railway" (横贯铁路) for linguistic rhyme and its almost horizontal alignment. This translation obviously would cause trouble to "Crossrail 2" because of its almost vertical alignment, some Chinese (including me) suggest to name it "Vertically Piercing Railway" (纵贯铁路) which seems too original research.


Yes. And Boris talking about the need for greater links with China.


----------



## Thorum

kwastell said:


> No idea how possible this would be, and it'd probably be prohibitively expensive, but with 13,000 new homes on Greenwich Peninsula (and others in Deptford and Surrey Quays, I'm wondering if a Metropolitan line extension to North Greenwich would be feasible.


The Bakerloo extension to Lewisham should make the Greenwich DLR-branch more useful, resulting in more trains, which will lead to a useful interchange to the city center in both directions (when viewed from Greenwich).

Extending the Metropolitan line is more difficult, since:
1) it would open up less areas for redevelopment, generating less money
2) it already is at over 100% capacity.


----------



## kwastell

Thorum said:


> The Bakerloo extension to Lewisham should make the Greenwich DLR-branch more useful, resulting in more trains, which will lead to a useful interchange to the city center in both directions (when viewed from Greenwich).
> 
> 
> 
> Extending the Metropolitan line is more difficult, since:
> 
> 1) it would open up less areas for redevelopment, generating less money
> 
> 2) it already is at over 100% capacity.



Surely the majority of those who would use a hypothetical extended Met line would not be the same as those who currently use it. At peak times most people would use it to reach or leave the city, not cross it. How many of its current morning rush hour users would still be on trains beyond Liverpool Street?

I'm talking about using it to open up an alternative to the Jubilee line at North Greenwich, which is supposedly at capacity and will soon serve an additional 13,000 homes. That's not to mention your various developments in the Deptford area. Wouldn't that be opening up a massive area for redevelopment?

If you could get all the City commuters between Dartford and Woolwich onto Crossrail, you'd free up space on Met trains/southeastern trains for inhabitants of all these new developments. I'm still sure it's a fanciful idea and would cost a LOT of money, but I think it meets both of the criteria you mentioned.


----------



## Thorum

^^ That theory only works if every Greenwegian (or however you call them) gets off at Liverpool Street.


----------



## 00Zy99

Thorum said:


> ^^ That theory only works if every Greenwegian (or however you call them) gets off at Liverpool Street.


Ditto the Met-landers. None of them can be allowed to hold jobs near Canary Wharf.


----------



## Sameboat

While I like Diamond Geezer's blog, this is one of the rare instances I can't agree with him on not depicting the Battersea Park parliamentary branch in the official diagrams. To me adding it on the diagram removes confusion than causing more, considering the branch is served by Overground trains daily no matter how infrequent the service is.


----------



## kwastell

00Zy99 said:


> Ditto the Met-landers. None of them can be allowed to hold jobs near Canary Wharf.



Well most suburban Metlanders would continue changing for the Jubilee line at Finchley Road as it's a more direct route, or I'd imagine those further in would change at Liverpool Street for a 3min commute by Crossrail.

So when we say the Met Line is at capacity are we really saying that trains are completely packed between Moorgate and Aldgate? I know the Northern line is "at capacity", yet as soon as you get past Old Street heading north in the morning, miraculously spare seats start appearing. Just the same as how the Bakerloo Line is way under-utilised south of Piccadilly Circus.

And of course the Met Line itself is soon to go from 12tph to 14tph.


----------



## mcarling

I'm pleased with name change. Elizabeth Line is distinct enough and she has dedicated her entire life to public service. I had been dreading eventually having to cope with the names Crossrail 1, Crossrail 2, Crossrail 3, Crossrail 4, Crossrail 5, etc. I look forward to the services, but not a load of numbered lines perhaps 40 or 50 years from now.


----------



## twentyfivetacos

mcarling said:


> she has dedicated her entire life to public service.


:lol:
Normally I would assume that is sarcasm although there are a lot of retarded people in Britain


----------



## dimlys1994

From Rail Journal:



> http://www.railjournal.com/index.ph...-express-flee-out-of-service.html?channel=529
> 
> *Heathrow Express fleet out of service*
> Wednesday, March 02, 2016
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _HEATHROW Express, the operator of direct services between London Paddington and Heathrow Airport, has withdrawn its entire fleet of 14 four and five car class 332 EMUs after a structural defect was found on the underside of several cars during routine inspections earlier this week_
> 
> The fleet is currently undergoing further examination and where necessary repair work will be carried out with the fleet out of service "for the foreseeable future." The operator says that trains' manufacturers, Siemens and CAF, have sent specialist engineers from Germany and Spain to assist with the work
> 
> ...


----------



## mcarling

twentyfivetacos said:


> :lol:
> Normally I would assume that is sarcasm although there are a lot of retarded people in Britain


... as you have just demonstrated. Elizabeth had every opportunity to live as her sister Margaret did. Elizabeth chose public service instead.


----------



## Kane_84

*Euston | Watford DC Line (London Overground)*


----------



## dimlys1994

Update on future Liverpool Street Crossrail station:


----------



## dimlys1994

From Rail Journal:



> http://www.railjournal.com/index.ph...ty-for-london-says-nic-report.html?channel=00
> 
> *Crossrail 2 "a priority for London" says NIC report*
> Thursday, March 10, 2016
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _BRITAIN's National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) has urged the government to bolster support for development the Crossrail 2 link across London, describing the northeast - southwest line as a "priority" for the city_
> 
> In a report entitled Transport for a World City, which was published on March 10, the NIC identifies four challenges which will face London's rail network from the late 2020s. These include overcrowding on key Underground Lines; lack of capacity on commuter lines and at major main line stations; insufficient orbital links, particularly in the east of the city, and the need for transport to promote housing growth. Congestion is forecast to be particularly acute on north - south Underground lines, commuter services in the southwest of the city, and at major stations on these routes
> 
> ...


----------



## Brenda goats

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/transport/crossrail-2-gets-the-green-light-a3200286.html



Cross Rail 2 gets green light!


----------



## dimlys1994

From Rail Journal:



> http://www.railjournal.com/index.ph...k-express-emus-enter-service.html?channel=529
> 
> *New Gatwick Express EMUs enter service*
> Friday, March 11, 2016
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _BRITAIN's rail minister Mrs Claire Perry officially launched the new fleet of Bombardier class 387/2 EMUs for Gatwick Express on March 10, travelling on an inaugural run from London Victoria to Gatwick Airport_
> 
> Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) has awarded Bombardier a £145.2m contract to in 2014 to supply 27 of the dual-voltage (750V dc/25kV 50Hz ac) four-car trains, which will supersede class 442 EMUs dating from the 1980s. the order was financed by Porterbrook Leasing and the trains are being assembled at Bombardier's Derby plant
> 
> ...


----------



## subbotazh

dimlys1994 said:


> From Rail Journal:












From late February 2016, the first of 27 brand new Gatwick Express trains enters service, which will replace the current 30-year old ones in time for summer.
The new £145million, British-made trains are designed to transform your journey between London and Gatwick:


108 brand new carriages
More First Class seats and more tables in Express Class
Power sockets throughout to charge your tech
On-train Wi-Fi – handy for live flight departures, Tube updates and posting holiday selfies
Brighter and lighter, with reading lamps above every seat
Dedicated luggage racks in every carriage
2x2 seating with more leg room and under-seat storage
Accessible toilets and baby changers
Improved on-board announcements and info in several languages
Better air-con for more comfort
Two double doors per carriage - plus more space around them to help you get on and off the train with luggage. A simple but big difference
 It doesn’t stop there - we’re excited about the summer and introducing a range of great improvements to your Gatwick Express journey – watch this space!

http://www.gatwickexpress.com/en/your-journey/our-trains/


----------



## subbotazh

Gatwick Express by Department for Transport (DfT), on Flickr


Gatwick Express by Department for Transport (DfT), on Flickr


----------



## dimlys1994

More on Crossrail:



kleon said:


> Construction site of the station entrance building. In the background the Cannon Square buildings:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> At the other end of the station box several buildings that will house the technical installations are going up. These buildings will be hidden inside the future Armourer’s Court development (after 2018).


----------



## dimlys1994

Official from London City Hall:



> https://www.london.gov.uk/press-releases/mayoral/new-crossrail-station
> 
> *New Crossrail station in North Kensington back on the agenda*
> 11 March 2016
> 
> A new Crossrail Station in North Kensington could unlock widespread regeneration in one of the capital’s most deprived neighbourhoods and lead to the delivery of up to 5,000 new homes and 2,000 jobs according to the Mayor of London Boris Johnson MP.
> 
> The Kensal Gasworks off Ladbroke Grove has long been proposed as a site for a possible Crossrail station but in 2013, following detailed analysis, the Mayor and Transport for London came to a view that it would not be feasible.
> 
> Since then, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea has revised proposals for the station to ensure that it could unlock regeneration in the area along with the Crossrail and HS2 station that is scheduled to open at Old Oak in 2026. As a result, the Mayor has asked for further feasibility work to be carried out with the intention of resurrecting the scheme. This work will include examining how a new station would impact on the wider rail network, including integration with longer term capacity enhancements planned for the Great Western Mainline
> 
> ...


----------



## PortoNuts

> *Osborne to Earmark Funds for Transport in London, North England*
> 
> *Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne will commit 300 million pounds ($430 million) for transport links between the main population centers of northern England as part of his bid to cut the economic gap between London and the rest of the U.K.*
> 
> Osborne will use his budget announcement on Wednesday to earmark cash for planning a high-speed rail link between Leeds and Manchester, road improvements in the region and proposals for a Trans-Pennine tunnel, the Treasury said in a statement.
> 
> *Osborne will also back the development of Crossrail 2, a new rail route across London, setting aside 80 million pounds for the project.*
> 
> "With the difficulties we see in the global economy, we’ve got to make Britain fit for the future," Osborne said in the statement. “Now is the time for us to make the bold decisions and the big investments that will help us to lead the world in infrastructure, and create jobs, push up living standards and boost our productivity for the next generation."
> 
> The investment announcement comes after National Infrastructure Commission Chairman Andrew Adonis called for a rapid start to work on improving transport links in the north of England alongside the development of London’s new rail route, connecting the northeast and southwest of the capital.
> 
> Work to upgrade the 40-mile (65-kilometer) rail link between Manchester and Leeds should be “kick-started” to cut journey times to 40 minutes from 49 minutes by 2022 and then to 30 minutes, Adonis said in a report published on Thursday.
> 
> He also called for extra lanes to be added to the M62 motorway linking the two city regions, the most populous and economically productive in the north.
> 
> ...


http://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...k-funds-for-transport-in-london-north-england


----------



## dimlys1994

From Rail Journal:



> http://www.railjournal.com/index.ph...-riverside-extension-approved.html?channel=00
> 
> *London Overground Barking Riverside extension approved
> *Thursday, March 17, 2016
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _THE Mayor of London Mr Boris Johnson has given Transport for London (TfL) the go-ahead to seek legal powers for the construction of a 4km extension of the London Overground network from Barking to Barking Riverside_
> 
> The extension will use part of the existing London Fenchurch Street - Tilbury line east of Barking, diverging onto a new 1.5km electrified branch at Renwick Road to reach the two-platform Riverside terminus. Barking Riverside is the largest brownfield housing development in east London, with planning permission for 10,800 homes as well as healthcare, retail, and leisure facilities
> 
> ...


----------



## Winter Paradox

dimlys1994 said:


> From Rail Journal:


Good news for the growing area as I did receive an email informing me about EL1 and EL2 bus routes getting an improved bus service due to high customer demands in that area. The extension of the Gospel Oak to Barking Line will help more with the local area. 

Only downside is the c2c service on that via Purfleet towards Grays will be cut down and limited.


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## dimlys1994

From Railway Journal:



> http://www.railjournal.com/index.ph...overground-operating-contract.html?channel=00
> 
> *Arriva wins London Overground concession*
> Friday, March 18, 2016
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _TRANSPORT for London (TfL) announced on March 18 that it has selected Arriva Rail London as preferred bidder for a £1.5bn seven-and-a-half year concession to operate the London Overground orbital suburban rail network with an option for a two-year extension_
> 
> Arriva will take over operations in November, succeeding London Overground Rail Operations (Lorol), a 50:50 joint venture between Arriva and MTR, which has operated the network since 2007. The contract will be signed after a 10-day standstill period
> 
> ...


----------



## dimlys1994

Plans for Acton Main Line station redevelopment unveiled:
http://www.crossrail.co.uk/news/art...nt-plans-for-acton-main-line-station-unveiled


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## dimlys1994




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## dimlys1994




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## dimlys1994




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## dimlys1994




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## PortoNuts

dimlys1994 said:


>


After Crossrail, this is probably the best infrastructure project going on in London at the moment.


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## dimlys1994




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## dimlys1994

Renders of future Barking Riverside station:



Mr Cladding said:


>


----------



## PortoNuts

> *Fast Trains Boost London Fringe Homes by 29% Before Tracks Open*
> 
> *Home prices are surging in London’s outer districts as improvements to rail networks and lower prices lure Londoners further out of the expensive city center.*
> 
> Home values in West Ealing, where the commute time to London Liverpool Street will fall by half when a Crossrail train station opens in 2019, climbed 29 percent in the 12 months through February, according to a Bloomberg analysis of preliminary Land Registry data. That compares with a 12 percent increase for London as a whole, the data showed.
> 
> “West Ealing was a no-brainer for us,” said Rosie Nesbitt, group director of sales and marketing at Fabrica, a London-based developer that is building 770 homes within a six minute walk of the neighborhood’s new Crossrail station. “We’re selling incredibly quickly and it’s all about the transport.”
> 
> Property prices in London’s best districts have risen almost 30 percent in the past five years, according to broker Savills Plc, forcing buyers away from the costlier central neighborhoods such as Islington and Fulham.
> 
> *That’s boosted demand in cheaper districts further out that will be served by the 14.8 billion-pound ($20.9 billion) Crossrail project.*
> 
> In Palmers Green, where the commute to Moorgate station in the City of London financial district can take as little as 20 minutes, values jumped by more than 33 percent in the period. Average house prices in the area now stand at 1.47 million pounds, according to broker Foxtons Group Plc, compared with 2.35 million pounds for houses in Highgate, an area about two miles closer to the City with the same travel time.
> 
> “This is a search for value by Londoners,” said Johnny Morris, head of research at Countrywide Plc, the U.K.’s largest real estate agency. “They’re prepared to go a little further out to get more for their money and get bigger properties.”
> 
> Crossrail, approved in 2008 to cut journey times across London and the Southeast, is Europe’s largest construction project. Though it’s not due to start operating until late 2018, homebuyers are flocking to areas that will be served by its stations and the trend is set to continue, according to Neal Hudson, an associate director of residential research at Savills in London.
> 
> In 2013, Fabrica sold private homes in its Jigsaw development, which features tree-lined boulevards, period architecture and parks, for an average 480 pounds a square foot, according to Nesbitt. Since October the developer has pre-sold 70 percent of the project’s second phase for an average of 700 pounds a square foot.
> 
> “Buyers are typically savvy young professionals squeezed out of other more central areas and looking for a quick commute to the City,” Nesbitt said. The future 21 minute-journey to Liverpool Street compares with a 27-minute trip from Ladbroke Grove in west London, which is about five miles closer.
> 
> ...


http://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...-london-fringe-homes-by-29-before-tracks-open


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## Nexis

*What's Happening In Crossrail's Tunnels Right Now?*


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## dimlys1994

More on London Bridge station redevelopment:



Jon10 said:


> Recent images...
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> Can't think what it might say.
> 
> .


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## dimlys1994

Crossrail updates:



stevekeiretsu said:


>





kleon said:


> The station entrance building at the west end of the station box. Wish I could have a look inside.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The east end of the station (ventilation shaft & other technical installations). Unfortunately no public access to the station from this side.





Jon10 said:


> _(version: David Heys Collection)_
> 
> .
> 
> *Crossrail Depot in Twilight (from the Grand Union Canal towpath)*
> 
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> 
> Couldn't make out what the stacked square things were, but they were moving them all about (I presume they are also on the lorry in the middle photo).
> .





stevekeiretsu said:


> https://twitter.com/Crossrail/status/726003181113634816
> 
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> 
> vent shaft
> 
> https://www.flickr.com/photos/ianvisits/7639018524/sizes/l


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## dimlys1994




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## Glom

Trippy, isn't it.

Those tunnel portals seem to go in for ages between daylight and the well known round bores. Probably just a perspective thing,


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## dimlys1994




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## 00Zy99

The Tottenham Court Road station looks better unfinished. Nice, light, colors, bright lights, very soothing.


----------



## Antje

*Abellio Greater Anglia* – Lea Bridge

Lea Bridge station by Antje, on Flickr


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## dimlys1994

From Global Rail News:



> http://www.globalrailnews.com/2016/05/16/bombardier-opens-crossrail-train-test-facility/
> 
> *Bombardier opens Crossrail train test facility*
> 16 MAY, 2016
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Bombardier held a formal opening ceremony last week to celebrate the completion of its £12 million Crossrail testing and commissioning facility in Derby.
> 
> The 10,000 square metre site has been built to support the production of 66 new Aventra trains for the Crossrail route, recently renamed the Elizabeth line
> 
> ...


----------



## dimlys1994

From Railway Gazette:



> http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/...o-transform-thameslink-travel-experience.html
> 
> *Class 700 to transform Thameslink travel experience*
> 24 May 2016
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> 
> UK: Prior to the Class 700 electric multiple-unit being brought into service between Bedford and Brighton over the next few weeks, on May 24 Govia Thameslink Railway presented to stakeholders a 12-car variant of the 115 trainsets that are being built by Siemens.
> 
> ‘These trains have been designed to carry up to 1 750 people in climate-controlled comfort, which is essential to meet the huge growth in passenger numbers that have soared 40% in the past decade’, said GTR CEO Charles Horton. He also highlighted ‘their wide doors, open interiors and state-of-the-art real-time passenger information systems’, which would help GTR run a high-frequency service on the Thameslink route across London in 2018, offering 80% more seats
> 
> ...


----------



## dimlys1994

Bank Holiday works on Thameslink Programme:


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## dimlys1994

Also on London Bridge station redevelopment:



ruimcardoso said:


> as you may know this weekend works will continue, some restrictions apply on the trains to charing cross. I took this pics today and a couple of days ago.
> I think by tuesday we will be able so see more changes after the works this weekend.


----------



## dimlys1994

Official from TfL:



> https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/p...pel-oak-to-barking-line-closure-starts-4-june
> 
> *Gospel Oak to Barking line closure starts 4 June*
> 23 May 2016
> 
> Customers and local residents are being reminded that major upgrade work to the London Overground route between Gospel Oak and Barking will result in a phased closure starting Saturday 4 June 2016, as part of Network Rail's Railway Upgrade Plan. In total an eight month closure of the railway is needed to carry out this vital work.
> 
> Network Rail is delivering the project, which is funded by the Department for Transport and Transport for London (TfL). The project will see TfL introduce new four-car electric trains to replace the existing two-car diesel trains from January 2018, helping to meet growing passenger demand
> 
> ...


----------



## dimlys1994

More on Waterloo station revelopment:



ruimcardoso said:


> new pics from the old Eurostar concourse and also from the works outside the station
> 
> 
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> 
> image hosting free


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## Swede

dimlys1994 said:


> From Railway Gazette:
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.railwaygazette.com/uploads/pics/tn_gb-gtr-class700-train-loading-display.jpg
Click to expand...

