Crossrail/Elizabeth Line. From construction to operation - ongoing discussion

[whole diary]

[Bmblbzzz]

Network Rail and Crossrail have announced the completion of the third and last connection of the tunnel to the railway network at Pudding Mill Lane:

A pudding mill sounds like an invention of Monty Python!

[Western Pathfinder]

Network Rail and Crossrail have announced the completion of the third and last connection of the tunnel to the railway network at Pudding Mill Lane:

A pudding mill sounds like an invention of Monty Python!

Pudding Mill Lane just down the road from the Jam buttie mines ?.

[stuving]

Network Rail and Crossrail have announced the completion of the third and last connection of the tunnel to the railway network at Pudding Mill Lane:

A pudding mill sounds like an invention of Monty Python!

Pudding Mill Lane just down the road from the Jam buttie mines ?.

In fact it's close to the 2012 Olympic stadium of course, though whether that could be called a pudding mill (i.e. a machine for breaking down puddings for disposal) is moot.

Right at the end of that stadium site, under the warm-up track, and squeezed in between the City Mill River (a canal) and the Northern Outfall Sewer, there used to be a soap factory. The Norther Outfall is at that point well above ground (and river) level, in what I can only call as cloacaduct. My Mum's uncle Ern worked there most of his life: it was called T H Harris though (perhaps topically) it was owned by Unilever from 1929. It was previously owned by the African & Eastern Trade Corporation, as an outlet for its palm oil from Nigeria ... which is why Unilever bought AETC (by then part of the United Africa Company Ltd.)

[Adelante_CCT]

Some info has been released about crossrail pricing including the Heathrow spur.

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/transport/elizabeth-line-fares-to-match-tube-prices-but-heathrow-passengers-set-to-pay-premium-a3791496.html?amp

[ChrisB]

The TfL^» (Transport for London - about) Press Release is here

TfL confirms that Elizabeth line pay as you go fares in central London will be the same as the equivalent Tube fare - saving money for millions of Londoners

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, and TfL have today announced that Elizabeth line pay as you go fares within Zones 1-6 will be the same as the fares on existing TfL services, ensuring affordable travel for millions of Londoners when the railway opens through central London in December this year.

All customer service and travel information on the line will be fully integrated with TfL's other services, with daily fare capping for Oyster^▸ (Smartcard system used by passengers on Transport for London services) and contactless applying.

Today's announcement means that journeys on the brand-new railway from east London stations such as Whitechapel or Canary Wharf through central London to stations in the west such as Paddington, Southall or Ealing Broadway will cost the same as an equivalent Tube journey.

As a result, passengers on the Elizabeth line will reap the benefits of the Mayor's TfL fares freeze, currently benefitting 4 million transport journeys across London every day.

Brand-new railway

Customers will also see savings well in advance of the Elizabeth line opening in December. From Sunday 20 May, the current Heathrow Connect service between Heathrow Terminals 2/3, Heathrow Terminal 4 and Paddington will be transferred to TfL.

While TfL zones do not apply to these Heathrow fares, for the first time, customers will be able to use pay as you go with Oyster and contactless across the route all the way from Paddington to Heathrow. Fares will also be cheaper or in line with the current standard fares charged for Heathrow Connect.

Standard zonal fares will continue to apply for journeys between Paddington and Hayes & Harlington, with special single fares applying for journeys to and from Heathrow Airport.

Example fares include:
•A journey from Heathrow Airport to Ealing Broadway currently costs £8.00 using Heathrow Connect. From May, this will fall to £7.30 (peak) and £6.00 (off-peak)
•A journey from Canary Wharf to Heathrow Airport currently costs £13.20 using the Tube and Heathrow Connect. From May, this will fall to £12.10 (peak) and £10.10 (off-peak)
•A journey from Shepherds Bush to Heathrow Airport via Ealing Broadway currently costs £12.50 using the Central line and Heathrow Connect. From May, this will fall to £7.30 (peak) and £6.00 (off-peak)

As part of the integrated service, daily fare capping for Oyster and contactless and weekly fare capping for contactless will apply, with travelcards that cover Zone 6 able to be used on services to Heathrow.

