Line closures- Paddington LU overcrowding Sat 11/3/23

[Leisurefirst]

I find this so annoying. Why can't they just say the line is closed between 'Paddington and Abbey Wood/Shenfield' instead of what they put instead? At that point everyone knows for definite that the entire line east of Paddington is closed.

You'd think, right?!

 

[Taunton]

Final signalling & engineering upgrade in advance of the May timetable change.

Just when our visitors are here .

That makes it sound like a considerable project, but I understand in fact it is only to get working, yet again, the auto-reverse function at Westbourne Park.

Firstly they had the 10 years before the line opened to get this working, on and off-site. Secondly, if upgrading the software requires these extensive shutdowns, then you really have to question whether the technical zealot pursuers have been allowed to go too far in departing from practicality. I do fear that, rather like voltage changeover points have long proved, it is going to be the Achilles Heel of the line.

 

[Snow1964]

The Elizabeth Line core will be closed for all 4 days over Easter btw. That'll be fun times indeed.

Actually it also appears might not open Maidenhead-Reading, and some stations on GW might not be served. But you need to be able to subtract from the normal service to work it out, because it is written as follows

ELIZABETH LINE: Good Friday 7, Saturday 8, Sunday 9 and Easter Monday 10 April, a reduced service operates between Paddington and Heathrow / Maidenhead. In addition, Elizabeth line trains will not serve Heathrow Terminal 5, please use Heathrow Express connections. Two trains per hour will serve West Drayton, Langley, Slough, Burnham and Maidenhead, and four trains per hour will serve Ealing Broadway, Southall and Hayes & Harlington.

ELIZABETH LINE: Good Friday 7, Saturday 8, Sunday 9 and Easter Monday 10 April, no service between Paddington and Abbey Wood. Reading and Heathrow trains operate to/from Paddington National Rail station, and Shenfield trains operate to/from Liverpool Street National Rail station, not serving Whitechapel.

Tube, Overground, Elizabeth line, DLR & Tram status updates - Transport for London

tfl.gov.uk

If anyone can work out what is happening at places like Twyford, West Ealing, Acton etc based on way it is written, then doing better than me

 

[43096]

Actually it also appears might not open Maidenhead-Reading, and some stations on GW might not be served. But you need to be able to subtract from the normal service to work it out, because it is written as follows

I would suggest it is the Maidenhead terminators that are knocked on the head, which means Twyford and Reading are unaffected.

If anyone can work out what is happening at places like Tilehurst, West Ealing, Acton etc based on way it is written, then doing better than me

Tilehurst doesn’t get an Elizabeth line service at the best of times!

 

[Taunton]

It's extremely misleading to say : "In addition, Elizabeth line trains will not serve Heathrow Terminal 5, please use Heathrow Express connections", because this may make many think they must use the high-price Heathrow Express from Paddington to get to T5. We may know that you can change on the platform at Heathrow Central, and we may know that there is no extra charge for then using the Express within Heathrow, but the average punter, let alone overseas visitors, will not.

 

[Horizon22]

Just when our visitors are here .

That makes it sound like a considerable project, but I understand in fact it is only to get working, yet again, the auto-reverse function at Westbourne Park.

It really isn’t. Auto-reverse trials have already happened and been broadly successful. Not 100% reliable so part (and I stress part) of this upgrade will be about that.


== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 13 Mar 2023 ==

If anyone can work out what is happening at places like Twyford, West Ealing, Acton etc based on way it is written, then doing better than me

That timetable suggests a two-track railway on GWML, so Acton / West Ealing & Hanwell not to be served.

It’s Easter weekend, which is often used for big item engineering works.

 

[Snow1964]

That timetable suggests a two-track railway on GWML, so Acton / West Ealing & Hanwell not to be served.

People on this forum tend to know a bit about railways, but if you were an ordinary customer, would you have realised that based on the info as written.

 

[Horizon22]

People on this forum tend to know a bit about railways, but if you were an ordinary customer, would you have realised that based on the info as written.

Indeed. Writing every station seems unnecessarily - “a reduced service will run between Paddington - Heathrow/Reading and trains will not stop at Acton Main Line, West Ealing and Hanwell” would suffice.