Stockholm is implementing this as well. Not IN the trains but in a few stations. I know there's permanent ones at a commuter rail station and that there was a test of this type of display at a subway station here.
Seeing it in London as well makes me think it'll be (almost) standard in 10 years time.


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## Svartmetall

^^ Been in other countries for a while too - Japan of course being one.


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## PortoNuts




----------



## class387

When will the Thameslink trains enter service?


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## PortoNuts

> *Why is TfL so hostile to a Crossrail station at LCY?*
> 
> *London City Airport has questioned why Transport for London is rebuffing its proposals to fund and build a Crossrail station at the Docklands hub.*
> 
> The newly-named Elizabeth Line has stops at Custom House, to the north of Victoria Dock, and at Woolwich and it is carried in tunnels underneath the airport but the airport itself is not on the initial roster of stations.
> 
> Chief executive Declan Collier told Construction News : “We have been proposing to the powers-that-be to build a Crossrail station here. We know we can deliver it but the amount of resistance we are getting to this completely self-funded project is mind-boggling.”
> 
> TfL denies that it is hostile to the idea.
> 
> Howard Smith, operations director for the Elizabeth line, said “We are always open to hearing feedback on the future Elizabeth line service. We have not had a formal feasibility study from London City Airport and we are focused on delivering the current project on time and to budget.”
> 
> Mr Collier said the station would generate the £3million a year operational costs and another station would add just under three minutes to overall journey times according to the airport’s calculations.
> 
> *The airport is currently awaiting the outcome of its planning appeal against the decision to block its £300million expansion plans with the new Mayor, Sadiq Khan, more receptive to the idea than his predecessor.*


http://www.wharf.co.uk/news/local-news/tfl-hostile-crossrail-station-lcy-11406486


----------



## PortoNuts

> *Crossrail work carried out at 19 outer London locations over bank holiday*
> 
> *Work to adapt railways in outer London, Berkshire and Essex for Crossrail was successfully completed over the spring bank holiday weekend.*
> 
> *Network Rail carried out 40,000 hours of work at 19 locations on 28-30 May, when the number of passengers was reduced because of the bank holiday.*
> 
> Three-quarters of the £2.3bn programme, which will be called the Elizabeth Line in honour of the Queen, passes through outer London, Berkshire and Essex.
> 
> Matthew Steele, Crossrail programme director at Network Rail, said: “Once opened, the Elizabeth line will greatly improve the capacity of the transport network in London and beyond with new trains offering more frequent and more reliable services from Berkshire, Essex and the south east of London. I would like to thank passengers and our lineside neighbours for their patience over the bank holiday whilst we carried out these major works.”
> 
> At Shenfield station, nine new booms were laid and twelve foundations dug as part of work to upgrade the electrification equipment.
> 
> Station upgrades were carried out between Shenfield and London Liverpool Street, including platform extensions and improvements and progress towards step-free access.
> 
> Electrification work was also carried out on the line between Paddington and Reading, where more than 30 new masts were installed, as well as three wire runs and the foundations for 14 masts at Maidenhead.
> 
> Station works, including platform extensions and upgrades to accommodate overhead wires, were also carried out at Hayes & Harlington, Southall, West Ealing and Slough.
> 
> An old platform was demolished as part of the construction of the new station at Abbey Wood. At Stockley junction, 12 more concrete sections were lifted into place as part of the ramp of the new flyover.
> 
> New images of the remodelled stations along the Elizabeth Line were released last month.


http://www.railtechnologymagazine.c...t-19-outer-london-locations-over-bank-holiday


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## dimlys1994




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## PortoNuts




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## dimlys1994

Abbey Wood station, 9th June:
https://anonw.com/2016/06/10/abbey-wood-station-9th-june-2016/


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## dimlys1994




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## PortoNuts

> *Plan for Crossrail link to Wembley and Old Oak Common welcomed by council*
> 
> *Brent Council have welcomed plans for a Crossrail link to Wembley and Old Oak Common which emerged from a Local Plan consultation.*
> 
> *The plans call for a Crossrail link to the West Coast mainline that will provide connections to Wembley and Old Oak Common stations.*
> 
> There is currently a regeneration scheme ongoing at Old Oak Common and Park Royal, with development of the area set to boost the UK economy by an estimated £7million a year, creating 25,000 new homes and 65,000 new jobs.
> 
> Councillor Muhammed Butt, leader of Brent Council, has said that he wants to make sure the people of Brent, especially Willesden and Harlesden, benefit from the project.
> 
> He said: "Wembley is one of the London Mayor's Housing Zones, it has been identified as an area of high potential for growth and is home to the national stadium.
> 
> "We welcome the reference in the plan to a Crossrail to West Coast Mainline link providing connections to Wembley with the central London economy expanding outwards, we believe a Crossrail link between Old Oak Common and Wembley would make perfect sense, and help accelerate regeneration of the area.
> 
> "We look forward to more specific details in the revised Local Plan consultation document, due out later this year.
> 
> "Brent Council fully supports the regeneration of Old Oak and Park Royal because of the fantastic transport connections and large amount of new homes and jobs that will be created."
> 
> He added: "There's no denying that the scale of transformation is huge, that's why we need to make sure, from the very outset, that the regeneration will help improve the lives of local people in Brent, especially around Harlesden and Willesden.
> 
> "Our main priority is always to secure the maximum benefit for our residents. We want to see as much affordable housing provided as possible and also ensure the very best outcome for Willesden Junction and Harlesden High Street."
> 
> Crossrail recently started upgrade works across west London , including station upgrades at three west London locations.


http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/news/west-london-news/plan-crossrail-link-wembley-old-11503070


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## PortoNuts

> *Crossrail project makes major station upgrades across west London*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Network Rail carried out upgrades to the existing tracks and stations in west London during the Spring Bank Holiday as part of the Crossrail programme .*
> 
> Three quarters of the new railway's route, which will be known as the Elizabeth Line from December 2018, runs above ground through outer London, Berkshire and Essex.
> 
> Network Rial have been working to upgrade the infrastructure so it can cope, including platform extensions and upgrades at Hayes & Harlington, Southall and West Ealing.
> 
> As well as these changes, construction on the flyover at Stockley junction continued, which will form the basis of a new ramp.
> 
> *Network Rail hope that the flyover will allow trains to run more reliably at the busy junction to Heathrow airport and once operational, the Elizabeth line will allow passengers to travel from Reading and Heathrow in the west right through the capital without changing trains*.
> 
> Matthew Steele, Crossrail Programme Director at Network Rail, said: "Once opened, the Elizabeth line will greatly improve the capacity of the transport network in London and beyond with new trains offering more frequent and more reliable services from Berkshire, Essex and the south east of London.
> 
> ...


http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/news/west-london-news/crossrail-project-makes-major-station-11417183


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## davroca5

Crossrail construction has EU fundings? Or the construction is only paid by UK government? :hmm:


----------



## robincole

Glom said:


> Will the line be electric by the time it opens?


Yes I would think so.


----------



## tokyo-hypa

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QPftbSaWWE

Inside new 345 set for Crossrail test train


----------



## Winter Paradox

tokyo-hypa said:


> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QPftbSaWWE
> 
> Inside new 345 set for Crossrail test train


So much space in the carriage. Brilliant. Just one thing. Landscape, camera man. Landscape. Rotate that phone.


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## dimlys1994




----------



## mrsmartman




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## dimlys1994




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## po8crg

mrsmartman said:


>


Can we use the spare slot in the corner for a "WOMBLING FREE" roundel to go with the Underground and Overground ones?


----------



## 00Zy99

And what exactly does "WOMBLING FREE" mean?


----------



## sotonsi

A life that is free of wombling is a sad one.


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## dimlys1994




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## dimlys1994




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## 00Zy99

sotonsi said:


> A life that is free of wombling is a sad one.


And _what_ does wombling mean? (vid's broken)


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## sotonsi

00Zy99 said:


> And _what_ does wombling mean? (vid's broken)


Ah, I see the problem - different forums use different formats for youtube tags, and I used the one where you put the whole link in, which caused SSC to put url tags around it and breaking it - here it is.





_The Wombles_ was very popular stop-motion animation from the 70s and 90s (and I think there's a remake due to come out soon), where a family of creatures called 'wombles' lived on Wimbledon Common and found rubbish, reusing it to make stuff. Also the characters, as people in costumes, were a band with a number of hits who played Glastonbury (to a large crowd) a mere 5 years ago. As such, pretty much everyone over 20 who has lived in the UK for more than a couple of months would have got the reference.

The TV series' theme tune (the video above) starts 'Overground, underground, wombling free: the wombles of Wimbledon Common are we', which is the joke.


----------



## Richard_P

And finally we have response to:

‘unacceptable disruption for passengers in recent months’, including ongoing industrial action by the RMT union as well as ‘unofficial disruption and guards going off sick.’ on Southern network.

It is striking how quick one of the best franchises went so terribly wrong despite fact that it was and is run by Govia hno:


----------



## dimlys1994

Photos from new London Bridge station:



geogregor said:


> I took lots of pictures today.
> 
> So let's start:
> 
> P8300563 by Geogregor*, on Flickr
> 
> 
> P8300564 by Geogregor*, on Flickr
> 
> 
> P8300566 by Geogregor*, on Flickr
> 
> 
> P8300569 by Geogregor*, on Flickr
> 
> 
> P8300571 by Geogregor*, on Flickr
> 
> 
> P8300573 by Geogregor*, on Flickr
> 
> 
> P8300575 by Geogregor*, on Flickr
> 
> 
> P8300576 by Geogregor*, on Flickr





geogregor said:


> P8300579 by Geogregor*, on Flickr
> 
> 
> P8300582 by Geogregor*, on Flickr
> 
> 
> P8300583 by Geogregor*, on Flickr
> 
> 
> P8300585 by Geogregor*, on Flickr
> 
> 
> P8300587 by Geogregor*, on Flickr
> 
> 
> P8300589 by Geogregor*, on Flickr
> 
> 
> P8300590 by Geogregor*, on Flickr
> 
> 
> P8300592 by Geogregor*, on Flickr





geogregor said:


> P8300593 by Geogregor*, on Flickr
> 
> 
> P8300596 by Geogregor*, on Flickr
> 
> 
> P8300597 by Geogregor*, on Flickr
> 
> 
> P8300599 by Geogregor*, on Flickr
> 
> 
> P8300601 by Geogregor*, on Flickr
> 
> 
> P8300602 by Geogregor*, on Flickr
> 
> 
> P8300604 by Geogregor*, on Flickr
> 
> 
> P8300606 by Geogregor*, on Flickr





geogregor said:


> P8300614 by Geogregor*, on Flickr
> 
> 
> P8300615 by Geogregor*, on Flickr
> 
> 
> P8300617 by Geogregor*, on Flickr
> 
> 
> P8300618 by Geogregor*, on Flickr
> 
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> P8300619 by Geogregor*, on Flickr
> 
> 
> P8300622 by Geogregor*, on Flickr
> 
> 
> P8300623 by Geogregor*, on Flickr
> 
> 
> P8300626 by Geogregor*, on Flickr





geogregor said:


> P8300628 by Geogregor*, on Flickr
> 
> 
> P8300630 by Geogregor*, on Flickr
> 
> 
> P8300631 by Geogregor*, on Flickr
> 
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> P8300633 by Geogregor*, on Flickr
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> P8300634 by Geogregor*, on Flickr
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> P8300635 by Geogregor*, on Flickr
> 
> 
> P8300637 by Geogregor*, on Flickr
> 
> 
> P8300638 by Geogregor*, on Flickr





geogregor said:


> P8300639 by Geogregor*, on Flickr
> 
> 
> P8300640 by Geogregor*, on Flickr
> 
> 
> P8300641 by Geogregor*, on Flickr
> 
> 
> P8300643 by Geogregor*, on Flickr
> 
> 
> P8300644 by Geogregor*, on Flickr
> 
> 
> P8300646 by Geogregor*, on Flickr
> 
> 
> P8300648 by Geogregor*, on Flickr
> 
> 
> P8300649 by Geogregor*, on Flickr





geogregor said:


> P8300650 by Geogregor*, on Flickr
> 
> 
> P8300653 by Geogregor*, on Flickr
> 
> 
> IMG_20160830_185443306_HDR by Geogregor*, on Flickr
> 
> Overall I'm quite impressed. I was there around 6:30 - 7:30 pm and station didn't feel too crowded.
> There were at some point crowds on the platforms but it had probably all to do with today's delays and a few cancellations rather than with the design.
> 
> The part of station used by Southern felt deserted.
> 
> Now we have to wait until 2018 to see further significant changes.


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## Winter Paradox

dimlys1994 said:


>


I just couldn't believe that the terminal was just stuck in time. Untouched for years. Kinda haunting and I love that.


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## mrsmartman

^^
^^

British trains look pretty sturdy.


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## Glom

mrsmartman said:


> ^^
> ^^
> 
> British trains look pretty sturdy.


You should see the Pacers.


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## dimlys1994




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## Glom

There's a 360 video of the journey from Plumstead to Custom House somewhere too.


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## dimlys1994

Official from TfL:



> https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/p...pel-oak-to-barking-railway-line-starts-24-sep
> 
> *Full line closure of Gospel Oak to Barking railway line starts 24 September*
> 01 September 2016
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Customers and local residents are being reminded that the second phase of major upgrade work to the London Overground between Gospel Oak and Barking will result in the whole line being closed on weekdays and weekends from Saturday 24 September, as part of Network Rail's Railway Upgrade Plan.
> 
> Replacement bus services will be available for parts of the journey and customers are advised to plan their journeys in advance.
> 
> Ahead of the full line closure, staff will be holding a series of drop-in sessions at stations between Gospel Oak and South Tottenham from Monday 5 September to Monday 12 September. Staff will be at a different station each evening - between 4.30pm and 6.30pm - to meet passengers and those living near the railway and answer any questions they may have
> 
> ...


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## PortoNuts

*Farringdon Crossrail Station*

http://www.crossrail.co.uk/route/stations/farringdon/










Crossrail:


11 Aerial view of Farringdon station western ticket hall by Crossrail Project, on Flickr


12 Glass-fibre reinforced concrete lining being installed in Farringdon station platform tunnels by Crossrail Project, on Flickr


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## Glom

Is that the cores for the oversight development going up?


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## PortoNuts

Glom said:


> Is that the cores for the oversight development going up?


Most likely yes.


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## PortoNuts




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## Winter Paradox

> *Is This The Future Of The Overground?*
> 
> The future's bright. The future's orange. That's if we're to believe this hypothetical map of the London Overground as it might be some years from now.
> Transport for London (TfL), which owns the orange-liveried Overground network, is keen to take over other suburban rail routes in the capital. The map above shows the tangled linguine that might result if TfL were to subsume routes currently run by Southeastern, Southern, South West Trains and Great Northern. The franchise agreements on these routes run out between 2018 and 2021, when TfL is hoping to gain control.
> The Crossrail route, to be known as the Elizabeth Line (or 'the Purp') is also depicted, along with a proposed extension of the Overground to Barking Riverside.
> Mayor Sadiq Khan said:
> "As our new TfL map demonstrates, devolution will help us deliver a truly integrated transport network where rail passengers get the same standard of service and reliability they get on the tube, allowing people to connect quickly with all parts of inner and outer London."
> Even this sweeping map does not show the full potential for the network. The Thameslink line, for example, is not pictured, but is a potential target for TfL hegemony.
> Last Updated 24 September 2016


http://londonist.com/2016/09/overgroundbig

Let's just say when TFL takes over those routes, the different routes on the overground will have to be given names to cause less confusion and different shades of orange. A big project from the looks of it too.


----------



## dimlys1994

Reopened Ilford station entrance at York Road:
https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/p...ion-s-revamped-ticket-hall-opens-at-york-road

Before:


TfL Image - York Road, Ilford Station improvements by Transport for London, on Flickr

After:


For usage_TfL image - York Road, Ilford station improvements3 by Transport for London, on Flickr


TfL Image - York Road, Ilford Station improvements by Transport for London, on Flickr


TfL Image - York Road, Ilford Station improvements by Transport for London, on Flickr


TfL Image - York Road, Ilford Station improvements by Transport for London, on Flickr


----------



## Winter Paradox

dimlys1994 said:


> Reopened Ilford station entrance at York Road:
> https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/p...ion-s-revamped-ticket-hall-opens-at-york-road
> 
> Before:
> 
> 
> TfL Image - York Road, Ilford Station improvements by Transport for London, on Flickr
> 
> After:
> 
> 
> For usage_TfL image - York Road, Ilford station improvements3 by Transport for London, on Flickr
> 
> 
> TfL Image - York Road, Ilford Station improvements by Transport for London, on Flickr
> 
> 
> TfL Image - York Road, Ilford Station improvements by Transport for London, on Flickr
> 
> 
> TfL Image - York Road, Ilford Station improvements by Transport for London, on Flickr


Thank you for the pics. I was hoping to see them when they announced it on Twitter. I remember a few years ago I had an interview near the area and I arrived early so I went walking around. I saw the entrance bordered up and didn't realise there was an exit entrance there. I did see a sign saying it was closed permanently but glad TFL reopened it when they took over. I do wish other stations did that but I guess more staff will be needed and money spent.


----------



## PortoNuts




----------



## PortoNuts

> *Costain set for £120m Gatwick railway station revamp*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Costain is on track for another major railway station redevelopment job, this time at Gatwick Airport.*
> 
> The firm has been working under a early contractor involvement deal since early this summer on the development phase of the planned £120m station overhaul.Detailed design work is now expected to get underway before the end of the year with Costain earmarked for the design and build contract.
> 
> The project would be another trophy in the contractor’s growing portfolio of stations for Network Rail which has seen major schemes like Reading and London Bridge station upgrade build the firm’s expertise and turnover.
> 
> A complete funding deal for the project must still be finalised by Network Rail, Gatwick Airport and the Department of Transport. But already Network Rail and the airport have each announced they will contribute £30m to the project.
> 
> ...
> 
> The redesign at Gatwick will transform the station and passenger experience introducing a vaulted transparent roof to create an impressive new transport gateway for the airport.
> 
> Improvements to the new station include doubling in size of the concourse area to reduce congestion with more escalators and lifts fitted to improve access to all platforms.
> 
> This major station upgrade will be delivered alongside a significant increase in capacity on rail services through Gatwick, between Brighton and London, as a result of committed and planned enhancements.












http://www.constructionenquirer.com..._be_transformed_with_£120_million_upgrade.jpg


----------



## PortoNuts

> *Crossrail reshaping property market along its route*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Forty years since it was first proposed, the Crossrail train line that will link the east and west of London’s outskirts is nearing completion and is reshaping the property market along its route.*
> 
> Crossrail, which has been renamed the Elizabeth Line, will open in stages, stretching from Shenfield in Essex to Paddington in central London by May 2019 and later extending to Heathrow airport and Reading.
> 
> It will offer a 29-minute journey from Bond Street in the capital’s West End to Heathrow airport, shaving 20 minutes off that trip.
> 
> The benefits of cut journey times will not just be enjoyed by rail passengers. According to CBRE, the property consultancy, a 10 per cent reduction in commuting times can in general cause house prices to increase by as much as 6 per cent, all other things being equal.
> 
> *Prices have already risen by around 31 per cent in hotspots near the new stations since Crossrail received the go-ahead, it says.*
> 
> Despite economic uncertainty in the wake of the UK’s decision to leave the EU, CBRE, the property consultancy, expects average prices along the line to increase a further 3.3 per cent per year above local house price growth until the line launches in 2018/19.
> 
> This amounts to an average £133,000 price increase within Crossrail’s catchment area between now and when the first trains run. By the time Crossrail is operational in 2018, it will have added up to £35bn on to the residential property sector around the 37 stations.
> 
> “We don’t think Brexit will have a significant impact on the forecasts for property in the immediate proximity to Crossrail, nor will it affect Crossrail’s success as a major infrastructure initiative,” says Jennet Siebrits, head of residential research at CBRE.
> 
> “Our research on Crossrail suggests that demand for property close to these stations has been so strong that we expect prices to continue to remain buoyant.”
> 
> The biggest beneficiaries are investors along the line in the central part of London that stretches from Paddington to Canary Wharf. CBRE expects these to increase by an average 4.8 per cent per annum over and above wider price inflation until it opens in 2018.
> 
> Development around the central stations will transform these areas, particularly at Tottenham Court Road where Derwent London, the property group, is in charge of a significant regeneration project.
> 
> This will include a new theatre as part of wider redevelopment close to the totemic Centre Point building and the arrival of new shops including Zara, New Look and Primark.
> 
> ...












https://www.ft.com/content/c6dae4bc-1b87-11e6-b286-cddde55ca122


----------



## dimlys1994




----------



## PortoNuts

I'm loving the new London Bridge Station. What an incredible project.


