Crossrail BBC documentary: Fifteen Billion Pound Railway

[EssexGonzo]

Far too much artificial jeopardy.

That's what grates the most for me. They even get the Crossrail staff to use their naff scripted soundbites.

Not as bad as some, though, such as Railroad Alaska or whatever it's called. A new low in terms of crap narration.

 

[InOban]

The focus was entirely on heavy engineering - no mention of the electrical and electronic installation work, which ran into severe problems in Paddington, I believe. But that is either too contentious - no washing of dirty linen in public- or doesn't make good TV.

 

[Domh245]

The focus was entirely on heavy engineering - no mention of the electrical and electronic installation work, which ran into severe problems in Paddington, I believe. But that is either too contentious - no washing of dirty linen in public- or doesn't make good TV.

From what I read, there were a variety of reasons for the down-tools at Paddington, including industrial relations and alterations to the design, neither of which would make particularly entertaining TV, I'd say.

http://www.constructionenquirer.com...spends-electrical-work-at-paddington-station/

http://www.constructionenquirer.com/2017/01/19/crossrail-in-chaos-as-me-work-ripped-out/

 

[NotATrainspott]

Not sure what the steepest gradient is in the Crossrail core, but I doubt that it will be steeper than Thameslink's 1:28.
Modern EMUs can climb almost any gradient on UK mainline tracks with ease, especially if it is subterranean and not subject to poor railhead conditions.

1:32 from Paddington to below the Central line tunnels.

 

[AM9]

1:32 from Paddington to below the Central line tunnels.

Which is peanuts for modern EMUs geared for up to 1m/s² acceleration. In a tunnel, it's even easier where adverse railhead conditions are very unlikely.

 

[coupwotcoup]

I take it the May 2017 start came and went?

 

[sarahj]

I take it the May 2017 start came and went?

It was just running the train from Shenfield to Liverpool St, no tunnels. Not yet.*

What got me was the new train, that was a heck of step down from the doors to the platform. Hope the other platforms are not so low. And with that inside, guess not many will be coming all the way in from Maidenhead, or even Reading with them.

*noted on other page, testing still ongoing, so yes, it came and it went.

 

[coupwotcoup]

We had always been told at Harold Wood that the new trains would be up
and running to Liverpool Street only come May 2017.

Don't get me wrong, I think it has been a magnificent project, but I'm a big boy
and don't need a safe space on being told they cannot deliver on time.

Just sayin'....

 

[edwin_m]

What got me was the new train, that was a heck of step down from the doors to the platform. Hope the other platforms are not so low.

The platforms on the central section will be set at the unit floor height (about 1.1m) like HEx and the East London Line, but that can't be done where freight trains pass the platform. Not sure if the lengthened platforms at Liverpool Street will be the same height as well.

 

[jon0844]

Having watched both back to back, I have to say the sound effects department did well to make everything sound so realistic... right down to Hollywood style beeping sounds for any flashing lights!

And I swear the guy outside Farringdon awaiting the delivery for the roof was Keith Lemon!

 

[SpacePhoenix]

Is all the infrastructure work complete now? The latest Google Earth/Streetview imagery for some parts of London is a couple of years old now.

I'm hoping it comes out on DVD, I've got the first series on DVD

 

[DynamicSpirit]

It was just running the train from Shenfield to Liverpool St, no tunnels. Not yet.*

What got me was the new train, that was a heck of step down from the doors to the platform. Hope the other platforms are not so low. And with that inside, guess not many will be coming all the way in from Maidenhead, or even Reading with them.

Yes, the inside got me too. I was thinking, supposedly lovely modern new trains, but - as far as you can tell from those continuous lines of longitudinal seats - apparently zero thought for passenger comfort when it comes to seating design.

I live in Abbey Wood, and if that's what the CrossRail trains are going to be like, I can well see myself mostly continuing to use SouthEastern to get to central London, even if it takes longer and requires an extra change to the underground to get to the Oxford Street area - just so I can sit on a decent (forward or backwards facing) seat.

 

[CapitalStar378]

The 345s will have a mix of transverse and longitudinal seating, there are few central and end carriages which will be all longitudinal due to crowding. This will to all intents and purposes be a tube line in the central section so the interior must be configured for this.

 

[coupwotcoup]

Cannot get pic to load but new service began - in part -
from Liverpool Street to Shenfield this morning...

#whynobellsorwhistles

 

[absolutelymilk]

Cannot get pic to load but new service began - in part -
from Liverpool Street to Shenfield this morning...

#whynobellsorwhistles

Any idea what time?

 

[coupwotcoup]

Not sure but no.1 daughter is an early bird so around 6am I'm guessing.

It [the train] was on it's way to Shenfield.

 

[SpacePhoenix]

Cannot get pic to load but new service began - in part -
from Liverpool Street to Shenfield this morning...

#whynobellsorwhistles

Any idea what time?

Might not be running today, there's flooding at Manor Park and from the loks of the NR Twitter feed there might be buses replacing trains between Brentwood and Shenfield.

https://twitter.com/hashtag/ManorPark?src=hash

Pics of the flooding in that feed

 

[Dstock7080]

Series 3 starts Wednesday 13 February 21.00
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08ry6fy

 

[lewisf]

This could turn into one of the BBC's longest running series

 

[GRALISTAIR]

This could turn into one of the BBC's longest running series

Now that is cynical !

 

[camflyer]

Series 3 starts Wednesday 13 February 21.00
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08ry6fy

"Episode 1 of 2" - two episodes to stretching the definition of a "series" to the limit.

Still looking forward to watching this and see how much of the recent troubles are shown. It seems that the engineering phase was pretty successful with the problems coming from the testing and getting an operational service up an running.

 

[alangla]

This could turn into one of the BBC's longest running series

It’s going to have to go some to beat “The Silence of the Trams” - that started as a one off show at the Edinburgh festival one year & was still going years later when the tram project went nowhere. I think it actually finished before the first tram ran

 

[jon0844]

This could turn into one of the BBC's longest running series

Longer than EastEnders and just as depressing.

 

[Esker-pades]

This could turn into one of the BBC's longest running series

Just wait until series 47, where the project manager is replaced by a woman and The Daily Mail looses its mind.