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

[whole diary]

[paul7575]

You can ask for a ticket to Tottenham Court Rd now, and if the seller has any idea at all he'll issue it to London Zone U1.  That is highly unlikely to change as a result of Crossrail, which will be a TfL^» (Transport for London - about) service and likely to be under a similar pricing regime.

Paul

[Electric train]

Saw for the first time this afternoon a "muck away" train in the new sidings at Westbourne Park

[eightf48544]

66720? in sidings at 12:40 today,

[IndustryInsider]

A working group has been set up by the business membership organisation London First to look at the Crossrail 2 scheme, which has been proposed to run from the Chelsea to Hackney areas:

http://www.london-first.co.uk/news/detail.asp?record=227

Two railway heavyweights are part of the group, the chairman is a chap called Andrew Adonis, who you may have heard of!  First's CEO^▸ (Chief Executive Officer) Tim O'Toole involved as well.

This working group has now delivered its interim report into Crossrail 2:

http://www.londonfirst.co.uk/documents/120515_Crossrail_2_-_Supporting_London%27s_growth_report.pdf

[Btline]

Once again, a "report" that has taken months and probably costed the taxpayer millions has come up with nothing new.

Everything in that report was in the last one I read. Most of it could be derived from basic common sense.

And they don't even make a decision! They say it needs "consultation" when it is blindingly obvious that the SWML^▸ (South Western Mail Line) to West Anglia route is the best option and that the Tube line would be a wasted opportunity.

[IndustryInsider]

The first TBM has reached Paddington and the second has now set off from Royal Oak.  The excavation conveyor belt system can now be fully installed and the removal of excavated material can step up in pace.  Until now, excavated material has been moved by trucks from a conveyor half way up the Royal Oak Portal slope and moved to a holding area before being loaded onto rail wagons for removal.

http://www.crossrail.co.uk/news/press-releases/crossrails-first-tunnel-boring-machine-reaches-paddington#.UDSntKOQlt0

[Andy W]

The first TBM has reached Paddington and the second has now set off from Royal Oak.  The excavation conveyor belt system can now be fully installed and the removal of excavated material can step up in pace.  Until now, excavated material has been moved by trucks from a conveyor half way up the Royal Oak Portal slope and moved to a holding area before being loaded onto rail wagons for removal.

http://www.crossrail.co.uk/news/press-releases/crossrails-first-tunnel-boring-machine-reaches-paddington#.UDSntKOQlt0

Boring II 

[IndustryInsider]

Allow me to be 'boring' again, Andy! 

You can now view actual and proposed progress of the two Royal Oak TBM's at the following link:

http://www.crossrail.co.uk/near-you#.UFm5DFEw-mA


The spoil removal conveyors and sidings at Wesbourne Park are now in full swing.  Standing above the conveyors on the footbridge that leads off Westbourne Park Villas and watching the conveyors with their excavated material on, and imagining them running pretty much constantly for well over a year, makes you realise just how big a project Crossrail is!  Well worth a wander out there if you're in the general area.

Here's some snaps taken earlier this week, which show the conveyor systems carrying spoil and loading them on a rake of wagons in the newly completed sidings.  You can also see the network of temporary rail lines used to transport other materials to and from the tunnels:

[Electric train]

Thanks II

It is truly a monster of a conveyor system

[IndustryInsider]

Also happening is the lengthening of the Down Main platforms at West Drayton (just started) and Langley (just about to start), so that they will be able to handle Crossrail trains.  This follows the work to lengthen the Down Main platform at Hayes & Harlington earlier this year and has the added instant benefit of meaning that 6-car Turbos will be able to stop at all the main line platforms between Paddington and Slough, which gives extra flexibility on Sunday's when the Relief lines are closed due to engineering work, or at other times during service disruption.

Regular passengers on the route may like to check out the progress on the reconfiguration of Acton Yard, in readiness for construction of the dive under on the Up Relief, as well as the progress with the extra infrastructure at Airport Junction where the retaining wall leading to the bridge that will take the new track over the Up Relief is taking shape.

[IndustryInsider]

Bit of an, erm, oops moment with the new conveyor system today!  Part of it has collapsed on top of a freight train that was loading up.  That's what's causing the delays/cancellations currently listed as safety checks between Paddington and Ealing Broadway as Lines 5 and 6 on the approaches to Paddington have been shut as the conveyor is listing badly towards them.  Hopefully nobody was injured, but there will be a while before proper spoil removal can resume I would imagine.

Here's a picture.  You can see what is the unloading chute actually resting on one of the wagons, and that about 30 metres of conveyor has been pulled on its side:

[Electric train]

A mechanical failure like this on such a new system makes this a serious incident especially at the discharge head is manned when it is working, therefore it will have to be reported to the ORR^» (Office of Rail and Road formerly Office of Rail Regulation - about)'s HMRI^▸ (Her Majesty's Railway Inspectorate) will want to investigate it (HMRI act the same as the HSE^▸ (Health and Safety Executive) on railway related works), hopefully Crossrail will be allowed / able to stabilise the conveyor tonight otherwise the disruption will continue tomorrow.

Oh and think of the delay minuets attribution charge to Crossrail

[Chris from Nailsea]

Bit of an, erm, oops moment with the new conveyor system today!

A masterpiece of understatement there, II! 

[TonyK]

Certainly a moment for a statement on the lines of "Wrong type of soil". As our industry insider says, hopefully no-one was injured, although a lot of pride will be at risk. Speculation is futile, but I expect that metallurgists, architects, and especially engineers will be furiously checking their figures about now. A few new tweaks will sort it out, then away we can go again. This may look an impressive bit of kit, but it's nothing that hasn't been done before on the surface of a coal mine.

[Electric train]

Taking a re-look at the photo posted by II it looks like the conveyor was loading the train, there, looks like, there are wagons loaded behind the engine and there is spoil on the conveyor belt; I have notice that they ensure the belts are empty when shut down.  There always seems to be men on at the various cutes on the system de clogging them, London clay is very claggie

I am speculating here but wonder if they have got the counter balancing of the loading head right, there seems to be quite a mass overhanging the wagons with very little on the opposite side.  It would also appear to be fortuitous that there were wagons below if the conveyor had failed without them there may be we could have been looking at total collapse of structures in that part of the conveyor system.