----------



## PortoNuts




----------



## Glom

Just 31% since 2008? That's actually quite modest really?


----------



## PortoNuts

Guess it's good news for Euston Station. 



> *Government confirms backing for all of HS2*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *The whole HS2 high speed rail line including links to Manchester and Leeds is going ahead.*
> 
> *The Transport Secretary Chris Grayling yesterday confirmed that the government is committed to pressing ahead with HS2 to tackle the looming capacity crisis and to help boost jobs.*
> 
> He also confirmed construction would begin on the scheme in the first half of next year.
> 
> The Transport Secretary’s statement quashes speculation that the second phase north of Birmingham could either be delayed or cancelled.
> 
> Grayling said: “We need HS2 now more than ever.
> 
> “We need HS2 for the capacity it will bring on the routes between London, the West Midlands, Crewe, Leeds and Manchester as well as the space it’ll create elsewhere on our transport network.
> 
> “We need it for the boost it will give to our regional and national economies. And we need it for the jobs it will create, and for the way it will link our country together.”
> 
> He has also confirmed plans to make £70m of government funds available to support local communities and road safety along the route between London and the West Midlands.
> 
> ...


http://www.constructionenquirer.com/2016/10/12/government-confirms-backing-for-all-of-hs2/


----------



## Winter Paradox

We need the rail system we currently have to be improved and with major upgrades. Not a second expensive project that may get the samw treatment as the other one. Build a high speed rail for the north as it would benefit them greatly.


----------



## dimlys1994

From Rail Journal:



> http://www.railjournal.com/index.ph...p-of-troubled-tsgn-franchise.html?channel=524
> 
> *Britain’s DfT told to get a grip of troubled TSGN franchise*
> Friday, October 14, 2016
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _THE Transport Committee of Britain’s House of Commons wants the Department for Transport to “get a grip” on monitoring and enforcing the troubled Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern (TSGN) franchise the performance of which is described as “woeful”_
> 
> The committee says the level of service provided by the franchisee Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), particularly on Southern services, has been woeful for more than a year. “The initial structuring of the franchise, inadequate planning, weaknesses in the franchise handover process, infrastructure and rolling stock failures, mismanagement, poor industrial relations and the current bitter and prolonged industrial dispute have all contributed to an unacceptable level of service for TSGN’s long-suffering passengers,” says the committee in its report entitled The future of rail: improving the rail passenger experience. The committee wants the DfT to urgently consider how to compensate passengers
> 
> ...


----------



## sotonsi

TfL have updated their business proposals for Overgroundising the SC and SE networks.

http://content.tfl.gov.uk/rail-devolution-business-case-narrative.pdf

In it there's diagrams of the proposed service patterns.


----------



## DaeguDuke

Those diagrams are really horrible. I understand that TFL can't really do anything about them, due to the mixture of metro, suburban and longer distance services. Maybe when they do take over the lines they should just show the 10min services sections, colour coded by central London stations so that its relatively easy for tourists / locals to use? Commuters will be happy with any increase in frequency that comes about, but probably don't care if their particular station isn't shown on the tube maps.


----------



## PortoNuts




----------



## tokyo-hypa

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/tran...ite-to-back-crucial-crossrail-2-a3514341.html 

London boroughs and surrounding councils rally government to approve next step of CR2 plans


----------



## dimlys1994




----------



## PortoNuts

Great stuff going on at London Bridge.


----------



## tokyo-hypa

Proposals to have Thameslink run through the Museum of London (2022) as part of the extraction on their way to LLA

http://londonist.com/london/transpo...to-run-through-the-middle-of-museum-of-london


----------



## tokyo-hypa

http://www.railjournal.com/index.php/commuter-rail/mtr-plans-more-intensive-crossrail-service.html

MTR hoping to operate more off peak services through core section of crossrail and it's suburban branches, current peak time operations planned @24tph.
Full crossrail service likely to be in operation by Jan 2020.


----------



## sotonsi

tokyo-hypa said:


> Proposals to have Thameslink run through the Museum of London (2022) as part of the extraction on their way to LLA
> 
> http://londonist.com/london/transpo...to-run-through-the-middle-of-museum-of-london


More like the new Museum of London will go into the siding space underneath and put glass rather than brick up as a barrier. Cool though.


----------



## dimlys1994




----------



## PortoNuts

Looking great.


----------



## PortoNuts




----------



## dimlys1994

From Metro Report

http://www.metro-report.com/news/ne...t-class-345-emu-enters-service-in-london.html

*First Class 345 EMU enters passenger service in London*
22 Jun 2017










UK: The first of 66 Class 345 electric multiple-units for London’s future Elizabeth Line entered passenger service on June 22.

TfL Rail is initially operating one off-peak return trip per day between Liverpool Street and Shenfield using a Class 345. Transport for London expects a further 10 of the EMUs to be in service by the autumn

...


----------



## Winter Paradox

I am glad the Class345 is here. I know the roll out for more trains will take a while but can't wait to hop on and see how it's like. I am in love with the Class 700 at the moment so will this beat that?


----------



## tokyo-hypa

LLA Light Rail link got approval, expected opening 2020

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-40370475


----------



## 896543

My first experience ever onboard a Class 345 train on its second day in operation!






Wow, what can I say! I was finally able to take a ride on one of these stunning Class 345 trains from Liverpool Street to Shenfield and back, which I have been raring to get on for ages! The interior of the train is absolutely amazing, and I love the moquette and every single detail put into the design of these trains, the air conditioning system helps to keep temperatures cool whilst everyone boils outside, and the new voice announcements are clear and are voiced by the voice of London Buses and London Overground, Emma Hignett! I got some great shots which I will put in a separate video to show you all, and apologies for the long wait to release this video - a 55 min 720p video instead of the usual 1080p, due to limitations with size.

However, I hope you enjoy the video and are able to try out these trains for yourself some time soon. Cheerio!


----------



## PortoNuts

*Heathrow Express Braces for Crossrail to End Airport Monopoly*

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...-braces-for-crossrail-to-end-airport-monopoly



> *Heathrow Express, which runs the only surface rail link to Europe’s busiest airport, pledged to carry on growing even as it braces for the end of its 19-year monopoly on the route when Crossrail Ltd. commences operations next year.*
> 
> The company will seek to publicize its shorter journey time from London’s Paddington station and emphasize that travelers through Heathrow won’t have to share its trains with commuters, as they will on Crossrail, Managing Director Fraser Brown said in an interview.
> 
> The rollout of Crossrail services from the airport to central London and the City financial district will present Heathrow Express with the biggest challenge in its history.
> 
> Its own trains terminate at Paddington in the west of the U.K. capital, so travelers need to switch to the subway or catch a cab to continue their journey, something that won’t be necessary on Crossrail.
> 
> ...


----------



## Castle_Bravo

do you suspect they will be done quickly? I can't find any reason for them attracting a significant number of passengers after the Crosslink opens. The "emphasize that travelers through Heathrow won’t have to share its trains with commuters" does not convince me at all.


----------



## Spam King

Castle_Bravo said:


> do you suspect they will be done quickly? I can't find any reason for them attracting a significant number of passengers after the Crosslink opens. The "emphasize that travelers through Heathrow won’t have to share its trains with commuters" does not convince me at all.


I think many travelers will still take it, not knowing that there's the Crosslink alternative. Just as many people don't know there's Heathrow Connect for a much cheaper price and only about 10 minutes longer journey time. 

£20.70 vs £42.00


----------



## luacstjh98

Won't they depart from the same platforms?


----------



## sotonsi

^^ At Terminals 2,3/Central (whatever they call it), but that's it.

The 2tph Heathrow Connect currently terminates there, with a 4tph shuttle to T4 (as well as 4tph HEx between Paddington and T5). From May 2018 that becomes a 4tph TfL Rail service from T4 to Paddington. From Dec 2019, that becomes Elizabeth line services through to Abbey Wood.

T5 will continue to be solely served by Heathrow Express.


----------



## Sameboat

Anyone expects another strike?



> *London Overground to run a 24-hour service just like the Night Tube
> *
> The London Mayor confirmed a 24-hour service would run between New Cross Gate and Dalston Junction on the East London line from December this year.
> 
> The route will eventually be extended to Highbury & Islington in 2018.
> 
> Mayor Sadiq Khan, said: ‘Our Night Tube services have been a real success right across the capital, so I’m delighted to announce that we’ll be bringing the Night Overground to the East London line later this year.


----------



## lightrail

*Heathrow Express does not have a monopoly today*



PortoNuts said:


> *Heathrow Express Braces for Crossrail to End Airport Monopoly*
> 
> https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...-braces-for-crossrail-to-end-airport-monopoly


This is not correct. Today there is already another train service from Padding to Heathrow - Heathrow Connect. Trains run every 30 minutes starting at Terminal 4, stopping at Terminals 2-3, and making local stops to Paddington. It also runs every 15 minutes from Terminal 4 to Terminal 2-3. It is this service that THE Elizabeth Line will replace. But yes, service frequency will increase and it will have a higher profile than the current Heathrow Connect.


----------



## sotonsi

lightrail said:


> This is not correct. Today there is already another train service from Padding to Heathrow - Heathrow Connect. Trains run every 30 minutes starting at Terminal 4, stopping at Terminals 2-3, and making local stops to Paddington. It also runs every 15 minutes from Terminal 4 to Terminal 2-3. It is this service that THE Elizabeth Line will replace. But yes, service frequency will increase and it will have a higher profile than the current Heathrow Connect.


Terminal 4 is now served by a HEx-branded shuttle, rather than Heathrow Connect.


----------



## PortoNuts




----------



## PortoNuts




----------



## PortoNuts

*Taylor Woodrow wins £18m deal to upgrade White Hart Lane station*

http://www.constructionenquirer.com...-18m-deal-to-upgrade-white-hart-lane-station/












> *Taylor Woodrow has been awarded the £17.8m contract to design and rebuild White Hart Lane station.*
> 
> *The station is being improved to support a major regeneration of the area led by the new Tottenham Hotspur stadium.*
> 
> Transport for London has awarded the work to Taylor Woodrow who will start on site this Autumn with work scheduled to be completed by spring 2019.
> 
> Improvements will include a new ticket hall and station entrance as well step-free access from street to platform.
> 
> Regeneration plans in the area around the new stadium include a museum, hotel and 585 new homes.
> 
> ...


----------



## sotonsi

^^ They spelt "Tottenham Hotspur" as "White Hart Lane" on that render. Or are Spurs not paying for the rename of the station anymore?


----------



## tokyo-hypa

Planning Approval for LLA to LAP station LRT, 

https://www.globalrailnews.com/2017/07/11/planning-permission-approved-for-luton-airport-rail-link/


----------



## tokyo-hypa

More trains sets on Crossrail route (I refuse to call it Elizabeth line) for Westbound services beyond Paddington.

https://www.globalrailnews.com/2017/07/13/tfl-to-order-more-elizabeth-line-trains/


----------



## PortoNuts




----------



## dimlys1994

From Metro Report

http://www.metro-report.com/news/pr.../crossrail-2-needs-to-be-more-affordable.html

*Crossrail 2 needs to be more affordable*
24 Jul 2017










UK: Ways to improve the affordability of the proposed Crossrail 2 project while maximising the benefits are to be studied, Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling and Mayor of London Sadiq Khan have jointly announced.

The Crossrail 2 proposal comprises a tunnel to link up rail routes in the southwest and north of the capital. Planning would be informed by lessons learned from the east–west Crossrail 1 project to build what will be designated the Elizabeth Line, Grayling and Khan said in a statement issued on July 24 following a meeting on July 18

...


----------



## Woonsocket54

Crossrail was cover story in today's NY Times.










https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/31/world/europe/london-crossrail-uk-brexit.html


----------



## sotonsi

^^ No, the NYT has an article on Brexit on its front page that is as unaware of what's actually happening in London as its article talking about the city 'reeling' from a terror attack that got laughed at massively on social media.

Nice picture of the tunnel though.


----------



## tokyo-hypa

GOBLIN extension to Barcelona on Thames  granted gov. approval, services due to commence q3 2021 (Barking Riverside)

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/tra...ing-riverside-given-green-light-a3606436.html


----------



## PortoNuts




----------



## mrsmartman

Can more railway branches be connected to the Elizabeth Line?


----------



## sotonsi

mrsmartman said:


> Can more railway branches be connected to the Elizabeth Line?


Yes and no.

The obvious place to have it is diverging from OOC - with to Wycombe on an electrified-and-redoubled NNML, or Tring on the WCML being the current crayoning. Notions of Tring ever happening got dropped when NR decided that it wasn't worth pursuing (with the added bonus of removing traffic from Euston during it's HS2-rebuild), Wycombe has never been officially supported (though there will be Chiltern to a new dedicated platform at OOC if the current plans happen). Hounslow via a chord to the NLL was an option pushed to replace the original Kingston branch, but both are long dead.

So that's the West - where at least half the trains terminating at Paddington (and later OOC) will need to continue west to deal with GWML Relief Line overcrowding in the medium term.

In the East, there's still going official proposals for beyond Abbey Wood extensions, with Hoo Junction via Dartford (on new tracks to Slade Green) and Gravesend (where passenger service would end) being safeguarded.


----------



## Stuu

Crossrail is described regularly, including on the Crossrail website, as the largest infrastructure project in Europe. Does anyone know what metric they are using to define this?


----------



## sotonsi

Cost, IIRC. Though I'm sure workforce would also be the biggest, ditto some other metrics.

Also, by those metrics, it won't be when its done as HS2 Phase 1 (first closure for prep work now on) will be underway.


----------



## kwastell

sotonsi said:


> In the East, there's still going official proposals for beyond Abbey Wood extensions, with Hoo Junction via Dartford (on new tracks to Slade Green) and Gravesend (where passenger service would end) being safeguarded.



I've always wondered if - logistically - Crossrail could be extended to Gravesend, with services between Deptford and Abbeywood being transferred to TfL and taking over the New X branch of the Overground. Obviously there would need to be some pretty major works undertaken to connect the Overground network to the Southeastern tracks. No idea whether the costs would outweigh the benefits, but it'd presumably open up significant capacity on the Southeastern routes via New X / Blackheath.


----------



## Vaud

Stuu said:


> Crossrail is described regularly, including on the Crossrail website, as the largest infrastructure project in Europe. Does anyone know what metric they are using to define this?


Unsurprisingly, I don't think any Briton has questioned this claim.

Crossrail is big, but it includes adapting existing railway lines. By contrast other projects in Europe seem much larger, such as the Gotthard+Ceneri Base Tunnel or several Spanish HSR lines built from the scratch such as the Madrid-Barcelona-French border line.


----------



## 437.001

Swede said:


> Crossrail 2 will take Victoria off that list.





Stuu said:


> Yes and no, CR2 will serve Victoria, but none of the services which currently terminate there will move to CR2


Anyway, as good as, because all CR2 trains calling at Victoria will be trains that currently terminate at Waterloo, so tit for tat.



Swede said:


> iirc a future Crossrail 3 would take at least one more, possibly two, off that list.


Isn't really a bit too early to discuss Crossrail 3?
I mean, Crossrail 1/Elizabeth Line is not open yet, and it will probably take decdes to start works on Crossrail 2 (not that it isn't needed, but I suspect that this is how things work at this point in time).


----------



## Stuu

437.001 said:


> Anyway, as good as, because all CR2 trains calling at Victoria will be trains that currently terminate at Waterloo, so tit for tat.
> 
> 
> 
> Isn't really a bit too early to discuss Crossrail 3?
> I mean, Crossrail 1/Elizabeth Line is not open yet, and it will probably take decdes to start works on Crossrail 2 (not that it isn't needed, but I suspect that this is how things work at this point in time).


Victoria will still be a terminus for every train arriving there, other crossrail/RER projects have extended terminating trains through city centres.

There is no way CR2 will go ahead for at least 5 years. There is far too much of a belief in the UK that London gets all the infrastructure funding - this is true in the past decade but certainly wasn't before that. But people have very short memories unfortunately


----------



## DaeguDuke

Similar sized regional cities in Europe have trams, S-bahn, subway, pre-metros. We desperately need to catch up. That shouldn’t be about excluding London, but massively increasing transport funding and actually investing in our other cities.

I don’t really think that it is extreme view to question why London gets Crossrail, HS2, Northern Line extension, Crossrail 2, when Northern Rail can’t run a reliable Sunday service.


----------



## Stuu

DaeguDuke said:


> Similar sized regional cities in Europe have trams, S-bahn, subway, pre-metros. We desperately need to catch up. That shouldn’t be about excluding London, but massively increasing transport funding and actually investing in our other cities.
> 
> I don’t really think that it is extreme view to question why London gets Crossrail, HS2, Northern Line extension, Crossrail 2, when Northern Rail can’t run a reliable Sunday service.


Hs2 is not a London project and may not even happen. Crossrail 2 won't happen this decade

It's not an extreme view, it's just very short term. As I said, London has had two major projects built which have been expensive and skewed UK infrastructure spending towards London. That hasn't been the case in the decades before that

Of course other cities and regions deserve better funding, the UK has completely failed to spend enough on infrastructure for decades. This applies to London as much as anywhere else though


----------



## 437.001

Stuu said:


> Victoria will still be a terminus for every train arriving there, other crossrail/RER projects have extended terminating trains through city centres.
> 
> There is no way CR2 will go ahead for at least 5 years.


The way things are going, I find 5 years an optimistic deadline.



Stuu said:


> There is far too much of a belief in the UK that London gets all the infrastructure funding - this is true in the past decade but certainly wasn't before that. But people have very short memories unfortunately


The fact that it wasn't 10 years ago, doesn't mean that the rest of the UK was doing any better, investment-wise.



DaeguDuke said:


> Similar sized regional cities in Europe have trams, S-bahn, subway, pre-metros. We desperately need to catch up. That shouldn’t be about excluding London, but massively increasing transport funding and actually investing in our other cities.
> 
> I don’t really think that it is extreme view to question why London gets Crossrail, HS2, Northern Line extension, Crossrail 2, when Northern Rail can’t run a reliable Sunday service.


I do not think this is a valid excuse.

The problem is not what happens outside of London, which of course matters, but inside of London, too.

And it's not just focussed on railways alone.

Infrastructure and transport has seen underinvestment in the whole of the UK, including all of it, London and non-London, for decades.

