I think Crossrail may never open

[Amaroussi]

I am starting to feel that the Crossrail tunnels may never open with the current situation, much like the Croxley Rail Link. While the above-ground sections may be repurposed for existing services, the tunnels would become a national humiliation, first with the sheer underestimation of the costs, and then a certain event which I cannot mention outside the temporary sub-forum. I cannot really trust the current British government to bring that certain situation under control when South Korea does it better (if I recall correctly).

 

[Roast Veg]

The tunnels will be completed. Work on them is still progressing, and hasn't stopped because of current events.

 

[John R]

I am starting to feel that the Crossrail tunnels may never open with the current situation, much like the Croxley Rail Link. While the above-ground sections may be repurposed for existing services, the tunnels would become a national humiliation, first with the sheer underestimation of the costs, and then a certain event which I cannot mention outside the temporary sub-forum. I cannot really trust the current British government to bring that certain situation under control when South Korea does it better (if I recall correctly).

So you think 15Bn will be written off when there is “just” a few hundred million and a year to complete the project? By the time XR is ready to open in 2021 (or maybe 22 now given the additional delay by suspension of work) there will be a vaccine.

Hard to imagine a more absurd suggestion.

 

[JonathanH]

The tunnels will be completed. Work on them is still progressing, and hasn't stopped because of current events.

Didn't the mayor call a halt to all on-site work?

Welcome to Crossrail

Crossrail Ltd has delivered the Elizabeth line - a new railway for London and the South East, running from Reading and Heathrow in the west, through 42km of new tunnels under London to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east. The Elizabeth line has 41 accessible stations including 10 major new...

www.crossrail.co.uk

I can't see that direction changing any time soon if there remains an objective to keep use of public transport to an absolute minimum

 

[Bald Rick]

I am starting to feel that the Crossrail tunnels may never open with the current situation, much like the Croxley Rail Link. While the above-ground sections may be repurposed for existing services, the tunnels would become a national humiliation, first with the sheer underestimation of the costs, and then a certain event which I cannot mention outside the temporary sub-forum. I cannot really trust the current British government to bring that certain situation under control when South Korea does it better (if I recall correctly).

This is absolute piffle.

It is in no way like the Croxley link. Crossrail is built, with trains ordered, staff recruited, operating procedures ready, testing well underway. The Croxlley link isn’t even funded, let alone built.

 

[stuu]

I am starting to feel that the Crossrail tunnels may never open with the current situation, much like the Croxley Rail Link. While the above-ground sections may be repurposed for existing services, the tunnels would become a national humiliation, first with the sheer underestimation of the costs

It is about 20% over budget, which is very good by the standards of projects of this scale, globally as well as British.

As for the rest of your comment, words fail me...

 

[samuelmorris]

I am starting to feel that the Crossrail tunnels may never open with the current situation, much like the Croxley Rail Link. While the above-ground sections may be repurposed for existing services, the tunnels would become a national humiliation, first with the sheer underestimation of the costs, and then a certain event which I cannot mention outside the temporary sub-forum. I cannot really trust the current British government to bring that certain situation under control when South Korea does it better (if I recall correctly).

I doubt that very much - as has been said above, it's pretty much all complete as far as construction is concerned, apart from a couple of station fit outs it is only systems testing and training that needs to take place in order for the line to open. Despite the considerable delay Crossrail is nothing like the Croxley link.

 

[Ianno87]

Presumably, it is cheaper to pay to complete Crossrail than it would be to compensate all the third parties who have contributes to the cost (e.g. Canary Wharf, Heathrow, City of London, etc) in the (highly unlikely) event it were abandoned.

 

[Amaroussi]

Hello, I am sorry that I slipped up on where I should have posted this thread, even though COVID-19 has affected absolutely everything to a point that it is so hard to avoid it.

 

[Hadders]

The extension to the Jubilee Line was way over budget and at least 3 (maybe 4) years late opening. These things happen but you build something like this to last 100+ years. Delays and cost over runs are minor in the grand scheme of things and will soon be forgotton once it opens and we all start to wonder how we ever managed without it.

 

[Whistler40145]

I am starting to feel that the Crossrail tunnels may never open with the current situation, much like the Croxley Rail Link. While the above-ground sections may be repurposed for existing services, the tunnels would become a national humiliation, first with the sheer underestimation of the costs, and then a certain event which I cannot mention outside the temporary sub-forum. I cannot really trust the current British government to bring that certain situation under control when South Korea does it better (if I recall correctly).

Crossrail is more or less built, whereas the Croxley Link is probably hasn't got passed the planning stage

 

[Jorge Da Silva]

I am starting to feel that the Crossrail tunnels may never open with the current situation, much like the Croxley Rail Link. While the above-ground sections may be repurposed for existing services, the tunnels would become a national humiliation, first with the sheer underestimation of the costs, and then a certain event which I cannot mention outside the temporary sub-forum. I cannot really trust the current British government to bring that certain situation under control when South Korea does it better (if I recall correctly).

I have never heard something so stupid in my life. The tunnels are complete, the track is laid, the stations are mostly finished and just needs a bit more work at Bond street and whitechapel and of course testing. The trains are built and waiting the chances of it being cancelled are 0. NOTHING LIKE Croxley which never even started the main works. Name one project which has been cancelled at or near to the stage where crossrail is at.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Here we may have a forum first: a "Speculative Idea" that would if nothing else be a basis for some interesting Speculative Fiction... I'm imagining almost-finished underground stations being used as post-apocalyptic radiation shelters!

Does anyone happen to know if the platform-edge doors are specced to block gamma radiation?

 

[EssexGonzo]

It's definitely going to complete and open. In large project terms, 20% overspend is equal to a normal contingency allowance. It's just that as this is so much in the public eye, the original budget has become a press and media fixation.