For daily and weekly capping, Heathrow will be designated as 'Zone 6', meaning that 'pay as you go' customers travelling to and from the Airport from within Zones 1-6 will never pay more than the daily cap of £12.50.

Significantly reduce the cost

All concessions which offer free or discounted travel, including the Zip Card, 60+ photocards and Veterans Concessionary Travel, will be valid on the Elizabeth line.

This will significantly reduce the cost for families travelling to Heathrow via Paddington, and mean that, from May 2018, a family of four (two adults and two children under 11) will save more than £10 travelling from Paddington to Heathrow.

Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: 'The opening of the Elizabeth Line this year will transform travel across London, with new state-of-the-art trains transporting millions of people more quickly around the capital.

'I'm delighted to announce today that the cost of travelling on the Elizabeth Line in Zones 1-6 will be the same price as a similar journey on the tube - fulfilling a key manifesto pledge to deliver truly world-class transport infrastructure which is also accessible and affordable for all Londoners.

'For Londoners going to Heathrow, many of the benefits will be felt in a matter of months, with Oyster, Contactless, and cheaper fares coming in when TfL takes over the service from Heathrow Connect in May.'

Mike Brown MVO, London's Transport Commissioner, said: 'From May customers travelling to Heathrow Airport from Paddington will be able to enjoy the convenience of using Oyster or contactless as they do across the rest of the TfL network, guaranteeing the cheapest fare.

'Customers will also see staff at our stations at all times when trains are running to offer them assistance, and will benefit from our 'turn-up-and-go' service for anyone needing assistance. All travel information will also be fully integrated with our other transport services.

'When Elizabeth line services through central London open in December, they will transform travel across London.

'The railway will provide many new direct journey options between Canary Wharf, central London and Heathrow Airport, and will cut journey times dramatically and ensure London remains a world-leading city.'

Steve Chambers, Public Transport Campaigner, Campaign for Better Transport said: 'This is good news for Londoners, integrating the Elizabeth line with the familiar Oyster card and contactless bank card ticketing system.

'Lower fares, particularly at off-peak times, encourage people to travel where there is capacity and can benefit part time workers.'

Affordable

Jasmine Whitbread, Chief Executive of Business Group, London First, said: 'The brand new Elizabeth Line will dramatically improve journeys across our capital and to London's global hub at Heathrow, and ensuring fares are affordable is great news for Londoners and visitors alike.

'London's businesses have worked hard to support, and help pay for, the Elizabeth line and we're counting the days until it opens its doors.'

Jace Tyrrell, CEO^▸ (Chief Executive Officer) of New West End Company, said 'Integrating the Elizabeth line in to London's existing transport network is crucial to its success and will ensure that benefits from this once-in-a-generation opportunity are properly realised.

'New West End Company welcomes TfL's decision to launch the service with lower fares and a single ticketing system, enabling the West End to remain competitive and attractive with both visitors and employees.'

Kay Buxton, Executive Director of The Paddington Partnership, said: 'Paddington is synonymous with transport innovation and connectivity boasting an illustrious heritage from the origins of Great Western Railway and the home of Heathrow Express to the forthcoming introduction of the Elizabeth line.

'The Mayor of London's decision to extend the TfL fare freeze to the Elizabeth line demonstrates London's position as a global leader in infrastructure and development.

'The Paddington Partnership has and continues to prepare for the influx of visitors, workers and interest to the local area by becoming the capital's fastest growing and most dynamic location.

'In the past 10 years, over 3.3 million sq ft of contemporary and conscientious retail, leisure, office and residential developments have launched or are in the pipeline to support the area's connectivity today and in the future.'

John Holland-Kaye, Heathrow's Chief Executive said: 'The opening of the Elizabeth line will help make travel to the airport more accessible and sustainable for millions of passengers and colleagues.

'This service, along with new rail connections to the south and west and HS2^▸ (The next High Speed line(s)) through Old Oak Common, will put Heathrow at the heart of an integrated transport network, reduce traffic around the airport, and improve local air quality.'

Redefine transport

Opening through central London in December 2018, the Elizabeth line will redefine transport in London with quicker, easier and more accessible journeys.