I mean, look at Spain. Alright, EU funds, yeah. But EU funds alone won't build you a metro line, a commuter rail line, or a high-speed line. 
And, regardless of where the money comes from, we've put that money to use, to reform, improve and expand our infrastructure.
And it is something that will end up paying off in the mid to long term.
Yes, actually thirty years ago our transport infrastructure was way behind most of Western Europe. But now we're catching up.

Madrid is currently planning yet another cross-city railway tunnel, which, depending on how you count them, will be the third or the sixth (three of them do not cross the whole of the city, just part of it).

Not that the UK has been sitting there doing nothing, but certain things seem to take forever nowadays, when it didn't use to be the case in the past.


----------



## Stuu

437.001 said:


> The fact that it wasn't 10 years ago, doesn't mean that the rest of the UK was doing any better, investment-wise.


That is true, as I said previously investment in infrastructure has been very low, really all the way back to WW2. London received less than the rest of the country, as most infrastructure spending has been on roads in that period, very little of which is in London



437.001 said:


> Yes, actually thirty years ago our transport infrastructure was way behind most of Western Europe. But now we're catching up.


Catching up is an understatement! Spain's infrastructure is incredible, although some of the planning decisions are a bit weird, like building HSR for a few trains a day.


----------



## 437.001

Stuu said:


> That is true, as I said previously investment in infrastructure has been very low, really all the way back to WW2.


The main difference with Spain is that you already had a fantastic railway network before WW1.

Just look at the GWML, that is a 19th-century-built high-speed line!! Or the ECML, which is not as good as the GWML, but the difference is not very big.



Stuu said:


> London received less than the rest of the country, as most infrastructure spending has been on roads in that period, very little of which is in London


But for what I've read, and correct me if I'm wrong, even road infrastructure didn't receive as much as it needed?

Going back to CR1/Elizabeth Line, how likely is it that the Abbey Wood branch gets services expanded to Gravesend?
Do you think it will happen very soon?
And which sections/stations of CR1 do you think will see strain the earlier?



Stuu said:


> Catching up is an understatement! Spain's infrastructure is incredible, although some of the planning decisions are a bit weird, like building HSR for a few trains a day.


:hmm: Some of these "weird decisions" have a lot to do with the Iberian gauge, and also with missing parts of high-speed lines (and/or lack of rolling stock).
Although a small number of the decisions made were really weird, at the same time they were not particularly damaging and not very expensive, so...
But that's not the whole picture, there's also commuter rail, metro, tramways… and that's probably where we've seen the best improvements of them all. 
These improvements vary, they go from the upgrade of a single station, to the construction of a whole new line.

And:



Stuu said:


> That is true, as I said previously investment in infrastructure has been very low, really all the way back to WW2.


In our case, when Cuba became independent from Spain back in 1898, over 50% of the Spanish railway network was in Cuba.
Spain's very first railway line was in Cuba (Havanna to Güines, 1837)! Peninsular Spain was way behind, and as it is rather mountainous, it was harder to build, and even harder if the economy was not doing okay, and wrong decisions were made (Iberian gauge, most of the Northern Atlantic railway lines being built in narrow gauge). And then came the war in 1936... We're really still catching up, believe it or not.


----------



## Stuu

437.001 said:


> The main difference is that you already had a fantastic railway network before WW1.
> 
> Just look at the GWML, that is a 19th-century-built high-speed line!! Or the ECML, which is not as good as the GWML, but the difference is not very big.


That is true, lots of the rail network was built to a higher standard than in other countries. There can't be many routes suitable for 225 km/h running built in 1835



437.001 said:


> But for what I've read, and correct me if I'm wrong, even road infrastructure didn't receive as much as it needed?


No. Essentially following WW2 far too much money was spent on defence (up to 10% of GDP) and nothing like enough on rebuilding the country. The motorway network which did get built was very good but there isn't enough of it. Nothing significant has been built in the last 30 years... and costs are so out of control, partly because of the lack of construction, that it's hard to get anything done



437.001 said:


> Going back to CR1/Elizabeth Line, how likely is it that the Abbey Wood branch gets services expanded to Gravesend?
> Do you think it will happen very soon?
> And which sections/stations of CR1 do you think will see strain the earlier?


I don't think it is very likely to happen quickly, it's not a big priority. The area is pretty well served as it is, including the high speed services which only take 15 minutes or whatever it is into central London. The section of CR1 towards Canary Wharf is going to be full from pretty much day 1, 12 trains an hour will not be enough



437.001 said:


> :hmm: Some of these "weird decisions" have a lot to do with the Iberian gauge, and also with missing parts of high-speed lines.
> Although certain of the decisions that were really weird, at the same time they're not particularly damaging and not very expensive, so...
> But that's not the whole picture, there's also commuter rail, metro, tramways… and that's probably where we've seen the best improvements of them all. These improvements vary, they go from the upgrade of a single station, to the construction of a whole new line.


I was mostly thinking of Granada, and Leon... and the line between Valencia and Alicante which has been almost finished for years. Obviously that infrastructure will be very useful for a very long time so the lack of services now is not really a problem.


----------



## Wilhem275

26th day of isolation. Idea of the day: the Southern Crossrail.

Let tracks pass through Waterloo building and connect straight into Waterloo East. Tear down anything along Union Street (and forget Waterloo East as well).

Build a magnificent LONDON SOUTHWARK main station, full of through services between Waterloo and London Bridge, and with a perpendicular Thameslink station on top of it.
While you're at it, complete the triangle so that the Windsor Lines can terminate into Charing Cross.


I need help.


----------



## dimlys1994

From Rail Journal:









Approval granted for Old Oak Common HS2 station in west London


THE Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC) approved plans on May 19 to build a new station at Old Oak Common in west London for HS2.




www.railjournal.com


----------



## 437.001

*Crossrail 1/Elizabeth Line*


----------



## 437.001

*Fenchurch Street station upgrade?*









Fenchurch Street station may need to move - ianVisits


A Network Rail report into how to manage capacity on C2C services has suggested that they may need to move Fenchurch Street station.Read more ›



www.ianvisits.co.uk













DLR station may be decommissioned to make space for Fenchurch Street expansion | New Civil Engineer


Network Rail’s Essex Thameside Study predicts that pedestrian capacity at Fenchurch Street is set to exceed Network Rail’s station capacity planning




www.newcivilengineer.com


----------



## 437.001

Capacity at Fenchurch Street + capacity at Waterloo and Clapham Jcn... 



Hello change of mind for Crossrail 2? 

Or... 

Hello Crossrail 3?


----------



## hkskyline

* London's Crossrail delayed again until 2022 after COVID-19 disruption *
_Excerpt_ 

LONDON, Aug 21 (Reuters) - The opening of London's multi billion-pound Crossrail train line has been delayed again and its central section is now due to open in the first half of 2022, its developers said on Friday, after construction was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In March, Transport for London said it was suspending construction work at sites, including Crossrail, to limit the spread of the coronavirus. The project is over-budget and four years behind schedule.

"Delivery of the Elizabeth line is now in its complex final stages and is being completed at a time of great uncertainty due to the risks and potential impacts of further Covid outbreaks," Crossrail Limited, the company responsible for the project, said in a statement.

More : London's Crossrail delayed again until 2022 after COVID-19 disruption


----------



## Skalka

It's understandable that people want to protect their workers and their families. On the other hand, you should think that public civil engineering projects should actually work out better in those circumstances. Usually, construction firms rather go for private projects as they're more profitable and the coronavirus means that they often find less of these more profitable orders and are thankful that e.g. a municipality offers them to overhaul a run-down school or similar. The same goes for Crossrail. Less traffic running inbetween should actually mean that these final adjustments should actually go quicker because you run less risk of, say, becoming a One Under by a commuter train from Shenfiled to Liverpool Street and there are only just so many.


----------



## dimlys1994

July update on construction of new Old Oak Common station:


----------



## Stuu

437.001 said:


> Capacity at Fenchurch Street + capacity at Waterloo and Clapham Jcn...
> 
> 
> 
> Hello change of mind for Crossrail 2?
> 
> Or...
> 
> Hello Crossrail 3?


I have suggested here and elsewhere that linking the Windsor lines to Waterloo (the lines to Reading/Windsor via Richmond and Hounslow) to Fenchurch Street would make a lot of sense. It's not very far, would only need a couple of stations and the services are very well matched. But because the government is only interested in projects which lead to new development, they aren't interested in projects which improve the life of existing residents. Other countries might call this corruption, but of course that doesn't happen in England...


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## NCT

Not entirely convinced about linking Windsor lines and London Tilbury Southend. LTS is a 20+tph outer suburban market whereas Windsor lines are predominantly inner suburban (Windsor, Reading and Farnham put together is somewhat weaker than LTS). Rolling stock compatibility for both ends would be a problem.


----------



## Wilhem275

A better integration of LTS into the city would be interesting, I always felt Fenchurch St. to be too detached from the network.

As an alternative to building a full new tunnel (and considering the District Line and DLR are already covering the area up to Barking) would it be sustainable, capacity wise, to route a part of LTS suburban services into CR1 through an improved Barking - Stratford link?
Funneling them in at Forest Gate, I mean.


----------



## 437.001

NCT said:


> Not entirely convinced about linking Windsor lines and London Tilbury Southend. LTS is a 20+tph outer suburban market whereas Windsor lines are predominantly inner suburban (Windsor, Reading and Farnham put together is somewhat weaker than LTS). *Rolling stock compatibility for both ends would be a problem*.


So was for Thameslink, and eventually also for Crossrail 1 if it ever went beyond Abbey Wood (Ebbsfleet, for instance).


----------



## NCT

Crossrail not so much - its geography is essentially that of the Metropolitan Line and at both ends. And even for Dartford and Ebbsfleet - the existing services are all-stations inner services operated with 'inner' rolling stock types with no toilets. Slough and Maidenhead are a bit far for Metro rolling stock types and would ideally be transferred to an 'outer suburban' service class sometime in a future hypothetical GWML 6-tracked scenario.


----------



## Stuu

Wilhem275 said:


> A better integration of LTS into the city would be interesting, I always felt Fenchurch St. to be too detached from the network.
> 
> As an alternative to building a full new tunnel (and considering the District Line and DLR are already covering the area up to Barking) would it be sustainable, capacity wise, to route a part of LTS suburban services into CR1 through an improved Barking - Stratford link?
> Funneling them in at Forest Gate, I mean.


No, there won't be capacity to send anything more through the tunnel. If the world ever gets back to normal, it is likely that the frequency on each branch will need to be increased from what it is at opening


----------



## Stuu

NCT said:


> Not entirely convinced about linking Windsor lines and London Tilbury Southend. LTS is a 20+tph outer suburban market whereas Windsor lines are predominantly inner suburban (Windsor, Reading and Farnham put together is somewhat weaker than LTS). Rolling stock compatibility for both ends would be a problem.


Given that the trains that run on both are identical now - 20m cars with two doors and transverse seating, how is rolling stock compatibility an issue? I bet there isn't much difference in average journey time length on both routes either. On Monday morning, the peak service on the Windsor lines is 23 tph. 


NCT said:


> Crossrail not so much - its geography is essentially that of the Metropolitan Line and at both ends. And even for Dartford and Ebbsfleet - the existing services are all-stations inner services operated with 'inner' rolling stock types with no toilets. Slough and Maidenhead are a bit far for Metro rolling stock types and would ideally be transferred to an 'outer suburban' service class sometime in a future hypothetical GWML 6-tracked scenario.


Crossrail is VERY different at each end. The east side is entirely inner suburban, with stops every mile or so. Nothing remotely like the west side


----------



## Wilhem275

Stuu said:


> No, there won't be capacity to send anything more through the tunnel. If the world ever gets back to normal, it is likely that the frequency on each branch will need to be increased from what it is at opening


That was my guess. Too bad, that would have been a functional and rather easy solution.

In general, it's kind of weird for a suburban line through a city center to convey such a limited number of branches. I see the reasons behind this, but I feel it's a bit unbalanced to provide such firepower to just a few radial lines and nothing to the rest.


----------



## NCT

Stuu said:


> Given that the trains that run on both are identical now - 20m cars with two doors and transverse seating, how is rolling stock compatibility an issue? I bet there isn't much difference in average journey time length on both routes either. On Monday morning, the peak service on the Windsor lines is 23 tph.
> 
> Crossrail is VERY different at each end. The east side is entirely inner suburban, with stops every mile or so. Nothing remotely like the west side


I did indicate the Reading services are a slightly awkward fit.

The Windsor lines is really two classes of services - the 'inners' (all stops) operated with Class 455s and 700s - 2+2 seating, wide gangways and doorways, and no toilets, and the 'outers' (Windsors and Readings, semi-fast to Feltham) with class 444 and similar - 2+3 seating with narrower doorways and toilets. The outers go well with LTS but that's only half the frequency; the inners want to maintain their 'metro' characteristics.

There is an argument to turn the inners into a Crossrail with improved frequencies (and full segregation from the outers between Waterloo and Feltham), but LTS is a poor fit.


----------



## Stuu

Wilhem275 said:


> In general, it's kind of weird for a suburban line through a city center to convey such a limited number of branches. I see the reasons behind this, but I feel it's a bit unbalanced to provide such firepower to just a few radial lines and nothing to the rest.


It's much more like a metro really, prior to covid it was assumed it would be full from day 1, and that the 12tph to Canary Wharf would not be enough.

In an ideal world, London would be more like Paris in having an extensive RER system, but as the Underground goes much further into the suburbs than the Métro so there has been less need historically


----------



## Skalka

Stuu said:


> It's much more like a metro really, prior to covid it was assumed it would be full from day 1, and that the 12tph to Canary Wharf would not be enough.
> 
> In an ideal world, London would be more like Paris in having an extensive RER system, but as the Underground goes much further into the suburbs than the Métro so there has been less need historically


I'd rather say that Crossrail is to London what Grand Paris Express is to Paris. Paris has to make up for lost time in its orbit whereas diametral connections have and will become wonderful in the late 20th century. London became wonderful in its orbit with the Overground making a quasi-circle whereas Crossrail is a way to make up for lost time in the diametral range. Less need, but not no need, it's like say that the line 2 of Paris Métro (now lines 2 and 6) made less need for circle lines.

And there are actually other parallels: Paris incepted Grand Paris Express after the banlieue was on fire. Crossrail, while being quite an old idea, may have the Congestion Charge to thank for its realization.


----------



## Stuu

Skalka said:


> ....London became wonderful in its orbit with the Overground making a quasi-circle whereas Crossrail is a way to make up for lost time in the diametral range. Less need, but not no need, it's like say that the line 2 of Paris Métro (now lines 2 and 6) made less need for circle lines.
> 
> And there are actually other parallels: Paris incepted Grand Paris Express after the banlieue was on fire. Crossrail, while being quite an old idea, may have the Congestion Charge to thank for its realization.


I don't think anyone would describe the Overground as wonderful! It's better than nothing, but it is very slow and infrequent, it's certainly not a proper metro line.


----------



## NCT

It's not the fastest, but is it any slower than any other metro line? The ELL is 16tph, and the NLL is 10tph - granted some sections are less frequent (SLL and WLL), but these frequencies are not that atypical of metro systems? (On the low side, but still not atypical)

Obviously some other lines are less frequent, but they are more rebranding exercises of existing services. Only the ELL and to a lesser extent the NLL are what I'd consider proper Overground 'projects'.


----------



## Stuu

NCT said:


> It's not the fastest, but is it any slower than any other metro line? The ELL is 16tph, and the NLL is 10tph - granted some sections are less frequent (SLL and WLL), but these frequencies are not that atypical of metro systems? (On the low side, but still not atypical)
> 
> Obviously some other lines are less frequent, but they are more rebranding exercises of existing services. Only the ELL and to a lesser extent the NLL are what I'd consider proper Overground 'projects'.


Yes, it's abysmally slow - the NLL is timetabled to run at an average speed of 17mph end to end, the ELL is 16mph. Only the section between Willesden Junction and Stratford is 10 tph. It's infinitely better than when it was Silverlink Metro obviously, but it's still a fairly cheap fudge, London could really do with a high capacity, high speed circular route


----------



## NCT

1-1.5km and 2m per stop - this is very typical of metro lines. Pretty much all London Underground lines are like this.


----------



## Clery

Wilhem275 said:


> In general, it's kind of weird for a suburban line through a city center to convey such a limited number of branches. I see the reasons behind this, but I feel it's a bit unbalanced to provide such firepower to just a few radial lines and nothing to the rest.


It's difficult if you're not Japanese to operate both fast speed and high frequency on a high number of branches without the risk to see trains getting jammed at rush hour and losing out in punctuality. A small time loss on a remote branch is enough to mess up schedules on the whole line. Over here in Paris they're cutting branches on RER C and RER D for this reason.




Skalka said:


> I'd rather say that Crossrail is to London what Grand Paris Express is to Paris. Paris has to make up for lost time in its orbit whereas diametral connections have and will become wonderful in the late 20th century. London became wonderful in its orbit with the Overground making a quasi-circle whereas Crossrail is a way to make up for lost time in the diametral range. Less need, but not no need, it's like say that the line 2 of Paris Métro (now lines 2 and 6) made less need for circle lines.


You're a bit comparing apples and oranges here. To begin with, Paris does not build only orbital connections currently. RER E will become a new East-West full radial relieving RER A and line 14 a new North-South radial connecting Orly airport to a new business district in Saint-Denis Pleyel. Not to mention other radial extensions on lines 11, 4 and 12. As for orbital connections (metro lines 15, 16, 17 and 18), they will all be underground (outside small remote viaduct sections on lines 17 and 18), connecting developping districts with fast speed and high frequency service. It's not exactly the same as the overground. And then, there's also the LRT program with the 14 tramway lines.


----------



## TER200

Wilhem275 said:


> In general, it's kind of weird for a suburban line through a city center to convey such a limited number of branches. I see the reasons behind this, but I feel it's a bit unbalanced to provide such firepower to just a few radial lines and nothing to the rest.


As Clery said, they tried this in Paris (the worst example being RER C, where most of the central section is very old, more like Metropolitan Line than Crossrail, though) and it gradually turned into an unreliable mess.
Speed and frequency work with metro like service, but not with complicated service patterns...

Also they regret the decision to make RER D (12 tph) run on the RER B (20 tph) tracks for a short distance. Another mess, now basically unsolvable...


----------



## Wilhem275

Well, I wouldn't take Paris as an example of balanced system  too many branches indeed, also very confusing to users.

Sticking to a Berlin-like situation (or so many Germanic cities), a city line with 4 branches at each end, with a 10' service outside which leads to a 2.5' headway on the common line, seems quite balanced to me, and easily manageable.
Considering a brand new infrastructure (no weird legacy costraints) I think they could push it to 30 tph.


----------



## Skalka

Clery said:


> You're a bit comparing apples and oranges here. To begin with, Paris does not build only orbital connections currently. RER E will become a new East-West full radial relieving RER A and line 14 a new North-South radial connecting Orly airport to a new business district in Saint-Denis Pleyel. Not to mention other radial extensions on lines 11, 4 and 12. As for orbital connections (metro lines 15, 16, 17 and 18), they will all be underground (outside small remote viaduct sections on lines 17 and 18), connecting developping districts with fast speed and high frequency service. It's not exactly the same as the overground. And then, there's also the LRT program with the 14 tramway lines.


