Crossrail - Construction updates and progress towards opening (now expected 24 May 2022)

[Geogregor]

They have removed the boarding behind the Paddington statue on platform 1 and replaced with wire fence so you can get a good view in now. It's also a lot colder on that side of the station.

https://twitter.com/inpaddington

 

[iphone76]

We have been informed that trial running will (should) commence on Monday 10th May. Monday to Thursday next week between 0540 and 2040 with four trains per hour.

 

[Martin23230]

https://twitter.com/inpaddington

What are those things hanging from the ceiling in the first picture? They look to me like old-fashioned CCD cameras, but there's clearly a modern dome camera handing above Paddington's head. Are they lighting up the ceiling? It looks like a forest of jagged metal, do they really need so many?

 

[Bigbru]

What are those things hanging from the ceiling in the first picture? They look to me like old-fashioned CCD cameras, but there's clearly a modern dome camera handing above Paddington's head. Are they lighting up the ceiling? It looks like a forest of jagged metal, do they really need so many?

They are uplighters

 

[absolutelymilk]

We have been informed that trial running will (should) commence on Monday 10th May. Monday to Thursday next week between 0540 and 2040 with four trains per hour.

Great news! Thanks for posting

 

[Horizon22]

https://twitter.com/inpaddington

You can go out onto Eastbourne Terrace via the Sainsburys and get a good look too!

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

This was a run made in early December 2020 but without stops at any stations. IIRC maximum speed in the tunnels is 62mph and on the GWML and GEML 90mph. On the line to Abbey Wood it is 62mph.

The 62mph sounds like metric 100km/h.
Is the central section signalling based on metric speed controls like ETCS?

 

[Snow1964]

The 62mph sounds like metric 100km/h.
Is the central section signalling based on metric speed controls like ETCS?

Yes, all the speed limits are metric based (even if quoted as mph)
70, 80, 90, 100 km/h all exist

 

[CapitalStar378]

Why does the entrance roundel say Paddington and not Elizabeth Line? You don't see LU roundels outside stations with the station names.

 

[BahrainLad]

Why does the entrance roundel say Paddington and not Elizabeth Line? You don't see LU roundels outside stations with the station names.

Because as with the rest of Crossrail the whole brand book has been thrown out the window?

Eg I walked past Liverpool Street Crossrail (Broadgate) entrance and the totem just says ‘Elizabeth Line’, which is clearly different to ‘Station Name’,p as is apparently the case at Paddington, and then the sign above the entrance is in lowercase...

The whole thing is a mess.

 

[TFN]

and then the sign above the entrance is in lowercase...

Apparently keeps in line with National Rail station name signs being lowercase.

Could be wrong

 

[LLivery]

Because as with the rest of Crossrail the whole brand book has been thrown out the window?

Eg I walked past Liverpool Street Crossrail (Broadgate) entrance and the totem just says ‘Elizabeth Line’, which is clearly different to ‘Station Name’,p as is apparently the case at Paddington, and then the sign above the entrance is in lowercase...

The whole thing is a mess.

Yeah, I can't figure out TfL's branding standards at the moment.

This roundel has the station name, others say "Elizabeth line"; the GEML fast lines have blue signs with capital letters; Bushey fast lines have white signs; Harrow & Wealdstone have no roundels at all - just white signs with blue writing; Stratford is similar to Harrow & W - but with operator branding; Norwood Junction has LO roundels on all platforms, and Farringdon has tube roundels on the Thameslink platforms. I thought they took signage very seriously...

 

[zwk500]

Yeah, I can't figure out TfL's branding standards at the moment.

This roundel has the station name, others say "Elizabeth line"; the GEML fast lines have blue signs with capital letters; Bushey fast lines have white signs; Harrow & Wealdstone have no roundels at all - just white signs with blue writing; Stratford is similar to Harrow & W - but with operator branding; Norwood Junction has LO roundels on all platforms, and Farringdon has tube roundels on the Thameslink platforms. I thought they took signage very seriously...