The new railway, jointly sponsored by the Department for Transport and TfL, will connect stations such as Paddington to Canary Wharf in only 17 minutes, transforming how Londoners and visitors move across the Capital.

From May, TfL Rail services will operate two trains an hour between Paddington and Heathrow using the existing Heathrow Connect trains, an identical frequency to now.

A further two trains an hour will run between Paddington and Hayes & Harlington using the new Elizabeth line trains, replacing part of the Great Western inner suburban route. Testing is underway to allow TfL to introduce the new Elizabeth line trains to the airport.

[stuving]

There was a lot in the more specialised media this week about a "revised delivery schedule" announced by Crossrail ltd. I think this all just traces back to the Comissioner's report for next week's TfL^» (Transport for London - about) board meeting. Mind you, revising the delivery schedule with your suppliers (assuming that's what he means) sounds to me like what any big prime contractor does every other month. It just doesn't look important until the final year. Anyway, here's the relevant section:

Construction progress
On 8 March, Crossrail Ltd announced that Chief Executive Andrew Wolstenholme OBE is stepping down after seven years at the helm to take up a new role in the private sector. Programme Director Simon Wright OBE will lead the organisation in a combined role as Chief Executive & Programme Director, as it completes its remaining work.

Over the coming year, the Crossrail team will complete works in the central section of the railway and hand over functions to us, as the new infrastructure owner.

Overall, the project is now more than 90 per cent complete. Crossrail Ltd is continuing to actively manage the increased cost and schedule pressures and has developed a revised delivery schedule that sets out the programme to achieve opening of the Elizabeth line in December 2018 and completion of the full service in December 2019. This prioritises delivery of systems (including communications, ventilation and platform screen doors) that are critical to the operational railway. It also incorporates later than planned dates from Bombardier – which is delivering the project’s rolling stock and depot. Along with Crossrail Ltd, we are actively monitoring and escalating concerns at the highest level with the companies involved in delivering this vital project for London and the wider region.

Crossrail achieved energisation in the eastern part of the tunnels on 1 February 2018 and dynamic testing using the new rolling stock began on 25 February 2018. Intensive work continues to complete the fit-out of the new stations in the central section before testing and handover to TfL. Farringdon and Tottenham Court Road are nearing physical completion; others, including Bond Street and Liverpool Street, have more work left to complete.

Network Rail’s surface works
The upgrade of the existing rail network for the Elizabeth line, being undertaken by Network Rail, continues. Following the successful Christmas works, Driver CCTV^▸ (Closed Circuit Tele Vision) installation testing is under way on the inner west route in advance of Stage 2 services in May 2018 between Paddington and Heathrow, and detailed design work has now been completed for the station upgrade programme due to be completed by December 2019.
.

[4064ReadingAbbey]

Some info has been released about crossrail pricing including the Heathrow spur.

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/transport/elizabeth-line-fares-to-match-tube-prices-but-heathrow-passengers-set-to-pay-premium-a3791496.html?amp

According to this story...

Transport for London hopes it will boost revenues by more than £200 million a year but admits some Tube passengers will switch to the new line, which will eventually link Reading with Sheffield...

...and that on a train with no trolley service or toilets...

[Boppy]

Just passed two class 345s on train into London just now.

Both were on the relief line heading into London. First I saw was moving under its own power near Hayes and Harrington. Second was further up the line but was being loco hauled.

[lordgoata]

I caught the tail end of one going across the bridge at Maidenhead station  about 17:30-ish, looked like it was on the main then, but was hard to see from road level!

[stuving]

Bombardier have announced that five more Class 345 Aventra trains have been ordered by TfL^» (Transport for London - about) (picked up in some the rail press too).

Bombardier to Provide Five Additional AVENTRA Trains for Elizabeth Line
March 27, 2018 Berlin Transportation,  Press Release

• Transport for London (TfL) exercises option for an extra 5 trains   
• New order allows capacity boost in central section plus services to Reading and expansion of train services agreement

Rail technology leader Bombardier Transportation has received an order from Transport for London (TfL) for five additional BOMBARDIER AVENTRA trains for services on London’s Elizabeth line increasing the total order to 70 trains. The agreement also includes an expansion to the existing Train Services Agreement to cover the new trains. In total the additional contract is valued at approximately £73 million ($104 million US, 84 million euro).
....