However some TfL research has shown a significant majority of people use journey planners or apps (Google Maps / Citymapper) to organise their journeys so will look at it that way.

 

[matt_world2004]

It was closed this weekend to allow the elr400 software upgrade

 

[Mojo]

Actually it also appears might not open Maidenhead-Reading, and some stations on GW might not be served. But you need to be able to subtract from the normal service to work it out, because it is written as follows

Tube, Overground, Elizabeth line, DLR & Tram status updates - Transport for London

tfl.gov.uk

If anyone can work out what is happening at places like Twyford, West Ealing, Acton etc based on way it is written, then doing better than me

It's extremely misleading to say : "In addition, Elizabeth line trains will not serve Heathrow Terminal 5, please use Heathrow Express connections", because this may make many think they must use the high-price Heathrow Express from Paddington to get to T5. We may know that you can change on the platform at Heathrow Central, and we may know that there is no extra charge for then using the Express within Heathrow, but the average punter, let alone overseas visitors, will not.

Like the weekend just gone, TfL website is saying no trains to Terminal 5, but I have just done a National Rail Enquiries and Realtimetrains search that weekend which continues to show a halfhourly service from Terminal 5. Why do they keep saying no trains there when there are?

 

[Taunton]

However some TfL research has shown a significant majority of people use journey planners or apps (Google Maps / Citymapper) to organise their journeys so will look at it that way.

Maybe the first time they go. However, and particularly for a turn-up-and-go service from your local station, I'm sure the majority of actual passengers do not. We certainly don't.

 

[Horizon22]

Maybe the first time they go. However, and particularly for a turn-up-and-go service from your local station, I'm sure the majority of actual passengers do not. We certainly don't.

If they're planning a journey they would - you are stating a situation when you're not even planning it. I personally always check my journey, even when I go from the same station at the same time every day as I'd rather not walk into disruption.

 

[Snow1964]

It was closed this weekend to allow the elr400 software upgrade

Are you sure ?

TfL Board seem to think ELR400 and CMS 33.X are during 4 day Easter blockade

4.4 The Elizabeth line’s central operating section between Paddington and Abbey Wood will be closed from Friday 7 April to Monday 10 April 2023. The blockade will be used to rollout both the ELR 400 Software upgrade and the CMS 33.X upgrade to the communications system over the Easter weekend. This upgrade will remove 21 Operational Restrictions, close 194 minor issues with the software and deliver 13 further functional improvements.

No idea what the 21+194+13=228 changes are

https://board.tfl.gov.uk/documents/s19818/board-20230329-item06-elizabeth-line-update.pdf

 

[Horizon22]

Are you sure ?

TfL Board seem to think ELR400 and CMS 33.X are during 4 day Easter blockade


No idea what the 21+194+13=228 changes are

https://board.tfl.gov.uk/documents/s19818/board-20230329-item06-elizabeth-line-update.pdf

The software encompasses everything from signalling and electrical control to passenger information as well as the user interface for all involved so it's quite a hefty bunch of stuff!

 

[matt_world2004]

Are you sure ?

TfL Board seem to think ELR400 and CMS 33.X are during 4 day Easter blockade

This is what it said on the internal closures pdf. I guess there may be multiple revisions to the elr 400 software or a beta test

 

[Stephen42]

This is what it said on the internal closures pdf. I guess there may be multiple revisions to the elr 400 software or a beta test

It was testing of the ELR400 Software Update according to the engineering access statement. The commissioning will be over Easter and provided the doc I'm looking at is still correct there's then 6 months without any closures for the central section.

 

[Basil Jet]

Interesting question, is it better to shut it for say 50 days in first year, or delay opening 50 days then have no closures for the first few months.

Based on the chaos described by the Op, with alternative being unclear communication that Elizabeth line would also be partially shut, tends to suggest delay until ready argument.

If a new supermarket opened in your town, wouldn't expect it to have random number of closed days in first few months, because they didn't finish it, but opened it anyway. Peoples expectation of a new railway would be same.

The EL was built for the peak, and as soon as it was ready for the peak it should have been opened. They can worry about starting Saturday and Sunday service later.