Bushey fast lines aren't used, so to replace the signs would be a waste of money, I'm fairly sure the DC line platforms have the orange branding in full. Is Stratford managed by GA rather than TfL or is it split? Farringdon having Tube roundels might be because it was easier to have the same symbol on all signs, because TL doesn't really have a logo, or to indicate the interchange to TL passengers.

 

[swt_passenger]

Yeah, I can't figure out TfL's branding standards at the moment.
[…]
and Farringdon has tube roundels on the Thameslink platforms. I thought they took signage very seriously...

Farringdon has always had roundels on all platforms because the whole station is LU managed, as did Barbican and Moorgate SSR. You’ll see the exact opposite occur at Wimbledon and Richmond which are entirely TOC managed.

 

[CapitalStar378]

I guess at multi modal and operator stations it's difficult to figure out what the call the new station. The LU station is Paddington Underground Station, the mainline is London Paddington. Paddington Crossrail Station would have worked had Bozo not changed it to the Liz line. Paddington Elizabeth Line Station just doesn't work so maybe they've just gone for plain Paddington in a purple roundel.

It's still a bit of a mish mash overall.

 

[LLivery]

Farringdon has always had roundels on all platforms because the whole station is LU managed, as did Barbican and Moorgate SSR. You’ll see the exact opposite occur at Wimbledon and Richmond which are entirely TOC managed.

Understood, but Romford is TfL Rail managed. Yet no roundels on the fast platforms - I just find it curious.

Bushey fast lines aren't used, so to replace the signs would be a waste of money, I'm fairly sure the DC line platforms have the orange branding in full. Is Stratford managed by GA rather than TfL or is it split? Farringdon having Tube roundels might be because it was easier to have the same symbol on all signs, because TL doesn't really have a logo, or to indicate the interchange to TL passengers.

Apologises, I meant the WCML slows, not fast. But yes, you say that and I agree, but they recently replaced all the GEML fast signs.

I was under the impression TfL ran the whole of Stratford, it certainly feels that way, but maybe I'm wrong.

As for Farringdon, I understand the simplicity aspect. Likewise for SWR at Wimbledon and LO at Norwood Jun. But comparing Farringdon with Romford and Bushey, TfL seems to be inconsistent with it. Sorry, we're drifting off topic...

 

[eMeS]

I guess at multi modal and operator stations it's difficult to figure out what the call the new station. The LU station is Paddington Underground Station, the mainline is London Paddington. Paddington Crossrail Station would have worked had Bozo not changed it to the Liz line. Paddington Elizabeth Line Station just doesn't work so maybe they've just gone for plain Paddington in a purple roundel.

It's still a bit of a mish mash overall.

I think it should have remained "Crossrail" - much more descriptive than "Elizabeth Line".

 

[CapitalStar378]

I think it should have remained "Crossrail" - much more descriptive than "Elizabeth Line".

Completely agree

 

[westv]

I think it should have remained "Crossrail" - much more descriptive than "Elizabeth Line".

A bit like the Jubilee or Metropolitan lines?

 

[snowball]

A bit like the Jubilee or Metropolitan lines?

The Jubilee line was going to be called the Fleet line until two years before it opened - another case of a more informative name being replaced by a royal one by a Conservative administration.

Was the Metropolitan Railway ever planned to be called anything different?

 

[Acton1991]

Out west, the TfL managed stations still have white signage with blue text (no roundels), and then you have the GWR managed stations with their own set of signage again. Total branding mess!

 

[swt_passenger]

Out west, the TfL managed stations still have white signage with blue text (no roundels), and then you have the GWR managed stations with their own set of signage again. Total branding mess!

I thought they always said purple roundel signage would not be put in place until the core was fully open.
The TfL station signage design guide does refer to the possibility of using plain blue text on white where platforms are shared by TfL and other operators.

In the interchange signage standards, we have this, with pictures:

3.11 Platform station names

Where platforms serve one network line exclusively the station name should be in the corporate style of that network.

At simple interchanges where platforms serve more than one network, the station name should be in the style of the station owner. At an Underground station with National rail services operating from the same platform, Underground roundels would be displayed as the station name.