You're right. However, we can say that Greater London had the luck to be realized by 1965 and that nobody doubted the political unity of Greater London even when there was a time when there was neither a Greater London Council nor its current Authority. And now that London has had its own Authority for 20 years and, of course, Transport for London as its direct child, we see how TfL is taking over more and more franchises and how the infrastructural fuctioning of London is gradually improving. Grand Paris, however, is only starting now however as is in the process of making up for lost time big time. So you can say that (_sing along like Lou Bega in Mambo No. 5_) this little bit of Overground in our lives, this little bit of Thameslink by our side, that giant bit of Crossrail that London needs... is still less of a gap to be filled compared to the monstrosities that Grand Paris is in the process of buidling. Unless you count in a Crossrail 2 or 3 into the measure, of course.


----------



## rheintram

Wilhem275 said:


> Sticking to a Berlin-like situation (or so many Germanic cities), a city line with 4 branches at each end, with a 10' service outside which leads to a 2.5' headway on the common line, seems quite balanced to me, and easily manageable.
> Considering a brand new infrastructure (no weird legacy costraints) I think they could push it to 30 tph.


Berlin? Munich comes to mind. When I was living there, I was frequently experiencing break downs of both the U-Bahn and S-Bahn networks. The Stammstrecke 1 (U3/U6) is really a mess. At least once a week problems. When one line breaks down, both don't work anymore. So I am not too convinced the branching is such a good idea.


----------



## Wilhem275

Clearly, infrastructure has to be designed to keep branches running independently from the trunk line in emergencies, and at least two-three subsets of the trunk line.

Munich S-Bahn trunk line has too many branches coming in, in my opinion, and that's part of the reasons why they're building a parallel one.
There has to be a balance. 4-5 services is not hard to manage. I wouldn't go over that.

Speaking of excessive branching, the East London Line southern branches are not the clearest of service patterns... plus they limit frequency on lines which are still urban.
A possible patch would be to let both Clapham and Croydon branches come together at full frequency into a common station, with trains of one branch all continuing into the trunk line and some services from the other line terminating there, with same platform interchange.
Optimal choice would be to make this happen in Canada Water, obviously to reach the Jubilee, but of course that's complicated (well... there are mostly parking areas over there...).


----------



## Skalka

rheintram said:


> Berlin? Munich comes to mind. When I was living there, I was frequently experiencing break downs of both the U-Bahn and S-Bahn networks. The Stammstrecke 1 (U3/U6) is really a mess. At least once a week problems. When one line breaks down, both don't work anymore. So I am not too convinced the branching is such a good idea.


Munich will therefore build the opposite of a bifurcation, the U9 bypass. Capacity needs to be increased, but a bigger headway will result in a collapse of its two big interchange stations, so the U9 shall offer a direct access to the third one in the system to make a bigger headway and capacity doable in the first place.


----------



## TER200

Wilhem275 said:


> Munich S-Bahn trunk line has too many branches coming in, in my opinion, and that's part of the reasons why they're building a parallel one.


Parallel one which will have services to most of the branches currently served (many branches will have trains to both _Stammstrecken_), so basically instead of one they will have two parallel noodle plates sharing their branches .


----------



## dimlys1994

From Metro Report:









Crossrail governance transferred to Transport for London


UK: Responsibility for governance of the Crossrail programme formally transferred from the independent Crossrail board to Transport for London with effect from October 1, as the project to build an east-west commuter line across London transitions from the current construction phase to...




www.railwaygazette.com


----------



## dimlys1994

From Rail Business UK:









Crossrail to Ebbsfleet study commissioned


UK: Atkins and Jacobs have been appointed as lead consultants to study options for improving transport in the corridor between Abbey Wood in southeast London and Ebbsfleet in north Kent. The 15-month study aims to identify options and understand how these could support housing and jobs growth ...




www.railwaygazette.com


----------



## 437.001

dimlys1994 said:


> From Rail Business UK:
> 
> *Crossrail to Ebbsfleet study commissioned*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Crossrail to Ebbsfleet study commissioned
> 
> 
> UK: Atkins and Jacobs have been appointed as lead consultants to study options for improving transport in the corridor between Abbey Wood in southeast London and Ebbsfleet in north Kent. The 15-month study aims to identify options and understand how these could support housing and jobs growth ...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.railwaygazette.com


I assume that if this ends up happening, then it would include the following stations...

-*Belvedere*
-*Erith*
-*Slade Green* (connection for Bexleyheath Line to Lewisham)
-*Dartford* (connection for Bexley Line to Lewisham)
-*Stone Crossing*
-*Greenhithe (for Bluewater)*
-*Swanscombe*
-*Northfleet* (next to Ebbsfleet International - but doesn't have a good foot connection to it)
.
And right after Northfleet/Ebbsfleet, there is one more station (*Gravesend*), and then there's the *Hoo Junction sidings*, which is the end of the part that's safeguarded for an extension from Abbey Wood.
So I presume Gravesend would also be included.

My questions are the following:

1) Would the Abbey Wood branch (aka Kent branch) be able to withstand the passengers coming from Kent, and also from Canary Wharf (which is bound to become the main bottleneck of all of Crossrail from day one, and that, with the line reaching only Abbey Wood), as they've had the lack of foresight to not build any sidings to turn trains around, nor any extra point or platform there? If not, then I foresee many Essex branch trains being turned from Stratford to Liverpool St surface platforms, to make more room for the Abbey Wood's. I hope time will prove me wrong with this, but I suspect this is going to cause trouble, and not of the smaller kind.

2) The other main problem I see is the lack of points between Paddington and Whitechapel (and on to Stratford on the Essex branch, while on the Kent branch that can be solved by creating points at Custom House or even Silvertown). Just saying, but in Paris, Madrid, and Barcelona, cross-city tunnels do have points. I understand the choice of twin tunnels, and lack of space at certain places, between Farringdon and Whitechapel in particular (although that section isn't particularly harder than at Chatelet in Paris or anywhere RER Paris). Although the twin tunnels make it harder, they could have thought of some short link between each other. I can imagine a train bound for Abbey Wood going broke at Farringdon in the core of the morning rush, and it's not a pleasant thought. Thameslink doesn't have that problem, and it's ironic, as that's a MUCH older line, withstanding also many trains (and a similar number of passengers I suspect).

3) If they ever extended the Kent branch beyond Abbey Wood, then I take it that the section between Abbey Wood and Hoo Junction would have to be electrified with 25kV OHLE, because the current Crossrail rolling stock (class 345) is *not* bi-tension (25kV + 750V) and bi-mode (OHLE + 3rd rail), the current stock can only run under 25kV OHLE.
If they electrified with 25kV OHLE, then would the 3rd rail survive for the Lewisham/London Bridge trains, or would it mean a massive re-routing of services?
I have a hunch this might be linked to Canary Wharf as well. If the number of passengers changing at Abbey Wood station from Kent to Crossrail is big enough, then it may well lead to change in the end.

4) The section between the eastern end of Abbey Wood and Hoo Junction has 45 overpasses (not counting those of Gravesend, Greenhithe, Dartford, and Erith stations, which are almost part of the station buildings), plus one short tunnel at Greenhithe. I don't think it's particularly difficult, but that won't be cheap.


----------



## Stuu

437.001 said:


> 1) Would the Abbey Wood branch (aka Kent branch) be able to withstand the passengers coming from Kent, and also from Canary Wharf (which is bound to become the main bottleneck of all of Crossrail from day one, and that, with the line reaching only Abbey Wood), as they've had the lack of foresight to not build any sidings to turn trains around, nor any extra point or platform there? If not, then I foresee many Essex branch trains being turned from Stratford to Liverpool St surface platforms, to make more room for the Abbey Wood's. I hope time will prove me wrong with this, but I suspect this is going to cause trouble, and not of the smaller kind.


It is entirely possible that there will not be enough trains on the CW branch, but the signalling will allow more trains to run. The tunnelled platforms are all built for 11 car trains so they can be expanded and more frequent. Of course that means buying them, which is non-trivial. 



437.001 said:


> 2) The other main problem I see is the lack of points between Paddington and Whitechapel (and on to Stratford on the Essex branch, while on the Kent branch that can be solved by creating points at Custom House or even Silvertown). Just saying, but in Paris, Madrid, and Barcelona, cross-city tunnels do have points. I understand the choice of twin tunnels, and lack of space at certain places, between Farringdon and Whitechapel in particular (although that section isn't particularly harder than at Chatelet in Paris or anywhere RER Paris). Although the twin tunnels make it harder, they could have thought of some short link between each other. I can imagine a train bound for Abbey Wood going broke at Farringdon in the core of the morning rush, and it's not a pleasant thought. Thameslink doesn't have that problem, and it's ironic, as that's a MUCH older line, withstanding also many trains (and a similar number of passengers I suspect).


There is a crossover west of Farringdon and west of Whitechapel, but I agree it doesn't seem much provision. Custom House has crossovers as well



437.001 said:


> 3) If they ever extended the Kent branch beyond Abbey Wood, then I take it that the section between Abbey Wood and Hoo Junction would have to be electrified with 25kV OHLE, because the current Crossrail rolling stock (class 345) is *not* bi-tension (25kV + 750V) and bi-mode (OHLE + 3rd rail), the current stock can only run under 25kV OHLE.
> If they electrified with 25kV OHLE, then would the 3rd rail survive for the Lewisham/London Bridge trains, or would it mean a massive re-routing of services?
> I have a hunch this might be linked to Canary Wharf as well. If the number of passengers changing at Abbey Wood station from Kent to Crossrail is big enough, then it may well lead to change in the end.


The proposals have all involved separate tracks to Dartford, which would have 25kV, then sharing tracks. Bombardier do make a 3rd rail version of the Crossrail trains so it may be possible to add 3rd rail capacity. All trains built for 3rd rail routes built since about 2000 have the ability to be converted to 25kV, although I'm not sure about the other way round.


437.001 said:


> 4) The section between the eastern end of Abbey Wood and Hoo Junction has 45 overpasses (not counting those of Gravesend, Greenhithe, Dartford, and Erith stations, which are almost part of the station buildings), plus one short tunnel at Greenhithe. I don't think it's particularly difficult, but that won't be cheap.


No, it wouldn't be cheap, but there isn't anywhere that appears too technically difficult


----------



## dimlys1994

Stuu said:


> No, it wouldn't be cheap, but there isn't anywhere that appears too technically difficult


The tunnel is 231 m long (according to Wikipedia). Is there any theory on how it would be built and what ground conditions are there?


----------



## Stuu

dimlys1994 said:


> The tunnel is 231 m long (according to Wikipedia). Is there any theory on how it would be built and what ground conditions are there?


It's all chalk there so should be simple for tunnelling


----------



## 437.001

Stuu said:


> It is entirely possible that there will not be enough trains on the CW branch, but the signalling will allow more trains to run. The tunnelled platforms are all built for 11 car trains so they can be expanded and more frequent. Of course that means buying them, which is non-trivial.


How long are the underground platforms between Paddington and Abbey Wood (in metres, if possible)?
And at Heathrow?



Stuu said:


> There is a crossover west of Farringdon and west of Whitechapel, but I agree it doesn't seem much provision.


My mistake.
However, if there is nothing between Farringdon and Paddington, this could lead to problem anyway, although that's a shorter stretch.
It'll be a bit like on the Paris RER A section between Nation and Auber. Not ideal, but not as bad. 



Stuu said:


> Custom House has crossovers as well.


Ouch! 😓 Yes, I hadn't realised, one on the Silvertown side, and two on the Canary Wharf side.
Not as bad, then, although not ideal.



Stuu said:


> The proposals have all involved separate tracks to Dartford, which would have 25kV, then sharing tracks.


And what about the junctions with the Bexleyheath and Bexley lines, and the Slade Green depot?
Flyovers? Keep them as now, just four-tracked?



Stuu said:


> Bombardier do make a 3rd rail version of the Crossrail trains so it may be possible to add 3rd rail capacity. All trains built for 3rd rail routes built since about 2000 have the ability to be converted to 25kV, although I'm not sure about the other way round.


I think that they should scrap the 3rd rail as soon as they can. It's only better to have wires. However, there must be some kind of transition to begin with, otherwise that'd be unfeasible.
And no, it won't be cheap...



Stuu said:


> It's all chalk there so should be simple for tunnelling


Doesn't look complicated at all,
I'd build it on the north side, the two buildings there are not housing, they're a supermarket and a petrol station, that's all.












On the other hand, there are three station buildings which I suspect could pose problem.
More precisely, Erith, Northfleet, and Gravesend. Are any of them listed?
I've had a look at the others, and they don't look like anything remotely ressembling a listed building.


----------



## Stuu

437.001 said:


> How long are the underground platforms between Paddington and Abbey Wood (in metres, if possible)?
> And at Heathrow?


The central section platforms are all built to 240m, but only fitted to 200m. No idea about Heathrow, there isn't obviously any extra space but it might be walled off. It would be possible to have 11 car trains just on the central section and towards CW


437.001 said:


> And what about the junctions with the Bexleyheath and Bexley lines, and the Slade Green depot?
> Flyovers? Keep them as now, just four-tracked?


I don't think anyone has thought that far ahead, but I would guess that elevating it over all the junctions and Slade Green is the simplest answer


437.001 said:


> I think that they should scrap the 3rd rail as soon as they can. It's only better to have wires. However, there must be some kind of transition to begin with, otherwise that'd be unfeasible.


In an ideal world there would be a plan to replace 3rd rail, but it would be astronomically expensive for little clear passenger benefit. Yes, technically it would be far better, but there are much more important things to spend the money on

Gravesend is the only station with listed buildings, but I don't think there is any need to do anything new there, it already has 3 240m long platforms


----------



## 437.001

Stuu said:


> The central section platforms are all built to 240m, but only fitted to 200m.


😶 I see. Let's hope passengers don't get too crammed.


----------



## dimlys1994

From IanVisits:









Piling starts at new North London railway station - ianVisits


The construction of the new Brent Cross West railway station in North London has reached a milestone as the first the first piles have been put in the ground.Read more ›



www.ianvisits.co.uk


----------



## Skalka

I'd like to know where in the UK or at least in southeastern England third rail is actually needed and operated on Network Rail that a Crossrail trainset would sensibly serve these areas and tracks. That's something that I've got to have missed.


----------



## Stuu

Crossrail trains don't have third rail equipment, none of the lines they will use are electrified with third rail. It has been suggested that services might be extended east from Abbey Wood which would either mean new tracks or using third-rail-electrified tracks, in which case trains would need to be modified.


----------



## dimlys1994

HS2 update on Euston:


----------



## geogregor

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1329017386499006464

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1328970285190684672


----------



## dimlys1994




----------



## geogregor

It is worth linking to a short video summarizing latest on testing the Elizabeth Line:


----------



## dimlys1994

From IanVisits:









Farringdon's Elizabeth line station construction completed - ianVisits


The Crossrail parts of Farringdon Station have completed construction activity, and are now in the process of being handed over to TfL.Read more ›



www.ianvisits.co.uk


----------



## geogregor




----------



## geogregor

On Crossrail website there is virtual tour of Farringdon station:

Farringdon | Elizabeth line | Virtual Tour


----------



## dimlys1994

From IanVisits:









Consultation opens on extending the Elizabeth line into Kent - ianVisits


A consultation has opened on proposals for improving public transport services connecting Ebbsfleet, Dartford, Slade Green, Erith and Belvedere with Abbey Wood.Read more ›



www.ianvisits.co.uk


----------



## geogregor




----------



## Rational Plan

There was something similar once proposed. It Just went in tunnel earlier and followed the North bank of the Thames/Strand/Fleet street, would have linked up Cannon street, Blackfriars and Charing Cross and probably led to their closure (well maybe nor Charing Cross). and then out to Victoria before going South of the Thames Again. it would have simplified a lot of Services in South London, when both the City and West End could have been linked by one train. Currently a lot of stations have several different services terminating at different London stations. With this line you could much greater frequencies, without sacrificing destination choice.


----------



## NCT

The other problem is that the pairing is awkward. The suburban lines of the Southeastern Main Line naturally go into Cannon Street, and the Charing Cross side is for longer-distance mainline traffic. So you've got the problems of:

pairing SWML subs with SEML mains, with incompatible rolling stock requirements. SWML subs want high-density stock with no toilets where SEML mains want 2+3 stock with toilets.
Pairing SWML mains with SEML mains. You wouldn't really pair up mains together (Thameslink already stretches what you really want to do) - you want these longer-distance services to have recovery time and be cleaned and restocked at a terminal. Also the Southampton and Portsmouth runs want 23-metre end-door rolling stock which can't be accommodated on Southeastern (Southeastern infrastructure is only cleared for 20-metre carriages and the distribution of settlements slightly favours 1/3 2/3 door arrangements)

That's before considering taking SEML out of Charing Cross is an unnecessary downgrade.


----------



## sotonsi

Rational Plan said:


> There was something similar once proposed.


I've found it twice.

There was the County of London plan of 1943, which wanted to ditch most of the railway viaducts in inner South London and put them underground. There was a route taking lines from the New Cross Area via Wapping, Cannon Street, Blackfriars, Charing Cross and Victoria that would then emerge at Clapham (on both Eastern and Southern section routes). And there also was a route taking lines from Bermondsey underground and via London Bridge, Cannon Street, Blackfriars, Charing Cross and Waterloo back to London Bridge and whence they came.

And there was the London Rail Study of 1974, which had Crossrail (via Leicester Square and Ludgate/Holborn rather than TCR and Farringdon) and a London Bridge lines - Victoria lines tunnel via London Bridge, Cannon Street, Ludgate/Blackfriars, Leicester Square, Green Park/Piccadilly and Victoria.

Other plans did similar at the London Bridge end, but then went and served some other lines (with Victoria feeding a N-S route, rather than an E-W route): eg line F that eventually became the Fleet was Wycombe / Aylesbury / Tring - core via the Strand - Dartford / Sevenoaks.

But a key feature of the ones you talk about was that they would have been entirely within the Eastern and Central sectors of the Southern Region and trains would have been able to stay within a sector if there was a disparity between the two that meant they stayed in their sector.


----------



## JHPart

This could be a good plan. There are actual better railway and tube services in the North than in the South of London. Probably you need to create a tunnel instead of demolish the station building of Waterloo.


----------



## NCT

Actual capacity constraint isn't the London end, it's the country end with the multitude of route options and flat junctions. Cannon Street and Charing Cross aren't what's limiting SEML capacity or causing poor performance, it's the messy junctions and routings in the Lewisham area.

The trick with doing Crossrails is that you want trains to enter the central core on time and in the right order, so that when they come out the other end they don't cause further problems. When you have a Crossrail connecting two messy country ends you are worsening performance risks and capacity problems, not improving them.


----------



## stockholm79

How about creating a South Western tube line?
It could start at Wimbledon, take over two of the tracks to Clapham Junction and then continue to Waterloo where it would dip into the underground in or next to the old Eurostar terminal.
There it would take over the Waterloo and City line and possibly have an extra branch to Aldwych, run in a parallel tunnel to Russel Square, then to Euston and St. Pancras and King's Cross.
The tube would make stops at the Wimbledon (perhaps same platform as the streetcars), Wimbledon depot (new), Earlsfield (taken over), Trinity Road (new), Clapham Junction (taking over existing platforms), Queenstown Road (taken over), Nine Elms (new, connection to the Northern Line), Vauxhall (taking over existing platforms), Lambeth Road (new), Waterloo (new platforms), then further
a) Blackfriars (new on the existing W&C Line), Bank (existing)
b) Aldwych/Temple (existing with new connection to the District line), Holborn (possible reuse of existing platforms), Russel Square (new platforms), Euston (new deep platforms under the Northern Line), King's Cross and St. Pancras (new platforms)
Regional trains from Wimbledon to Waterloo could skip Earlsfield and Queenstown Road for a faster ride.
This new line would mostly serve the neighborhoods in Wandsworth and Battersea and alleviate some of the traffic from the Picadilly and Northern Lines, especially at Euston. It would also create a direct connection between King's Cross St. Pancras and Waterloo stations.
The downside would be reduced capacity for other trains.
Most of the line would be relatively cheap as it is just a takeover of current infrastructure, the most expensive part would be the branch to the 3 stations in the North.


