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

[whole diary]

[TonyK]

Like NSE^▸ (Network South East), I think we will see a net increase in driving jobs come 2019. Crossrail is adding capacity to a creaking underground system in effect, but it will allow some extra surface trains. Some extra capacity comes from more capacious trains, but, as NSE reminds us, there will be 4 tph to Bristol. With four tracking to Filton Bank, and MetroRail Phase One, we will see an extra six or seven sets operating in the Greater Bristol area, possibly cascaded 165 / 166s. I'm no expert on HR^▸ (Human Resources) - how many drivers are needed to operate 6 sets 7 days per week between 06.00 and 23.59?

We may see drivers cascaded, as experienced commuter service drivers apply to upgrade to intercity services. They will have knowledge of working on a railway, so will take less time to convert than to train a rookie driver from scratch. I am sure, given how long it takes to train a driver to the point where he can drive a train full of passengers solo from Bedminster to Parson Street, and even given the imponderables of the new franchising negotiations, someone in FGW^▸ (First Great Western) is crunching numbers and making plans as we speak.

TUPE^▸ (The Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006.), or not TUPE? That is the question.

[IndustryInsider]

The DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) have already confirmed no drivers from FGW^▸ (First Great Western) will TUPE^▸ (The Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006.) to Crossrail.

And in any case, the new pay deal may finally resolve harmonisation

Interesting stuff regarding the transfers - I didn't know that.  I won't be holding my breath over harmonisation though!

[TonyK]

Interesting stuff regarding the transfers - I didn't know that.  I won't be holding my breath over harmonisation though!

And nor will I! Imagine that - all staff across all TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) paid the same relevant pay for the same job. Imagine the utter confusion that would cause. Might as well do away with TOCs, and make all the staff Civil Servants (although there is no longer such a thing as a national civil service pay scale).

[anthony215]

FGW^▸ (First Great Western) did recruit a large amount of trainiee drivers back last year in May/June 2013 including a lot for Bristol.

I did apply  and  passed the 1st stage assessment however my application is on hold due to the large amount of applicants. Which is saying something cosidering I heard that FGW were looking at recruiting over 100 trainiee's for the Bristol depot alone.

DB^» (Deutsche Bahn - German State Railway - about) and Freightliner as well as Colas have been on major recruitment drives recently too and could be taking on more drivers.

[grahame]

I understand that as a very rough order of magnitude, you'll be looking at around six train crews per 7 day, 18 hour diagram.  The arithmetic gives you 4 train crews to cover 126 hours of operation per week, then you need holiday cover, sign in / sign out / travel to work /wait for train to take it over time, training update and admin time, and so on and so forth.

[JayMac]

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.

I did email the BBC to point out their error. The headline has been changed from 'franchise' to 'project' and the first paragraph now refers to the Crossrail 'service'. The main body of the story still uses the word 'franchise' five times though.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-28361782

Tsk, tsk. 

[ChrisB]

We may see drivers cascaded, as experienced commuter service drivers apply to upgrade to intercity services. They will have knowledge of working on a railway, so will take less time to convert than to train a rookie driver from scratch. I am sure, given how long it takes to train a driver to the point where he can drive a train full of passengers solo from Bedminster to Parson Street, and even given the imponderables of the new franchising negotiations, someone in FGW^▸ (First Great Western) is crunching numbers and making plans as we speak.

TUPE^▸ (The Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006.), or not TUPE? That is the question.

Hence the urgent push for harmonisation. Transfer is it goes through, TUPE if if it doesn't, I guess

[TonyK]

Hence the urgent push for harmonisation. Transfer is it goes through, TUPE^▸ (The Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006.) if if it doesn't, I guess

With enough changes in franchises and the accompanying TUPEing, we will end up with a single level. Some may call it nationalisation, others may say that entropy will always increase.

/philosophy.

[eightf48544]

According to teh Guardian MTR the Hong Kong operator has one the concession to run Crosrail

[ellendune]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) Proposals to extend Crossrail to Hertfordshire to be announced

Proposals to extend Crossrail to Hertfordshire are being considered by the government, the Transport Secretary is expected to announce later.