Neutral rectangular station names should be used to avoid customer confusion at large interchanges where there are several parallel platforms each serving different rail and TFL networks.

https://content.tfl.gov.uk/tfl-interchange-signs-standard.pdf

There are clearly existing examples such as Farringdon Thameslink that don’t seem to conform to that…

 

[Gareth]

The Jubilee line was going to be called the Fleet line until two years before it opened - another case of a more informative name being replaced by a royal one by a Conservative administration.

Was the Metropolitan Railway ever planned to be called anything different?

Presumably, Victoria station will also be renamed, once the cultural revolution is complete.

 

[Mojo]

As suggested above, trial running did indeed commence this morning with 4tph. This will hopefully then move up to 8tph from June 5th and then 12tph June 17th and onwards.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Presumably, Victoria station will also be renamed, once the cultural revolution is complete.

These royal names are a bit sticky though. Victoria is now the popular name for that area of London, not just the station and the LU line.
Then there's Southend and Manchester to consider (Nottingham Victoria turned into the Victoria shopping centre when it closed).
The railway long ago had an "Elizabethan" named train (King's Cross-Edinburgh, 1953-63).
Oddly we have never had stations/lines named after male monarchs.

Austria still refers to the original royal names for its main lines: Kaiser Ferdinands Nordbahn, Kaiserin Elisabeth Westbahn, Franz Josefs Bahn, Rudolfsbahn etc.
The FJB station in Vienna still carries the name, but the station at the other end of the line in Prague is now the hlavni nádraží (but there's a prominent portrait of Franz Josef himself in the old part of the building).
Prague has been through at least two cultural revolutions and back again.

 

[kevin_roche]

As suggested above, trial running did indeed commence this morning with 4tph. This will hopefully then move up to 8tph from June 5th and then 12tph June 17th and onwards.

Thank you for the details. I wonder, does anyone know if there is a plan to test 24tph or even 30tph at any point so that they can confirm the signalling system can handle the proposed maximum traffic when the line is fully open?

 

[zwk500]

Oddly we have never had stations/lines named after male monarchs.

Off topic, but the DLR does.

 

[Gareth]

These royal names are a bit sticky though. Victoria is now the popular name for that area of London, not just the station and the LU line.
Then there's Southend and Manchester to consider (Nottingham Victoria turned into the Victoria shopping centre when it closed).
The railway long ago had an "Elizabethan" named train (King's Cross-Edinburgh, 1953-63).
Oddly we have never had stations/lines named after male monarchs.

For what it's worth, I don't like the Elizabeth Line change. Crossrail is a single line system and named lines are there to distinguish different lines within the same system, so far as I'm concerned. That said, although I'm not a monarchist particularly, I appreciate that the name change and the monarchy in general has the capacity to upset all the right sanctimonious people.

The Victoria comment wasn't as unserious as I'd like it to be. Liverpool University has just changed the name of one of its buildings from William Gladstone to some local activist I've never heard of. If Gladstone isn't safe, I wouldn't bet on the Empress of India being invulnerable to the revolution.

Thanks for the Austrian stuff. Not much to say on it but it was an interesting read.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Off topic, but the DLR does.

Having had a look at the DLR map, I think they adopted the historic names of the adjacent docks, rather than named directly for the monarch/prince.
But at least they get a look-in.
I thought for a minute they might be named after local pubs, as in Berney Arms or Three Cocks!

 

[itfcfan]

As suggested above, trial running did indeed commence this morning with 4tph. This will hopefully then move up to 8tph from June 5th and then 12tph June 17th and onwards.

It's great news that trial running has started.

It also means activity once again on RTT for the crossrail core. Looking at today's timings it seems many of the services ran later than scheduled:

Realtime Trains - Departures from Bond Street

Realtime Trains provides live realtime running information for the Great British railway network using open data.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

It'd be interesting to understand if the later running services are due to planned "service disruption" (and recovery) type testing as part of the trial running? Or if this is the kind of teething trouble to be expected on the first attempt at trial running (I appreciate trial running is building upon many previous days of dynamic testing)? Or is this unexpected (I've seen on the 345 thread that two stock transfers through the core were also delayed) - possibly there was a more general infrastructure issue)?

For the avoidance of any doubt I'm not intending to be critical! I'm just interested in the processes followed for trial running.