----------



## NCT

stockholm79 said:


> How about creating a South Western tube line?
> It could start at Wimbledon, take over two of the tracks to Clapham Junction and then continue to Waterloo where it would dip into the underground in or next to the old Eurostar terminal.
> There it would take over the Waterloo and City line and possibly have an extra branch to Aldwych, run in a parallel tunnel to Russel Square, then to Euston and St. Pancras and King's Cross.
> The tube would make stops at the Wimbledon (perhaps same platform as the streetcars), Wimbledon depot (new), Earlsfield (taken over), Trinity Road (new), Clapham Junction (taking over existing platforms), Queenstown Road (taken over), Nine Elms (new, connection to the Northern Line), Vauxhall (taking over existing platforms), Lambeth Road (new), Waterloo (new platforms), then further
> a) Blackfriars (new on the existing W&C Line), Bank (existing)
> b) Aldwych/Temple (existing with new connection to the District line), Holborn (possible reuse of existing platforms), Russel Square (new platforms), Euston (new deep platforms under the Northern Line), King's Cross and St. Pancras (new platforms)
> Regional trains from Wimbledon to Waterloo could skip Earlsfield and Queenstown Road for a faster ride.
> This new line would mostly serve the neighborhoods in Wandsworth and Battersea and alleviate some of the traffic from the Picadilly and Northern Lines, especially at Euston. It would also create a direct connection between King's Cross St. Pancras and Waterloo stations.
> The downside would be reduced capacity for other trains.
> Most of the line would be relatively cheap as it is just a takeover of current infrastructure, the most expensive part would be the branch to the 3 stations in the North.


If this 'tube' physically takes over the SWML slow lines then there is nowhere for the suburban services to go. The main lines are full with something like 22 tph.

The Waterloo and City is not suitable for being converted into anything else. The existing stations are only 4-car long and face the wrong way. The money you spend rebuilding the stations makes 'reusing existing infrastructure' completely pointless.

Either you do a proper segregated modern metro or do Crossrail 2 properly (mainline sized tunnels to take over the SWML subs).


----------



## stockholm79

Only the Bank platforms would need to be lengthened, as the current Waterloo platforms make a turn and cannot be used.
As for the part from Clapham to Wimbledon, you might be able to fit at least one extra track. The question is how many tph you have running between Clapton and Waterloo, if there might be a possibility to take two of the 8 tracks (did Eurostar have their own tracks?).
And could some if the trains be routed to Victoria instead?


----------



## NCT

stockholm79 said:


> Only the Bank platforms would need to be lengthened, as the current Waterloo platforms make a turn and cannot be used.
> As for the part from Clapham to Wimbledon, you might be able to fit at least one extra track. The question is how many tph you have running between Clapton and Waterloo, if there might be a possibility to take two of the 8 tracks (did Eurostar have their own tracks?).
> And could some if the trains be routed to Victoria instead?


No.


----------



## Robert198812345

Class 456s with SWR have been withdrawn. Yet no sign of class 701s. Can't find a rolling stock thread to mention this so I did here.


----------



## Antje

Robert198812345 said:


> Class 456s with SWR have been withdrawn. Yet no sign of class 701s. Can't find a rolling stock thread to mention this so I did here.


The 701s are not yet in service, and SWR have held back 12 707s until August 2022: SWR retains 12 Class 707 trains in boost to fleet availability


----------



## GojiMet86

So a very lucky guy was somehow able to ride the Elizabeth Line, becoming its first unauthorized passenger.









Crossrail: high-risk security breach as first ‘customer’ rides train | Construction News


The operator of Crossrail trains declared a “high-risk security breach” after a member of the public was able to ride a service across London, despite




www.constructionnews.co.uk


----------



## geogregor

Canary Wharf becomes the penultimate Elizabeth line station transferred to TfL


Railway on track for passenger service in the first half of 2022 Canary Wharf is the ninth station Crossrail has transferred to TfL The station will help connect this key business district to the City of London, the West End and later, Heathrow




www.crossrail.co.uk







> Canary Wharf Elizabeth line station has been transferred to Transport for London (TfL), which means the station can be fully integrated with the operational network ahead of the Elizabeth line opening in the first half of 2022. Nine out of the 10 central stations have now been transferred from Crossrail to TfL.


----------



## Sunfuns

Which station is the last one left still under construction?


----------



## Robert198812345

Bond Street I presume, as it's the only one not opening on tune with the others.


----------



## Hourdel

Will Crossrail be a part of the Underground network or will it be operated by an other TfL subsidiary ?


----------



## ajw373

Hourdel said:


> Will Crossrail be a part of the Underground network or will it be operated by an other TfL subsidiary ?


Crossrail is actually a construction project, so assume you mean the Elizabeth Line. In which case it is being operated by MTR corporation. MTR also operate London Overground.


----------



## LAYiddo




----------



## Robert198812345

Hourdel said:


> Will Crossrail be a part of the Underground network or will it be operated by an other TfL subsidiary ?


Well it's currently known as TFL Rail. I don't class it as an underground line. It runs from Reading to Shenfield, uses BR class trains, looks nothing like a tube train and uses overhead electrification.


----------



## sotonsi

ajw373 said:


> Crossrail is actually a construction project, so assume you mean the Elizabeth Line. In which case it is being operated by MTR corporation. MTR also operate London Overground.


Arriva has been running the Overground since the concession was last awarded in 2016. Before that it was MTR and Arriva in a joint (50-50) venture.

Elizabeth Line (currently branded as TfL Rail) runs as a different TfL concession to the Overground. MTR has held that since 2015 (without Arriva, which, IIRC, is why the joint venture on the Overground ended).


----------



## sotonsi

Robert198812345 said:


> I don't class it as an underground line.


This is unhelpful pedantry. It won't function as a separate system to its users. It's an integrated part of the network and there's a reason why TfL were always going to give it a tube line style name.

Dealing with you objections:

length
Yes, Reading is considerably further away from London distance-wise (Amersham and Chesham are about Maidenhead distance), but timewise it's closer to Farringdon than the far reaches of the Met line assuming fast Met trains (which are peak only) and the standard most-stops Reading trains (not the peak semi-fast). Shenfield is no further than Epping and no service on the Liz will be longer (timewise) than the Epping-West Ruislip service on the Central line. It really isn't radically longer!

stock
The Bakerloo and District use BR class trains (they are assigned the number Class 499 when they run on NR metals).

Other than the pointy nose and colour scheme, they aren't that noticeable different. OK, the obvious thing about length, but the Waterloo & City isn't excluded from the tube by its trains being half the length, so Liz being twice the length isn't a deal breaker either.

The Overground has both Aventras (like the Liz), and Electrostars (which are similar to S stock). If people notice the difference, they don't view it them as so different that they are something else entirely.

electrification
The Paris Metro has more than one electrification system (and all sorts of other differences in the way trains move) and no one considers it to be different systems. Closer to home, the Overground uses both OHLE and 3rd rail, and no one is bothered how the train is powered beyond geeky interest - no one treats the Lea Valley lines as something entirely other to the East London line.


----------



## cairnstony2

Agree with the above.

I've always said that it's important to note that the sub-surface and deep-bore tube lines are quite distinct types of railways but are treated as part of the same integrated system, as they should be. It's what helps the customer navigate the system best in terms of branding that should be the primary consideration in its usage.

Side-note edit: a few bods may notice the flag change, which happened automatically. I've moved across the world, so not-Cairnstony, now.


----------



## stockholm79

I would dare to say that some (mostly sub surface) underground lines already are like a Berlin type S-Bahn (a kind of express subway) where it skips stops or has greater distances between them.
Crossrail's Elizabeth line very much reminds me of Stockholm's Pendeltåg (commuter trains) network with even greater distances between stations, going further out and with higher speeds. It is in some ways like a regional train, but with more frequent departures and more usable for travel inside the city. I would put the Elizabeth line in a similar category as the Thameslink (Crossrail 0,5?), and both will be on the tube map.


----------



## stockholm79

Btw - many European cities have maps with both subway style and commuter style lines together, but normally don't show regional lines on them.
I guess what mostly separates these types are the way of usage: Pure subways are for short to medium range city trips, Berlin style S-Bahn for short to medium trips within the city and just outside it, Crossrail style is for medium to long range trips mostly for people living outside the city limits and regional trains are for people living far out for long range trips to the city or for local travel outsife the city.


----------



## NCT

Theoretical generalisations are all well and good, but the realities in cities like London, Berlin and Hamburg are much more subtle. The brand or mode (whatever you call it) you use isn't so much determined by your length of journey but by which service happens to serve your corridor.

Harrow, Northolt and Southall are equidistant from Central London and are respectively served by the Metropolitan (subsurface), Central (deep level) and Crossrail. The residents use the three lines in exactly the same ways.

Similarly on the east side you've got Wanstead, Manor Park and East Ham. Worth noting that on this side of London the subsurface District line is very much the slower cousin of the deep level Central line.

Especially coming in from the east side, Crossrail and Central line are pretty much 'symmetrical' - just that one happens to have bigger trains than the other (I was going to say more modern but the new deep-level stock with air-con is coming to the Central line). Most Central line stations in Central London have Crossrail equivalents, so I actually suspect there might not be huge interchange flows at Stratford, especially for people with seats, for whom the distance between St Paul's and Barbican isn't worth losing your seat.


----------



## cairnstony2

It may also be worth pointing out that the London tube had existing lines going way out into the countryside before cities such as Paris decided to build metros of a shorter, more compact, nature. I don't quite get the notion that, those subsequent cities should get to effectively redefine what is classified as the tube/subway for London.

Most of the underground has, for a conderable time, been mostly overground, has extended beyond the Greater London boundary and has been a mix of railway types. Other cities are free to define their systems their own way, and so is London; and that's fine.


----------



## ajw373

cairnstony2 said:


> It may also be worth pointing out that the London tube had existing lines going way out into the countryside before cities such as Paris decided to build metros of a shorter, more compact, nature. I don't quite get the notion that, those subsequent cities should get to effectively redefine what is classified as the tube/subway for London.
> 
> Most of the underground has, for a conderable time, been mostly overground, has extended beyond the Greater London boundary and has been a mix of railway types. Other cities are free to define their systems their own way, and so is London; and that's fine.


The above shows a lack of an understanding of what The Underground is, and how it developed. 

At the end of the day the London Underground is a brand name and that is about it. It doesn’t define how or where services run, it is basically a very diverse railway that has evolved over a very long time. It has evolved through the merger of many lines. The metropolitan line being the first “underground” line in London was, when built just another mainline railway which just so happened to end up with a stretch of underground railway. 

The whole problem I have with pigeon holing metro, lightrail, heavy rail, suburban, regional, inter urban, intercity etc is there is no one definition. Every city/country has its own interpretation and implementation. If we just accept and treat them as railways we wouldn’t end up with pointless arguments like this.


----------



## geogregor

I never really understood why on this forum London has two separate threads for its public transport.


----------



## sotonsi

ajw373 said:


> The above shows a lack of an understanding of what The Underground is, and how it developed.


No it doesn't.

And if it did, you basically say the same thing as the post you quoted, suggesting the same understanding (or not) of the subject of the discussion...

It's a bit annoying doing this in a topic that excludes red-roundel railways (and teal ones). But I guess it's like the USA thread in Highways & Autobahn forum being two threads, rather than the usual one, because the potential discussion is bigger than normal.


----------



## Skalka

geogregor said:


> I never really understood why on this forum London has two separate threads for its public transport.


It's about the amount of discussion that warrants a distinction. Paris also has IIRC a third thread dealing with busses and trams and a separate thread for such "leftovers" tidies up things considerably.


----------



## geogregor

sotonsi said:


> But I guess it's like the USA thread in Highways & Autobahn forum being two threads, rather than the usual one, because the potential discussion is bigger than normal.





Skalka said:


> It's about the amount of discussion that warrants a distinction.


Really? I just checked, the other London thread dropped to page three, last post was almost two weeks ago. US roads threads also might have days without posts. If you guys wan't to see really busy threads you should check out Polish sub-forum. Dozens of posts a day (sometimes an hour) is standard in multiple threads.

I really think some of the threads could easily be merged. Discussing Elizabeth Line separately from the Underground, with which it shares multiple stations, is a bit silly.

Same with the US road threads where interstates and state highways often run concurrently. Keeping two threads is a bit pointless. Those divisions are arbitrary and don't really serve any useful purpose.


----------



## cairnstony2

ajw373 said:


> The above shows a lack of an understanding of what The Underground is, and how it developed.
> 
> At the end of the day the London Underground is a brand name and that is about it. It doesn’t define how or where services run, it is basically a very diverse railway that has evolved over a very long time. It has evolved through the merger of many lines. The metropolitan line being the first “underground” line in London was, when built just another mainline railway which just so happened to end up with a stretch of underground railway.
> 
> The whole problem I have with pigeon holing metro, lightrail, heavy rail, suburban, regional, inter urban, intercity etc is there is no one definition.* Every city/country has its own interpretation and implementation. *If we just accept and treat them as railways we wouldn’t end up with pointless arguments like this.


I was born and raised in London and understand exactly how the underground developed and what it is, thank you very much.

I was countering the notion that London's own definition of what currently defines the tube/underground, whatever you wish to call it, does not apply, because other cities would define those railways differently- a point you even made yourself in the bold.


----------



## sotonsi

geogregor said:


> Really? I just checked, the other London thread dropped to page three, last post was almost two weeks ago.


_Potential_ discussion, not actual discussion. Big networks with lots of stuff that could be talked about were given two/more threads in prediction of there being lots of discussion when they created the threads to try and silo discussion into specific threads.

Of course elsewhere (not necessarily SSC) sees a lot of discussion about London's railways - the idea that there's lots of discussion is a right one, but was optimistic that it would happen in this international forum on a skyscraper website.


> I really think some of the threads could easily be merged. Discussing Elizabeth Line separately from the Underground, with which it shares multiple stations, is a bit silly.
> 
> Same with the US road threads where interstates and state highways often run concurrently. Keeping two threads is a bit pointless. Those divisions are arbitrary and don't really serve any useful purpose.


Totally agree.


----------



## ajw373

cairnstony2 said:


> I was born and raised in London and understand exactly how the underground developed and what it is, thank you very much.
> 
> I was countering the notion that London's own definition of what currently defines the tube/underground, whatever you wish to call it, does not apply, because other cities would define those railways differently- a point you even made yourself in the bold.


My apologies if I miss interpreted your post. Rereading will agree we are basically saying the same thing.


----------



## Stuu

I think historically there was a point to having separate threads, similar to the Paris and New York ones... but these days there is much less happening and much less debate in general that it seems a bit unnecessary.

I agree the whole trying to define systems into specific names is a pointless task, having been down that rabbit hole a few times in the past


----------



## Robert198812345

Will the Barking Riverside line appear soon on the map?


----------



## sotonsi

Robert198812345 said:


> Will the Barking Riverside line appear soon on the map?


It's due to open this year, but the precedence is that they won't add it to the map until just before it opens. Given it's "second half 2022", there's an NR timetable revision in December, and there's normally a paper Tube Map revision in December (there wasn't this time as they did a September one for Battersea, and a January one for the Northern line closure), so just over 10 months to wait?


----------



## Robert198812345

And I presume same applies to the Brent Cross West Station.


----------



## Stuu

Robert198812345 said:


> And I presume same applies to the Brent Cross West Station.


it will probably never appear, Thameslink is only on the tube map whilst the Bank closure happens. Although it should be a permanent fixture IMHO


----------



## gincan

stockholm79 said:


> I would dare to say that some (mostly sub surface) underground lines already are like a Berlin type S-Bahn (a kind of express subway) where it skips stops or has greater distances between them.
> Crossrail's Elizabeth line very much reminds me of Stockholm's Pendeltåg (commuter trains) network with even greater distances between stations, going further out and with higher speeds. It is in some ways like a regional train, but with more frequent departures and more usable for travel inside the city. I would put the Elizabeth line in a similar category as the Thameslink (Crossrail 0,5?), and both will be on the tube map.


Crossrail is a pure commuter line, Reading is inside of Greater London commuter belt. At only 60km from central London it is nowhere near a regional line, they typically reach over 200km outside of major population centers. Places like Milton Keynes or Bedford. For me to call Crossrail a regional train it would have to reach Swindon and Ipswich on each side of London.


----------



## Stuu

stockholm79 said:


> I must admit that the route designators make it much easier understanding which tube goes to which branch.
> Eg. the District line - you can definitely not understand that from the current tube map.
> Not to mention all the Overgrounds.
> 
> __
> https://www.reddit.com/r/london/comments/uazhi1


This subject has been done to death so many times. The only time on the District Line it's not clear which train goes where is towards Edgware Road from the west - there is a case for the Wimbledon-Edgware Road route to be shown differently to the rest of the service, but apart from that I'm not sure where else could be confused. Is remembering that you need service D3 easier than remembering to get on a train to Richmond for example?


----------



## geogregor

Stuu said:


> Is remembering that you need service D3 easier than remembering to get on a train to Richmond for example?


No. 

All this obsession with numbers and letters is pure geekery among nerds with OCD


----------



## TER200

Stuu said:


> Is remembering that you need service D3 easier than remembering to get on a train to Richmond for example?


Yes.

All this obsession about not using line numbers is pedantic choice from British people


----------



## geogregor

TER200 said:


> Yes.
> 
> All this obsession about not using line numbers is pedantic choice from British people


Actually most people remember names easier than numbers or alphanumeric codes. But I get the joke  

Meanwhile extension of London Overground to Barking Riverside coming along nicely. They should start test runs shortly, at least I would say so, it looks substantially finished, most works are about landscaping..


P1170504 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


P1170445 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


P1170448 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


P1170457 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


P1170472 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


P1170477 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


P1170480 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


P1170488 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


P1170493 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


P1170496 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


P1170495 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


P1170499 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


P1170502 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


----------



## NCT

The done thing in London is to look and listen for a District line train to Wimbledon, then listen for last-minute destination changes at Earl's Court. None of this D3 nonsense thank you.


----------



## Skalka

​


geogregor said:


> No.
> 
> All this obsession with numbers and letters is pure geekery among nerds with OCD





TER200 said:


> Yes.
> 
> All this obsession about not using line numbers is pedantic choice from British people


The funny thing about the NYC Subway is the fact that these services on a line have designated separate letters, so something like "D3" just wouldn't exist. The thought exercise has merely a pedagogic value: It shows that the Northern Line could be split in two (once the second entrance and concourse is finished and offering the needed space for interchanging passengers) and the same could be said about the District Line where you have north-south and east-west only meeting at the hub at Earl's Court and Kensington being a stub line only running when the stadium is opened and that mess would already be way more lucid if you split the District Line in two.

And yet this fictitious map teaches a lot about London itself and some commonalities with New York City.