It's not even close to a humiliation. The most congested tunnelling project in the world, multiple signalling systems and infrastructure generations to span - the so-called "overspend" in terms of money and time is what a project professional would call a re-forecasting based on issues and materialised risks. It was never a fixed price, guaranteed time deal - nor could it ever have been.

I live in Shenfield. Its station was opened in 1843. The fact that the Elizabeth Line has to integrate with infrastructure that spans an opening date timeframe of 175+ years is both challenging and impressive. Including non-bespoke power and signalling systems that are used for mainline trains too.

 

[Energy]

Have a look at crossrail's youtube channel, they show lots of the stations and give updates on XR, looking at them XR is currently in the testing phase and nearly built with only a few stations having some work left.

 

[Tube driver]

It will open - TfL future budgeting already depends on revenue generated from Crossrail tickets, advertising, etc and now that TfL are very deep in the brown stuff and losing money at an alarming rate, it will need every penny in the future even if it means continued spending now.

Besides, we‘re at the stage now of we‘ve built the new house but are yet to fit the central heating. Would you walk away from it almost complete or would you metaphorically just put the extra spend on a credit card to complete the project?

 

[Chester1]

This weeks Rail Magazine reports that ETCS to Heathrow has been successfully trialed on 387s that are taking over Heathrow Express services. That should mean that 345s can take over the TfL Rail services soon, completing the launch of services on the NR network. The project has had its problems but its slowly getting there.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Now it maybe possible that Crossrail 2 is cancelled- but not this one.

 

[NorthKent1989]

Now it maybe possible that Crossrail 2 is cancelled- but not this one.

Yeah I think CrossRail 2 will be a very long way off, 2050s I think.

I also think the Gravesend Extension of CrossRail will be delayed massively

 

[The Ham]

Yeah I think CrossRail 2 will be a very long way off, 2050s I think.

I also think the Gravesend Extension of CrossRail will be delayed massively

It depends on the outcome of Covid-19, there could be an argument that because we've got a very overcrowded network that we might be better off with extra capacity, add in the benefits of infrastructure spending and it may well be pushed up the agenda.

Of course the government might be so broke and the economy so trashed and everyone scared of traveling beyond 10 miles from their home that nothing like it will be built for 100 years.

There's a lot of views between those two possible outcomes, in reality 2050 isn't so that long beyond the mid 2030's that it's all that crazy to suggest it would be the case.

 

[si404]

Crossrail is more or less built, whereas the Croxley Link is probably hasn't got passed the planning stage

They got onto clearance/prep works - about where HS2 is now on the construction: some plants cleared, some cones put down, that sort of thing...

The trains are built and waiting <snip> NOTHING LIKE Croxley

(picking your post just because - several mention that Crossrail has the trains waiting and compare to Croxley, but yours was just the one I saw)
The trains are built and 'waiting' for Croxley. Well, train, as it only needed one. It was added to the bulk S Stock order as it didn't make sense to do a really small order a few years later. Obviously it's not really waiting - being used currently and not having any extension to wait for.


Now, certainly, Croxley was a very long way behind where Crossrail (which will certainly open, though this is another little delay) is, but it did get further than is being suggested by many people in this thread.

 

[Ianno87]

They got onto clearance/prep works - about where HS2 is now on the construction: some plants cleared, some cones put down, that sort of thing...
(picking your post just because - several mention that Crossrail has the trains waiting and compare to Croxley, but yours was just the one I saw)
The trains are built and 'waiting' for Croxley. Well, train, as it only needed one. It was added to the bulk S Stock order as it didn't make sense to do a really small order a few years later. Obviously it's not really waiting - being used currently and not having any extension to wait for.


Now, certainly, Croxley was a very long way behind where Crossrail (which will certainly open, though this is another little delay) is, but it did get further than is being suggested by many people in this thread.

I got the impression it wasn't an afwul long way off "shovel ready"...it was TfL's finances that hammered the nail into the coffin.

 

[D365]

I got the impression it wasn't an afwul long way off "shovel ready"...it was TfL's finances that hammered the nail into the coffin.

I thought it was Hertfordshire County Council who didn’t want to pay a fair share of the project costs and were trying to pass the buck on to TfL.

 

[swt_passenger]

Crossrail is more or less built, whereas the Croxley Link is probably hasn't got passed the planning stage

The Croxley Link was fully authorised in 2013, using a Transport and Works Act Order. That process effectively subsumed the “planning stage” as is usual with such projects.

 

[Whistler40145]

The Croxley Link was fully authorised in 2013, using a Transport and Works Act Order. That process effectively subsumed the “planning stage” as is usual with such projects.

Question now is will it ever be completed?

 

[Domh245]

Highly unlikely, the original TWAO has lapsed and there's little appetite outside of HCC for it!

 

[si404]

I thought it was Hertfordshire County Council who didn’t want to pay a fair share of the project costs and were trying to pass the buck on to TfL.

Neither side wanted to pay their fair share when it came to it*, but that was all made moot by the fact that they worked out that the scheme was going to cost something like triple what was budgeted and the business case was in shreds.

*Herts tried to price their contribution of the land as if it would be otherwise developed, rather than the actual value. The GLA really didn't want TfL spending money outside Greater London.

 

[swt_passenger]

Question now is will it ever be completed?

Very much doubt it, was only really contributing that it was fully planned before being cancelled.

 

[Jozhua]

If physical distancing is to continue, I can see Crossrail being a fantastic way of moving people in and out of London without being too close together.

 

[Railwaysceptic]

If physical distancing is to continue, I can see Crossrail being a fantastic way of moving people in and out of London without being too close together.

Are you suggesting that Crossrail will not be busy?