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

[whole diary]

[JayMac]

There is a three part BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) documentary series on the building of Crossrail starting next week, July 16th 2014, 9pm, BBC2.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04b7h1w

An interesting insight in the work going on, particularly the challenge of threading the Crossrail tunnels through existing underground structures at Tottenham Court Rd. I would have preferred a bit more focus on the engineering and a little less of the 'characters', but that seems to be the norm these days with such documentaries.

Featured in this first episode was a look back to another major engineering feat carried out in the West End in the 1960s - the building of the Victoria Line. Footage from a 1969 documentary was shown. The full programme is also currently viewable on BBC iPlayer:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p00sc29t/how-they-dug-the-victoria-line

[Surrey 455]

The full programme is also currently viewable on BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) iPlayer:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p00sc29t/how-they-dug-the-victoria-line

Also repeated tonight at 11.20pm on BBC2

[johoare]

The full programme is also currently viewable on BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) iPlayer:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p00sc29t/how-they-dug-the-victoria-line

Also repeated tonight at 11.20pm on BBC2

Thank you.. I somehow missed recording the actual program so will record that one instead :-)

[JayMac]

From the Evening Standard:

Hong Kong firm is awarded the ^1.4bn contract to run Crossrail

Hong Kong rail experts MTR were today awarded the ^1.4 billion contract to operate Crossrail services when the line opens in 2018.

The company will hire 1,100 staff, including 400 train drivers, and will begin by taking over the Liverpool Street to Shenfield line next May.

MTR, which already runs the London Overground in partnership with  Deutsche Bahn,   also operates metros in Stockholm, Beijing and the other Chinese cities of  Shenzhen and Hangzhou, and Melbourne.

It  is expert in running high-frequency metro services ^  Hong Kong^s is even busier than London, carrying 4.5  million  passengers a day ^ and its 24-hour services there provided the  inspiration for London^s Night Tube.

Howard Smith, operations director at Crossrail, told the Standard: ^We were looking for the people who were going to deliver the best Crossrail. They will focus relentlessly on reliability. They are 50 per cent of the London Overground operator and have  decades of experience running trains extremely reliably in Hong Kong and have a good record in Melbourne and Stockholm.

^We will be from next year promising to have staff at all stations from start to finish and running lots of extra trains, with about 850 new jobs in the railway industry in London.^

The ^1.4bn deal covers concession payments to MTR over the eight-year contract term, before any bonuses or penalties.

MTR beat off competition from Arriva, National Express and  Keolis/Go Ahead.

Crossrail services are being awarded as a concession by TfL^» (Transport for London - about), similar to the one awarded by Transport for London  for the London Overground. Services to Shenfield will initially operate with the current rolling stock but will be gradually replaced in 2017 by new Crossrail trains.

When the ^16 billion Crossrail is fully operational in December 2019 it will serve 40 stations and run 72 miles from Reading and Heathrow in the west, and through 13-mile tunnels below central London to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east. Mayor Boris Johnson said he was  ^delighted^ by the MTR deal.

With such news items I normally post the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page)'s report. However, they have constantly referred to this award as a franchise, when it is a concession.  I've told Auntie of its error.

[ChrisB]

Wonder what the net increase in drivers is? And where they might come from?

I don't see many out of work currently?...

[JayMac]

I think four years is plenty of time to recruit and train.

[ChrisB]

I guessthey know how many will TUPE^▸ (The Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006.) across from services they are taking over, and know the total number they need...so could work out how many would need recruiting & training

[IndustryInsider]

I guessthey know how many will TUPE^▸ (The Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006.) across from services they are taking over, and know the total number they need...so could work out how many would need recruiting & training

It's an interesting question.  Currently, I'd say around 20% of all work at Paddington LTV^▸ (London [and] Thames Valley) and Oxford drivers depots covers trains that Crossrail will either directly, or indirectly take over.  That figure is probably 15% at Reading depot, who tend to do a little more branch line work.   There's also the Heathrow Connect drivers (who also do Heathrow Express) that will be affected slightly.  That's getting on for 100 drivers worth of work.