Both big cities have two profiles in their rapid transit systems, an older obsolete one that wouldn't be constructed anew and a newer one that would. That's why the former has fewer lines and services than the latter and that's why one-digit numbers do for the former but not for the latter that gets to full alphabetic letter room. The older pioneer system is the odd kid in the playground.
The Overground has a lot of separate lines or at least services that require their labels. And there's the occasional overlap with the Underground too, so it's not all that alien to give their lines letters too. It will be interesting how New York City would handle this in the case of a finished Interborough Express. A simple X would be nice and yet it will be a different train that at the Subway proper. A bit like Moscow metro lines 13 (monorail) and 14 (an orbital Overground/S-Bahn line run with Siemens trains).
The two-digit stuff is more of a symptom than anything else, summing up everything that could be considered "alien" to a Londoner in the 1980s.
Starting with the London Trams (originally known as Croydon Tramlink) seems like a way to mop up what is labeled here as 10, 11 and 12 and expecting that there won't ever be a fourth service. More likely, however, is to have it done and how that it exists and that it's important.
DLR from 13 to 17 looks most appropriate labeling that way, what with being the most "independent" rapid transit service in the city that even lacks the dependence on a human driver and because there's no better way to describe an octopus.
Crossrail from 18 to 21 is something that you can do, but once Crossrail 2 may be finished, it would become silly. I can imagine that they could rather be called E1 to E4 for Elizabeth Line with the meaning of E morphing from Elizabeth to Express in the long run. In real life, not in this thought experiment. E becoming the English equivalent for Germany's S in S-Bahn.

The two-digit stuff, as it's just a thought experiment, is just using counting numbers for its two-digit stuff. You may always want a reserve for new lines (or services on lines or sub-systems) without bothering with the rest of the numeration and give them a sensible, yet still generous number room. Crossrail could start at 20 if you really want to keep it that way with the numbers, the DLR and London Trams could get the entire 10s together. DLR could start at 10 and Trams end at 19.


----------



## TER200

geogregor said:


> Actually most people remember names easier than numbers or alphanumeric codes. But I get the joke


Yes, remembering "Central Line" is not more difficult than "line 1". But here I was considering the problem of remembering the name of the destination, which is something else (first difference : the name to remember changes for the return trip ; second problem is when the services patterns are not consistent for each destination).


----------



## geogregor

TER200 said:


> Yes, remembering "Central Line" is not more difficult than "line 1". But here I was considering the problem of remembering the name of the destination, which is something else (first difference : the name to remember changes for the return trip ; second problem is when the services patterns are not consistent for each destination).


I would argue that remembering if you have to take train going to Wimbledon or to Richmond is easier than remembering whether you have to take service D2 or D3.

But if someone is not sure where they are going in the first place they have bigger problem than what name the line has 

Anyway, the debate is purely academic. Numbers or letters are not coming to London Underground. There are no such plans. What we might expect is naming and colour coding some of the Overground lines:









London Overground lines to be renamed to reflect capital’s diversity


London Overground lines are to be renamed by Sadiq Khan if he is re-elected mayor as part of his plan to ensure the capital’s infrastructure better reflects its diverse history.




www.standard.co.uk





I'm pretty sure one of them should simply be called Goblin Line and given green colour on the map


----------



## Stuu

TER200 said:


> Yes, remembering "Central Line" is not more difficult than "line 1". But here I was considering the problem of remembering the name of the destination, which is something else (first difference : the name to remember changes for the return trip ; second problem is when the services patterns are not consistent for each destination).


So very much like remembering to choose Direction Gallieni instead of Pont de Levallois? Going back into the centre the service pattern is almost always much simpler than going somewhere on a branch, so it's not really an issue


----------



## stockholm79

The issue however is that the map currently does not display service patterns.
Let's say there are two branches on the A side, A1 and A2, and the same on the B side, B1 and B2.
There is one service going A1-B2 and one A2-B1.
If you are on the A1 branch and need to go to the B2 branch, you will wait at the station in vain for a train taking you there directly, and there is no infirmation about needing to change trains.
The DLR is especially challenging when it comes to knowing how to get somewhere.


----------



## Stuu

The DLR routes are displayed on stations and trains:









Anywhere on the underground which has limited services has clear information like this example:










Not ideal if you can't read English I suppose, but generally it's not a problem in reality, there's plenty of clear information available


----------



## NCT

stockholm79 said:


> The issue however is that the map currently does not display service patterns.
> Let's say there are two branches on the A side, A1 and A2, and the same on the B side, B1 and B2.
> There is one service going A1-B2 and one A2-B1.
> If you are on the A1 branch and need to go to the B2 branch, *you will wait at the station in vain for a train taking you there directly*, and there is no infirmation about needing to change trains.
> The DLR is especially challenging when it comes to knowing how to get somewhere.


Well you wouldn't, unless you are extremely mentally challenged. There's a well established mantra of 'take the first train and change'.


----------



## hkskyline

*Crossrail: Elizabeth line due to open on 24 May *
BBC _Excerpt_
May 4, 2022

The delayed and over-budget Crossrail project will finally open this month, Transport for London (TfL) has said.

The Abbey Wood to Paddington section will open to passengers on 24 May, although initially trains will not run on Sundays or call at Bond Street.

Known as the Elizabeth line, it was due to open in December 2018 but the project has faced numerous setbacks.

The Elizabeth line will link Reading and Essex via central London.

Once the route is open, services will run every five minutes between 06:30 BST and 23:00, although a full timetable will not be in place until May 2023.

More : Crossrail: Elizabeth line due to open on 24 May


----------



## mw123




----------



## Arnorian

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1521781440274477057


----------



## ChrisN11

Personally, I don't like anything being named after a living person, but at least I can pretend that the 'Elizabeth Line' has been named after Elizabeth the First, rather than the current monarch.


----------



## geogregor

Waiting for opening I got some shots from testing around Custom House:

P1180253 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


P1180255 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


P1180279 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


P1180282 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


P1180364 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


P1180369 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


P1180377 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


P1180382 by Geogregor*, on Flickr

Connaught Tunnel portal:

P1180370 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


P1180371 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


----------



## schmidt

Question is - are Londoners going to call it Elizabeth Line or Crossrail?


----------



## geogregor

schmidt said:


> Question is - are Londoners going to call it Elizabeth Line or Crossrail?


Most likely Elizabeth Line. Some geeks on forums like this one will remember for a while what was the name during constructions but I guess most public will quickly adopt to the commercial name which will be on all the signage etc. I used to say almost exclusively "Crossrail" but I realized that I use Elizabeth Line more often nowadays.

Latest update:


----------



## Stuu

geogregor said:


> Most likely Elizabeth Line. Some geeks on forums like this one will remember for a while what was the name during constructions but I guess most public will quickly adopt to the commercial name which will be on all the signage etc. I used to say almost exclusively "Crossrail" but I realized that I use Elizabeth Line more often nowadays.
> 
> Latest update:


I agree, Crossrail as a name will vanish pretty quickly.

I'm really looking forward to going on it, going to have a day in the actual office for the first time in two years as an excuse to go to London. Luckily I will arrive at Paddington and need to get to Canary Wharf, so that works well


----------



## kerouac1848

As fate would have it I will be using the line right from the start for a couple of weeks as I'm going to be between homes and based a little outside of London, so it's coming at just the right time to ease that journey!


----------



## hkskyline

* Years late, London’s ‘game-changer’ subway line set to open *
_Excerpt_
May 12, 2022

LONDON (AP) — Andy Byford points out the cathedral-like ceiling, the crystal-clear acoustics, the “pureness of the aesthetic” that surrounds him.

The head of London’s public transport system is rhapsodizing about a subway station — part of a new line he says will be “the envy of the world” when it opens this month.

“It really gives people a sense of grandeur, but there is also a sense of calm,” said Byford as he showed journalists around Liverpool Street Station on London’s gleaming new east-west Elizabeth Line, due to open on May 24.

More : Years late, London's 'game-changer' subway line set to open


----------



## schmidt

Sadly, I'm not sure it will improve my life at all. I usually go South-North on the tube network. I may occasionally use it to head to Heathrow, but that's pretty much it really. Nonetheless, really cool addition to the Tube network!


----------



## geogregor

Dezeen's guide to the architecture of the Elizabeth Line


With the highly anticipated Elizabeth Line railway project opening in London on 24 May, Dezeen rounds up the 10 new central section stations, including designs by WilkinsonEyre and Hawkins\Brown.




www.dezeen.com


----------



## geogregor

Elizabeth line: Queen makes surprise visit to Paddington Station


Buckingham Palace says the visit, ahead of the line's opening on 24 May, is a "happy development".



www.bbc.co.uk














Does she need tickets?


----------



## geogregor

The Elizabeth line: Grimshaw’s line-wide Crossrail design


Rob Wilson takes a pre-opening tour of the tunnelled stretch of the long-awaited Elizabeth line




www.architectsjournal.co.uk







> To bring this vast mass transit system together design-wise, Crossrail established an in-house architecture team. The guiding idea, as its head, Julian Robinson, says, was ‘… the train as the common factor. We worked out from there to create a consistent experience across the line: so there’s most design consistency at platform level, with the stations becoming individually more distinctive as you move to the street above’.
> 
> Grimshaw was appointed to lead this ‘line-wide’ design, tasked with forging a common identity with standardised architectural components and products across platforms, concourses, escalators and ticket halls. This palette of elements interfaces and integrates with the work of 10 architecture practices appointed for the individual station designs to street level, including John McAslan + Partners, Foster + Partners, Allies and Morrison, Aedas, WilkinsonEyre, Weston Williamson, Hawkins\Brown and BDP.





> Grimshaw has developed what Neill McClements, a partner at the firm, calls a ‘family of elements’ in a series of design packages. Besides signage and wayfinding, these include tunnel cladding, platform edge screens, flooring, lighting, seating, poster frames, fire equipment cabinets, handrails and balustrades, and integrated communications equipment. Everything went through rigorous testing and prototyping, including full-size mock-ups of sections of station.
> 
> Of the packages, the most defining, ubiquitous element, particularly in tunnel stations, is inevitably the cladding. Formed of creamy glassfibre-reinforced concrete (GFRC) panels, their matt surface is enlivened subtly by tiny pieces of embedded mica. These hug the tunnel linings tightly, ‘shrink wrapped’ as an ‘expression of the engineering, capturing as much space as possible’, as McClements puts it.
> 
> The continuous surface flow of tunnel sides and roof leaves the impression of being inside a CAD parametric model, reflecting, no doubt, the design process. Particularly impressive tectonically are the tunnel junctions, where the sides appear to lean back as you approach, in contrast with the sharp blind corners found in circulation tunnels on the tube. This contributes to creating, says McClements, a ‘stress-free environment’, its seamless consistency helped by the standardisation and reduction of tunnel and junction-types from over 80 initial forms to just nine, which also brought economies of scale in manufacture.
> 
> The clear sightlines and sense of openness are also beneficial for security reasons. What other ‘Inspector Sands’-type security design measures there are – around blast-paths and so on – McClements is understandably not at liberty to divulge. At high-level, the GFRC panels incorporate acoustic attenuation perforations, which contrast with the plainer low-level panels, giving an orientating wall-ceiling definition to the tunnels, the perforations serving as a rhythmic decorative device animating the concourses and tunnels.
> 
> The tight fit of cladding to tunnel means other elements, such as lighting and signage, were developed as standalone components, which also aids maintenance. Particularly effective is the lighting along the tunnelled platforms, which takes the form of a strip of light box incorporated into the top of the platform edge screens, throwing light onto and down the GFRC cladding behind the platform, a softly diffusing rather than harshly reflecting light. The lighting modulates between colder in so-called ‘fast spaces’, such as cross-passages, and warmer in ‘dwell spaces’ such as platforms.
> 
> The platform-edge glazed security screens are impressive all-of-a-piece components, incorporating not just train information but advertising, too. Similarly well-conceived and multi-tasking are the prominent signage ‘totems’ in the concourses, which accommodate lighting, speakers and CCTV.


----------



## geogregor

It has opened, rainy morning didn't stop enthusiasts from queueing:


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1528966275753467904









https://twitter.com/HarryLow49











https://twitter.com/TfL












__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1528972331716059136


https://twitter.com/sorinc03


----------



## hkskyline

Paddington Station, Elizabeth Line, London by Koji Moriya, on Flickr

Elizabeth Line, London by Koji Moriya, on Flickr


----------



## schmidt

Yay just rode the Crossrail, or shall we say, Elizabeth Line. One stop between Farringdon and Tottenham Court Road. It's quiet, smooth and speedy. I enjoyed it. The stations look fantastic, I think they are the best bit to be honest. Very large, airy halls. I hope the other ones on the system look similar. The interchange to the Northern Line is loooong (tip: going Westbound from Farrington into Tottenham Court Road, stay on the back of the train), but because it's not hot, poky and crowded, it made for a nice walk. Lots of people taking pictures!


----------



## hkskyline




----------



## schmidt

That guy flying all the way from the US to check out Crossrail made me cringe a little.


----------



## kerouac1848

Quite a few colleagues in our regional offices are planning on coming to the London HQ so they have an excuse to ride on it!


----------



## geogregor

I did go for a spin. It is big, it is shiny it is fast. Overall very impressive piece of infrastructure. So, time for a few shots:

Startinng at Paddington where I change from one of the oldest trains in London, Bakerloo stock from early 70s:

P1190944 by Geogregor*, on Flickr

Link from Bakerloo Line:

P1190947 by Geogregor*, on Flickr

Impressive main entrance:

20220524_162353 by Geogregor*, on Flickr

Huge contrast with Bakerloo Line  

P1190953 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


20220524_162257 by Geogregor*, on Flickr

Long platforms:

P1190968 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


P1190969 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


P1190971 by Geogregor*, on Flickr

Tottenham Court Road:

P1190975 by Geogregor*, on Flickr

Many people take photos and selfies 

P1190978 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


----------



## geogregor

P1190983 by Geogregor*, on Flickr

Platforms are huge:

P1190992 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


20220524_163922 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


20220524_164312 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


P1200006 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


20220524_164809 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


P1200017 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


P1200029 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


P1200032 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


20220524_165527 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


P1200037 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


----------



## geogregor

P1200035 by Geogregor*, on Flickr

I like the flowing forms, no sharp corners:

P1200038 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


20220524_165655 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


20220524_170134 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


P1200042 by Geogregor*, on Flickr

Long corridor between platforms, linking Liverpool Street and Moorgate:

20220524_171035 by Geogregor*, on Flickr

Directions:

P1200073 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


20220524_171129 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


P1200058 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


20220524_171430 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


P1200066 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


P1200068 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


----------



## geogregor

P1200079 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


P1200085 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


P1200092 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


P1200094 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


P1200097 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


20220524_173935 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


20220524_174245 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


P1200101 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


----------



## 437.001

A video fished from youtube.








If these images are a first day, early morning take, then this line's going to get busy indeed.
For what I've been watching, the central London stations (Liverpool St, Farringdon, Tottenham Court Rd, and Paddington), will be really very busy.
I wonder how long will it take for it to reach "RER A-like levels", particularly at Farringdon.
I'm actually more worried about the Farringdon Thameslink platforms than about the CrossrLiz platforms, capacity-wise, because the Thameslink platforms are much older and maybe not as wide.

What I don't really get is why Geoff Marshall and other people say that the platforms are so long.
How much longer are they than the main line platforms at Paddington, Liverpool St, London Bridge or Waterloo?
I mean, there are commuter trains that are 12-car in south London, aren't they?

Anyway, congrats to London, Kent, Essex, Buckinghamshire, and Berkshire for this new line.


----------



## geogregor

Everyone is excited by the opening of Elizabeth Line and in the meantime, on the same day, quietly in the background, the first test train reached Barking Riverside:


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1529217957506830337



















__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1529197632547168258


----------



## Alargule

Any plans for a further extension to Meowing Riverside?


----------



## Stuu

437.001 said:


> I'm actually more worried about the Farringdon Thameslink platforms than about the CrossrLiz platforms, capacity-wise, because the Thameslink platforms are much older and maybe not as wide.


I think that is a very reasonable fear. The platforms at Farringdon are very narrow, and not straight or entirely flat. It could become a real issue in the fairly near future











437.001 said:


> What I don't really get is why Geoff Marshall and other people say that the platforms are so long.
> How much longer are they than the main line platforms at Paddington, Liverpool St, London Bridge or Waterloo?
> I mean, there are commuter trains that are 12-car in south London, aren't they?


No, it is strange, and wrong. They are obviously a lot longer than the normal underground platforms, but they are shorter than the underground platforms on Thameslink, and much shorter than the mainline ones at places like Paddington, by 50-100m.

London mostly uses 20m long cars for suburban trains, so a 12 car train on Thameslink or elsewhere is 240m long, EL uses 23m cars so a 9 car train is 205m long, or the equivalent of a 10 car train elsewhere in London. The Underground varies between 90-130m long trains, depending on the line


----------



## geogregor

More than a million passengers in less than a week:









Over a million trips on the Elizabeth line in its first week - ianVisits


The central section of the Elizabeth line that opened to the public last Tuesday has already clocked up over a million passenger journeys.Read more ›



www.ianvisits.co.uk







> The central section of the Elizabeth line that opened to the public last Tuesday has already clocked up over a million passenger journeys. And not all of them by train geeks and people coming to see this huge new thing that’s been built deep under London.


----------



## Stuu

geogregor said:


> More than a million passengers in less than a week:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Over a million trips on the Elizabeth line in its first week - ianVisits
> 
> 
> The central section of the Elizabeth line that opened to the public last Tuesday has already clocked up over a million passenger journeys.Read more ›
> 
> 
> 
> www.ianvisits.co.uk


Be interested to know what the numbers for the whole network are - ie has it brought in new passengers?


----------



## schmidt

It's unfortunate that Crossrail's usefulness is pretty much negligible for me, Crossrail 2 would be a lot more, but if it ever happens, I'll probably be retired. Wondering whether it's taken some stress out of the Central and Jubilee lines already.


----------



## kerouac1848

437.001 said:


> 🔼 🔼 🔼
> Notice how a Thameslink northbound train pulls in as another just leaves for St Albans.
> Just like the Elizabeth Line (or the RER in Paris), so it's two VERY busy lines that intersect here.
> 
> The (lack of) width of the Thameslink platforms when compared to Elizabeth Line or even the Tube is trouble in the making, methinks. 😶
> 
> Is the old part of Farringdon station listed?


I'm actually changing between the two at Farringdon currently and I don't think it's a huge deal. The narrow part s just the NE end, so let's say the front 4-5 carriages on a northbound train. The SW part is not narrow and is actually wide:











Trains are walk through so no need to evenly spread passengers across both platforms.


----------



## Stuu

kerouac1848 said:


> I'm actually changing between the two at Farringdon currently and I don't think it's a huge deal. The narrow part s just the NE end, so let's say the front 4-5 carriages on a northbound train. The SW part is not narrow and is actually wide:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Trains are walk through so no need to evenly spread passengers across both platforms.


Trains stop at the north end heading north, so an 8 car train (one third of the service) will almost entirely be on the old section. And the stopping points can't be moved because the level boarding section has to be in the same place at every station. It was horrible when it was busy pre-pandemic at times


----------



## 437.001

Three posts picked from the UK forum:



NCT said:


> In the medium term it would make sense for the Northern City line services to be transferred to TfL as Overground, with a 6tph peak and 4tph off-peak service on each branch, earning them a permanent place on the Tube map.