Extending the service would reduce journey times between London and Hertfordshire by up to 16 minutes.

At the Crossrail site at Farringdon, London, Patrick McLoughlin is expected to outline the benefits of extending the link.

Business groups in the area said an extension would drive economic growth.

'Long-term regeneration'
Mr McLoughlin is expected to say the proposals would take the pressure off the Tube's busiest sections and make it easier to improve Euston, which will have 11 new platforms built under proposals for the HS2^▸ (The next High Speed line(s)) high-speed rail project between London and the West Midlands.

Under the plans, stations likely to get Crossrail services will include Tring, Hemel Hempstead, Watford Junction, Berkhamstead and Harrow and Wealdstone.

Yolanda Rugg, chief executive officer at the Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce said the announcement would be "a catalyst to drive economic growth" in the area.

"It will provide vital high-speed transport connectivity from London to the new Watford Health Campus, and to the financial and creative services sectors," she said.

"It will most definitely support long-term regeneration across Hertfordshire."

The Crossrail project, costing around ^15bn to build, is the first complete new underground line in London since the Victoria line was built in the late 1960s.

The line will see trains running from Reading in Berkshire to the west of the capital and as far east as Shenfield in Essex, as well as linking to south London.

[tom m]

Surely this is a new line rather than extending crossrail?

[JayMac]

Would it not be taking over the existing London Overground service (and infrastructure) to/from Watford with the addition of a short new build tunnel section to connect to the east/west Crossrail line somewhere between Bond St and Farringdon?

[grahame]

Surely this is a new line rather than extending crossrail?

Would it not be taking over the existing London Overground service (and infrastructure) to/from Watford with the addition of a short new build tunnel section to connect to the east/west Crossrail line somewhere between Bond St and Farringdon?

The West Coast main line and the GW^▸ (Great Western) main line come incredibly close in West London - see the open map data attachment on the base of this email ... and a link there ...

[stuving]

Going to Watford from Paddington was Option 1 in the 2002 consultation on route options. Obviously it was rejected, but has never gone away. It was raised again recently (and I thought discussed here, though I can't find it) coupled to a regeneration of Old Oak Common and areas to the North.

PS: This is option K1, recommended in the 2011 London and South-east RUS^▸ (Route Utilisation Strategy) (see section 8: Potential New Lines):

8.3.10 It is recommended by this RUS that further work is undertaken on the details and merits of a Crossrail to WCML^▸ (West Coast Main Line) extension, initially with the aim of identifying a route alignment in the Old Oak Common area for safeguarding from development. This work would need to interface significantly with the HS2^▸ (The next High Speed line(s)) design process. Further work is also required on the train planning elements, including the performance implications of the option.

8.3.11 Detailed consideration is also needed with respect to the outermost limit of a potential WCML Crossrail network, with some stakeholders suggesting that Crossrail journeys from locations such as Milton Keynes Central are unlikely to be consistent with Crossrail rolling stock design. More detailed analysis is required, focussing on which combination of Watford Junction, Tring, Bletchley and Milton Keynes would be appropriate for slow line turnback under Option K1. There is significant synergy in this respect with High Speed Rail, since following HS2 it can be expected that Central London demand at key stations such as Milton Keynes Central, and north thereof, would be provided for on the fast lines with significantly increased frequencies relative to today, so Crossrail route trains would generally only be used for shorter distance flows at the south end of the WCML.

[paul7575]

This would be nothing to do with transferring Overground (DC^▸ (Direct Current) lines) services, before people go off on tangential designs for weird services via Watford High St etc... 

The new route (about 2 km of new construction) would split in the Old Oak Common area and join with the present route used by the Southern WLL services to/from Milton Keynes before passing under the WCML^▸ (West Coast Main Line) and approaching Wembley Central to join the WCML slows just as Southern do now.

The London and SE RUS^▸ (Route Utilisation Strategy) proposed an 8 tph service onto the WCML, personally today's proposal isn't much of a surprise, it was always on the cards, more so since the precedent was made by the decision to extend to Reading.

Paul