Now hold on, I hear you all cry, but how does that fit with the four extra trains that took the order to 70 trains, (pre-)announced last July? (e.g. here) That was needed for the extra services for Reading and Heathrow, if you remember.

When Crossrail announced the original order, it was for 65. So how did it mysteriously grow to 66 and then shrink from 65 again, and if so why? My guess is that the 66 trains built included one that was never actually paid for as a deliverable; most likely the first, used for testing and proving trials. Subsequent comments - maybe within Crossrail and TfL, as well as in the press - missed that distinction, but TfL's legal/commercial staff reading the contract, as well as Bombardiers', knew better. Or maybe someone has a better explanation?

[SandTEngineer]

...mmm.  Is that photograph showing the inside of the new Old Oak Common depot.....?

[stuving]

...mmm.  Is that photograph showing the inside of the new Old Oak Common depot.....?

Yes ... presumably. The Bombardier site and the image data don't say, but that nearest train is 345029, and I found this from Rail Magazine:

...
While Transport for London (TfL^» (Transport for London - about)) publicly states that the deal is for 66 trains, Bombardier has only received an order so far for 65, although it is expected that will increase to at least 66 and probably 70. Last year, TfL extended the deal by another four trains.

Tanner said that the first two full-length nine-car electric multiple units had been delivered, with 345020 being used for testing between London Paddington and Maidenhead (RAIL 847), and 345021 being used to test Communications Based Train Control (CBTC^▸ (Communications-based train control)) on the central section.

From March 1, two full-length ‘345s’ are due to be based at Old Oak Common (345020 and 345029), with more to follow.
...

That also says that the miscounting was TfL's fault.

[TonyK]

That also says that the miscounting was TfL^» (Transport for London - about)'s fault.

To save sending someone to Old Oak Common especially, is there anyone nearby who could count the trains for us?"
"Let me see... Diane Abbott is passing later today..."

[paul7575]

Back in 2014 TfL^» (Transport for London - about) were saying that the original extension to Reading was going to need one extra train.  Maybe they never bothered ordering it at the time, on the assumption that they’d probably be needing more for extra Heathrow and any extra Reading trains anyway.  But they couldn’t announce that possibility because it was still too early.

Paul

[SandTEngineer]

Oh dear.  As widely predicted by those with experience of these things.....http://www.cityam.com/284143/rollout-new-elizabeth-line-trains-stalls-heathrow-branch

Rollout of new Elizabeth Line trains stalls on Heathrow branch due to train signalling troubles

The rollout of new Elizabeth Line trains on the Heathrow branch of the Crossrail route has been delayed because testing them with the new signalling system has been complex, and taken longer than expected.

Transport for London (TfL^» (Transport for London - about)) had hoped to roll out Elizabeth Line trains on the branch down to Heathrow from May, but that is now expected to be months later than planned.

In January, TfL had said contingency plans were being drawn up to deal with issues posed by the complexity of train signalling and software. And it has since been confirmed that those will go ahead, after the immaturity and instability of train software proved a problem.

In late May, TfL Rail services between Heathrow and Paddington commence, taking over the current Heathrow Connect service.

Passengers will get the same service they currently get, with TfL aiming to deliver improved service, but it now won’t be until near the end of this year when four new Elizabeth Line trains an hour will run the route.

This is then expected to lift to six trains in 2019.

TfL’s supplier Bombardier is fitting trains with signalling equipment required for operating on the Heathrow branch, and TfL had said the contingency plans would come into play if Bombardier was unable to complete testing in time for May.

TfL will now operate the existing trains to provide the two train an hour service to Heathrow, as exists at present, supplemented by a two-train per hour service between Paddington and Hayes and Harlington. The latter will use new Elizabeth Line trains.

When the service is fully operational in December 2019, Elizabeth line trains will provide a direct link between the airport and central London destinations including Bond Street, Liverpool Street and Canary Wharf.