Stuu said:


> Definitely, especially as Moorgate becomes a more useful interchange from tomorrow





cle said:


> The point about Moorgate (Crossrail but also as a connected complex to Liverpool Street) getting a shot in the arm as a terminus is an interesting one.
> 
> It was always a bit sad off-peak and on weekends. The NC platforms certainly are. But it is now hugely more useful, and frequencies and services should reflect that.





cle said:


> The two local branches shouldn't have Kings Cross services any more (Finsbury Park and Highbury cover this well enough - and maybe more paths open up for TL) - and Moorgate should be at 8-16tph all week - feeding people in both directions!


So... if I get you, then you do mean that the Farringdon northbound platform will get a kind of relief via the Northern City Line thanks to the new interchange between the Northern City Line and the Elizabeth Line at Moorgate?
How many paths could that free between King's Cross and Finsbury Park?

By the way, could the Northern City Line be reelectrified at 25kV, or its loading gauge is too small for overhead electrification?


----------



## Stuu

437.001 said:


> So... if I get you, then you do mean that the Farringdon northbound platform will get a kind of relief via the Northern City Line thanks to the new interchange between the Northern City Line and the Elizabeth Line at Moorgate?


Not really - the service into Moorgate is basically a metro, it runs (or did pre-covid) 4-6 trains per hour to each branch. The interchange with the EL makes it a more attractive option, which may be chosen instead of using the Underground. There is a 2tph service in the peaks to Thameslink, which could be used for something else instead but that will make no noticeable difference to Thameslink at Farringdon.


437.001 said:


> How many paths could that free between King's Cross and Finsbury Park?


Just the 2tph mentioned above


437.001 said:


> By the way, could the Northern City Line be reelectrified at 25kV, or its loading gauge is too small for overhead electrification?


Definitely not, the clearances are tiny. There was a myth that it was too small for standard trains, before the recent new ones arrived.


----------



## 437.001

Stuu said:


> *Definitely not, the clearances are tiny*. There was a myth that it was too small for standard trains, before the recent new ones arrived.


 😶
It's not the Deep Level Tube lines, either...
I think I wouldn't say it's much worse than Blackfriars, but maybe that's just me...
And that must be the part between Highbury & Islington and Moorgate, because the entrance to the tunnel at Drayton Park has more than enough clearance (it's a single tube -what I don't know is for how long is it a single tube tunnel)...

This is Essex Road (which essentially is the same as Highbury & Islington, Old Street and Moorgate).












And this is Drayton Park:












But this is Blackfriars:


----------



## Stuu

437.001 said:


> 😶
> It's not the Deep Level Tube lines, either...
> I think I wouldn't say it's much worse than Blackfriars, but maybe that's just me...
> And that must be the part between Highbury & Islington and Moorgate, because the entrance to the tunnel at Drayton Park has more than enough clearance (it's a single tube -what I don't know is for how long is it a single tube tunnel)...
> 
> This is Essex Road (which essentially is the same as Highbury & Islington, Old Street and Moorgate).


If you go to 2:45 in the video I posted, you can see that there is maybe 30cm clearance, it's very tight, very similar to the deep level tubes. It's almost all single track tubes with a diameter of 4.9m, apart from the entrance at Drayton Park


----------



## 437.001

Stuu said:


> If you go to 2:45 in the video I posted, you can see that there is maybe 30cm clearance, it's very tight, very similar to the deep level tubes. It's almost all single track tubes with a diameter of 4.9m, apart from the entrance at Drayton Park
























🔼 🔼 🔼
Are the new trains lower?
It's clear that the class 315 (or their dual-voltage lookalikes whose numbering I don't know) don't have room.
But the newer Thameslink-looking trains look like they're a bit shorter, so it looks like the gap is wider...  ...or is that tunnel irregular in height?
I was actually thinking about rigid catenary (overhead third rail, in other words), but this has to be a one-size-fits-all thing, of course...


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## Stuu

437.001 said:


> View attachment 3294375
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 3294380
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 🔼 🔼 🔼
> Are the new trains lower?
> It's clear that the class 315 (or their dual-voltage lookalikes whose numbering I don't know) don't have room.
> But the newer Thameslink-looking trains look like they're a bit shorter, so it looks like the gap is wider...  ...or is that tunnel irregular in height?
> I was actually thinking about rigid catenary (overhead third rail, in other words), but this has to be a one-size-fits-all thing, of course...


313s... I would expect the new ones to be exactly the same height, or certainly not enough to make any difference. I have done a quick search but can't find the actual dimensions online

Also the width of the pantograph might be an issue as well as the vertical clearance, as the tunnels are lined with iron rings.


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## hkskyline

*London’s new Elizabeth Line is open – and it’s being run by Hong Kong’s MTR *
May 28, 2022
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_ 

Hong Kong rail giant MTR Corporation is operating London’s newest train line, which finally opened this week four years behind schedule.

The Elizabeth Line, named after Queen Elizabeth, is a mixed overground and underground railway that’s meant to slash journey times across London from Shenfield in the east to Reading in the west. Its estimated final cost could be about £19 billion (US$24 billion).

MTR Elizabeth line is a wholly owned subsidiary of MTR Corporation, which will run the line and manage 28 of its stations. It’s something passengers might not know, as the operator was barely mentioned in UK press reports around Tuesday’s opening

More : London’s new Elizabeth Line is open – and it’s being run by Hong Kong’s MTR


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## stockholm79

Sadly run by the MTR who helped Chinese dictatorship repress Hong Kong protests.


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## Stuu

[


hkskyline said:


> *London’s new Elizabeth Line is open – and it’s being run by Hong Kong’s MTR *
> May 28, 2022
> South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
> 
> Hong Kong rail giant MTR Corporation is operating London’s newest train line, which finally opened this week four years behind schedule.
> 
> The Elizabeth Line, named after Queen Elizabeth, is a mixed overground and underground railway that’s meant to slash journey times across London from Shenfield in the east to Reading in the west. Its estimated final cost could be about £19 billion (US$24 billion).
> 
> MTR Elizabeth line is a wholly owned subsidiary of MTR Corporation, which will run the line and manage 28 of its stations. It’s something passengers might not know, as the operator was barely mentioned in UK press reports around Tuesday’s opening
> 
> More : London’s new Elizabeth Line is open – and it’s being run by Hong Kong’s MTR


The service has been run by MTR since 2015. There was a bit of publicity about it then, but MTR had run trains in London since 2007 so it's not really news


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## nidave

hkskyline said:


> Elizabeth Line | Liverpool Street Station by James Beard, on Flickr


I love the transition between warm white abd cool white. It seems mostly passageways are cool white and warm white on platforms.


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## Miguel UltraNB05

Stuu said:


> Not really - the service into Moorgate is basically a metro, it runs (or did pre-covid) 4-6 trains per hour to each branch. The interchange with the EL makes it a more attractive option, which may be chosen instead of using the Underground. There is a 2tph service in the peaks to Thameslink, which could be used for something else instead but that will make no noticeable difference to Thameslink at Farringdon.
> 
> Just the 2tph mentioned above
> 
> Definitely not, the clearances are tiny. There was a myth that it was too small for standard trains, before the recent new ones arrived.


I loved this 717, It remind me of 707


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## 437.001

*Elizabeth Line*
Paddington


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## 437.001

*Elizabeth Line*
Tottenham Court Road


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## 437.001

*Elizabeth Line*
Farringdon (& Barbican)


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## 437.001

*Elizabeth Line*
Liverpool Street (& Moorgate)


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## 437.001

A question.



NCT said:


> There's no prospect of Thameslink coming under TfL control. This would be mean places like Hitchin, Luton and Brighton having their main services controlled by a mayor they don't elect. Yes, I know Metropolitan and Crossrail do the same, but these are very much anomalies that nobody is in a hurry to replicate. TfL has been known to favour London at the expense of elsewhere - just look at Amershams and Cheshams becoming all shacks in the off-peak so TfL could maintain turn-up-and-go frequencies inside of Moor Park on the cheap. *Thameslink operates on MML and ECML fast lines and the DfT needs to maintain control to makes sure Thameslink works with EMR and LNER*.


Crossrail operates on the GWML and the GEML.

The GEML... alright, it serves just three counties.
Basically the cities of Chelmsford, Colchester, Ipswich, Norwich, that's all.

But the GWML serves much of Southwestern England, plus some of the West Midlands, plus all of South Wales. 
Including Bristol, Cardiff, Swansea, Exeter, Plymouth, Oxford, among many others.

How is that different to Thameslink?


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## Stuu

437.001 said:


> A question.
> 
> 
> 
> Crossrail operates on the GWML and the GEML.
> 
> The GEML... alright, it serves just three counties.
> Basically the cities of Chelmsford, Colchester, Ipswich, Norwich, that's all.
> 
> But the GWML serves much of Southwestern England, plus some of the West Midlands, plus all of South Wales.
> Including Bristol, Cardiff, Swansea, Exeter, Plymouth, Oxford, among many others.
> 
> How is that different to Thameslink?


Crossrail only runs on the slow lines, and has exclusive use of them on the GEML and is the main user on the GWML side, so it doesn't interact at all with longer distance services.

Thameslink runs far too far outside London to be under the control of TfL, as NCT points out they would naturally favour intra-London passengers, when most passengers who use it come from outside London


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## 437.001

Stuu said:


> Crossrail only runs on the slow lines, and has exclusive use of them on the GEML and is the main user on the GWML side, so it doesn't interact at all with longer distance services.
> 
> Thameslink runs far too far outside London to be under the control of TfL, as NCT points out they would naturally favour intra-London passengers, when most passengers who use it come from outside London


You're right.
And I completely forgot about that viaduct on the ECML (Welwyn?).


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## geogregor

Bond Street station still waiting for opening:


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1550797472615862273
It will have the longest escalators on the Elizabeth Line (60 m):










I love those signs, "station closed":


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## Stuu

Didn't realise it was so deep, the escalators are only just shorter than the ones at Angel which are the longest on the system


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## geogregor




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## geogregor




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## geogregor

Tour of the last station yet to open:


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## geogregor

Through running on Elizabeth Line will start on November 6th as will Sunday service. 

Bond Street station will also open then:


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1561986795772022784





Elizabeth line set to further transform travel with direct links to central London


New direct links through Berkshire and Essex through central London Increased operating hours and Sunday services will see the Elizabeth line run seven days a week More frequent train services between Whitechapel and Paddington Bond Street station, at the heart of London’s West End, to...




www.crossrail.co.uk







> From Sunday 6 November, the lines from Reading, Heathrow, and Shenfield will connect with the central tunnels of the Elizabeth line - opening up new direct journeys across the capital. This means that customers travelling from Reading and Heathrow will be able to travel east all the way to Abbey Wood without changing at Paddington. Customers travelling from Shenfield will be able to travel west all the way to Paddington without changing at Liverpool Street. Journeys to onward destinations, including to Heathrow Airport or towards Reading, can be made by changing trains on the same platform at any of the central London stations.
> 
> The integration of Elizabeth line services will bring a huge range of extra benefits, including reduced journey times, additional capacity, greater accessibility, and better connectivity to jobs, opportunities, and leisure for communities across London and the South East. People landing at Heathrow Airport will now be able to travel straight through central London to areas such as Farringdon and Canary Wharf in as little as 36 and 45 minutes respectively on the weekend and 40 and 51 minutes respectively during the week.
> 
> Customers will be able to use the Elizabeth line seven days a week as Sunday services through central London will also get underway for the first time from Sunday 6 November. The frequency of services in the central section between Paddington and Whitechapel will increase from 12 trains per hour to up to 22 trains per hour in peak times and 16 trains per hour during off-peak. The final timetable, which will see 24 trains per hour during the peak between Paddington and Whitechapel, is on track to be in place by May 2023.




__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1561976168005378048


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## geogregor

Bond Street station eastern ticket hall looks externally finished:

P1280469 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


P1280472 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


P1280473 by Geogregor*, on Flickr

Builders' mess inside 

P1280474 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


P1280482 by Geogregor*, on Flickr

On top of the western ticket hall developers are constructing office building. One can see massive ventilation shafts of Elizabeth Line:

P1280453 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


20220823_155221 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


20220823_155348 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


P1280458 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


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## geogregor

There will be some pains associated with the temporary timetable, at least until May 2023:









Elizabeth line trains to wait on tracks between stations for 7 minutes


Announcements will be played to keep passengers informed while the train is stationary on the tracks near Paddington




www.mylondon.news







> Joining up the three separate sections of the Elizabeth line, which will now happen on November 6, requires a lot of joined up thinking. Currently, Elizabeth line trains between Paddington and Abbey Wood are entirely self-contained so running a standardised timetable is relatively straightforward because there are no other trains to negotiate. However, the new 'through' services which will run in two overlapping sections (Reading/Heathrow-Abbey Wood and Paddington-Shenfield) will have to share tracks with other trains which means timetable planners have to make compromises.
> 
> *One of the most unusual compromises which has been made is a decision to bring trains to a standstill for between one and seven minutes on tracks between stations so they can 'wait their turn'. In order to get around slow freight trains on the West London section of the route and slot into the intense 16 to 22 trains per hour in the central section in the right order, trains will wait on the tracks at Westbourne Park on the line between Acton Main Line and Paddington*. There are no platforms here so passengers cannot leave the trains, and in some cases the following GWR train from Ealing Broadway ends up overtaking the Elizabeth line train on its way to Paddington.
> 
> *Off-peak trains from Reading to Abbey Wood eastbound will have the longest waits of seven minutes. Currently, these trains are timetabled nine minutes to make the journey from Ealing Broadway to Paddington, but from November this will almost double to 17 minutes for trains where there is a seven minute wait en route*. In some circumstances, two trains in both directions will be held at Westbourne Park at the same time, blocking the line, meaning if a delayed train is stuck behind one of them, a creative solution will be needed to help it get back on schedule.
> 
> TfL has advised that: "This is factored into timetables and will be announced to customers." Elizabeth line trains do have air conditioning but no toilets. There will also be nine Paddington to Shenfield eastbound journeys in the evenings which will wait at Pudding Mill Lane for up to four minutes, again on the tracks between stations.
> 
> These waits will only happen on weekdays in the new timetable which will run between November this year and May next year. On weekends, there are far fewer freight trains which need to be manoeuvred around and there are no extra peak hour passenger trains either which mean train paths (the space given to each individual train over its journey) can be relaxed. Services can be sped up and 'standardised' easier, *which will mean it will be bizarrely six minutes quicker from Heathrow to Canary Wharf on Saturdays and Sundays than on Mondays to Fridays - 45 minutes instead of 51.
> 
> The good news is that the waits should be resolved in future timetable changes, although it is not yet clear if that will be as soon as the timetable which follows this interim one, in May 2023*. From that point, a full 24 trains per hour service (one train every 150 seconds) is expected in the central section at peak hours and trains will run end-to-end across the line to/from all destinations.


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## geogregor




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## geogregor

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1575047002429476864


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## geogregor

It looks like they chose Polish driver for this video:


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1582703178700980224


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## Flo Flo

OOOPS said:


> I'm drawing a map of London Underground, and I'm using letters as route designation, and simply took the first letter of each line except for Circle and Central lines, where I used two letters.
> 
> Unfinished work:
> View attachment 3124008


Covent Garden. No Convert


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## geogregor

Bond Street station on Elizabeth Line has opened today.

By now familiar design dominates, especially on the platform level:

P1350099 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


P1350095 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


P1350090 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


P1350035 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


P1350102 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


P1350104 by Geogregor*, on Flickr

To the eastern ticket hall (at Hanover Square) lead the longest escalators on the Elizabeth Line. They are the second longest of all London stations, only after Angel station:

P1350121 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


P1350122 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


P1350123 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


P1350126 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


P1350130 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


P1350135 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


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## geogregor

Now heading towards the western ticket hall:

P1350041 by Geogregor*, on Flickr

Short escalators:

P1350043 by Geogregor*, on Flickr

Looking back:

P1350053 by Geogregor*, on Flickr

This is tunnel linking middle level of the Elizabeth Line station with the tube station (Central and Jubilee lines)

P1350055 by Geogregor*, on Flickr

Heading back:

P1350059 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


P1350062 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


P1350063 by Geogregor*, on Flickr

Escalators to the street level:

P1350046 by Geogregor*, on Flickr

This is the mid level hall, straight down to the Elizabeth Line platforms, to the left tunnel linking with the tube station:

P1350068 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


P1350073 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


P1350075 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


P1350081 by Geogregor*, on Flickr

Street level:

P1350070 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


P1350204 by Geogregor*, on Flickr

They are still building an office block on top of the station:

20221024_165331 by Geogregor*, on Flickr


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## _Night City Dream_

How long are now in kms Crossrail, Thameslink and Overground and how many stations does each system have?

Is the rolling stock the same?


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## stockholm79

Bond, Bond Street


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## geogregor

Great shot:

https://twitter.com/every_station


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## geogregor

Nobody mentioned yet? Branches of the Elizabeth Line were finally joined today:









Elizabeth line links up the core tunnels to Heathrow and beyond - ianVisits


Just after 7am this morning, the first trains on the Elizabeth line were able to run from the edges of the line directly through the central core tunnels.



www.ianvisits.co.uk













Elizabeth line's three railway sections join up - BBC News


The expansion means people can go from Heathrow to central London without changing at Paddington.




www.bbc.co.uk







> *Three sections of the Elizabeth line have been connected enabling passengers to travel across the capital without having to change stations.*
> 
> Previously anyone going from Heathrow, Reading, Abbey Wood and Shenfield had to change at Paddington or Liverpool Street to remain on the Elizabeth Line.
> 
> Transport for London (TfL) has also said the line's seven-day services had begun through central London.





> The newest launch means passengers landing at Heathrow airport will be able to reach destinations such as Farringdon in roughly 40 minutes or Canary Wharf in about 50 minutes.
> 
> Passengers from Reading and Heathrow can travel directly to Abbey Wood, south east London without needing to change at Paddington station, while those setting off from Shenfield, Essex can travel directly to Paddington without needing to change at Liverpool Street station.
> 
> Those making journeys to Reading and Heathrow will also be able to do so now, by changing lines from the same platform at any central London Elizabeth line station.


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## 437.001

🔼 🔼 🔼
Stratford to Ealing Broadway, changing at Paddington:





Video by *Nicholas Sunshine*



Maidenhead to Maryland, changing at Bond Street:





Video by *SimOnTrains*


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## 437.001

🔼 🔼 🔼
Heathrow T5 to Abbey Wood in one go:





Video by *Midland London*


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## Hourdel

So is the line complete now ?


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## Stuu

Hourdel said:


> So is the line complete now ?


Physically yes, but the service frequency is going to be improved and journey times reduced next May when the timetable is reworked - at the moment the pattern isn't well synchronised between the central section and the western section so trains have to wait to enter the tunnel. This is because Network Rail weren't confident enough about it being finished to include the changes in the December timetable change


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## geogregor

TfL planning a new London Overground station in Barking - ianVisits


Plans to build an additional station at Castle Green on the newly opened Barking Riverside extension of the London Overground are being worked on by Transport for London (TfL) and Barking and Dagenham Council.



www.ianvisits.co.uk
















> The new station, provisionally called Castle Green, would sit on Renwick Road, just before the London Overground extension rises up onto the viaduct. During the construction of the extension, the two railway tracks were split and widened to allow space for an island platform station to be built between them in the future.














> The proposed station would then have the main entrance on Renwick Road, and an option, subject to additional funding, for a second entrance at the far end of the platform offering easier access to the existing residential area.
> 
> In a presentation by the council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee, they said that they are “working with TfL to make case for new station at Castle Green”


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## Stuu

Castle Green is of course far more homebuyer-friendly than Renwick Road, it makes you imagine something quite different to what you will find there!


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