Possibly the most sensible thing to do is to transfer Paddington LTV depot over to Crossrail, and split Reading depot into two - a larger part for the Greater Western work, and a smaller part for the Crossrail work.  Oxford could then absorb other work such as increased Cotswold Line frequency and potentially the East West Rail services to Milton Keynes and Bedford.

But, what sway will the unions have in all of that...?  

[tom m]

I can't see Heathrow express existing in its current form once crossrail starts. There is talk of going west but nothing is confirmed.

Considering current industrial relations at hex I can see.quite a few drivers going across

[onthecushions]

IIRC^▸ (if I recall/remember/read correctly), the MTR was largely a London Underground creation, with Metro-Cammell rolling stock.

The KCR was also a British creation, being electrified in 1983 with Mk IIIb OLE^▸ (Overhead Line Equipment, more often "OHLE") to typhoon proof standard.

We can do it when we want to.

OTC

[Electric train]

IIRC^▸ (if I recall/remember/read correctly), the MTR was largely a London Underground creation, with Metro-Cammell rolling stock.

The KCR was also a British creation, being electrified in 1983 with Mk IIIb OLE^▸ (Overhead Line Equipment, more often "OHLE") to typhoon proof standard.

We can do it when we want to.

OTC

Used to be able too      

[Network SouthEast]

I guessthey know how many will TUPE^▸ (The Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006.) across from services they are taking over, and know the total number they need...so could work out how many would need recruiting & training

It's an interesting question.  Currently, I'd say around 20% of all work at Paddington LTV^▸ (London [and] Thames Valley) and Oxford drivers depots covers trains that Crossrail will either directly, or indirectly take over.  That figure is probably 15% at Reading depot, who tend to do a little more branch line work.   There's also the Heathrow Connect drivers (who also do Heathrow Express) that will be affected slightly.  That's getting on for 100 drivers worth of work.

Possibly the most sensible thing to do is to transfer Paddington LTV depot over to Crossrail, and split Reading depot into two - a larger part for the Greater Western work, and a smaller part for the Crossrail work.  Oxford could then absorb other work such as increased Cotswold Line frequency and potentially the East West Rail services to Milton Keynes and Bedford.

But, what sway will the unions have in all of that...?  

The only FGW^▸ (First Great Western) staff TUPEing to Crossrail will be station staff between Ealing Broadway and Maidenhead.

The DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) have already confirmed no drivers from FGW will TUPE to Crossrail.

In fact that honour has fallen on Greater Anglia who have already set aside a pool of drivers to TUPE over for next year. It's worth noting that when London Overground started only Silverlink Metro drivers TUPE'd over, none from Southern (although of course that never stopped Southern drivers applying to work there through choice).

There'll be plenty of work for LTV drivers post Crossrail. Enchanced outer suburban services. Plus new services with IEP^▸ (Intercity Express Program / Project.). And in any case, the new pay deal may finally resolve harmonisation,  so there may not even be an LTV pool of drivers any more. Someone will have tk drice those new Bristol services! 

[onthecushions]

IIRC^▸ (if I recall/remember/read correctly), the MTR was largely a London Underground creation, with Metro-Cammell rolling stock.

The KCR was also a British creation, being electrified in 1983 with Mk IIIb OLE^▸ (Overhead Line Equipment, more often "OHLE") to typhoon proof standard.

We can do it when we want to.

OTC

Used to be able too      

... but you and those like you in NR^» (Network Rail - home page) and private industry still do a brilliant job, IMHO^▸ (in my humble opinion). All is not lost.

OTC

[Surrey 455]

The only FGW^▸ (First Great Western) staff TUPEing to Crossrail will be station staff between Ealing Broadway and Maidenhead.

Acton Main Line?

[Network SouthEast]

The only FGW^▸ (First Great Western) staff TUPEing to Crossrail will be station staff between Ealing Broadway and Maidenhead.

Acton Main Line?

Of course. How could I forget it!