Crossrail opening delayed (opening date not yet known)

[matt_world2004]

Some of the seats have been removed for testing equipment and other doors have been taped together.

 

[mrmartin]

Looking increasingly dire from these notes. http://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2019/01/crossrail-update.html

Paddington, Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road and Liverpool Street all at risk for opening even in July 2019, nevermind all the problems with signaling and trains.

 

[theking]

Really can't see this opening properly untill 2020.

They should take the time to finish and test the infrastructure thoroughly rather than open a half finished project with hordings everywhere.

 

[LLivery]

I don't expect any of it to be open before December 2019.

 

[plcd1]

For those who want to wade through pages of redacted text the KMPG reviews on Crossrail Finances and Governance are now on line.

https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/publications-and-reports/crossrail-project-updates

 

[mrmartin]

For those who want to wade through pages of redacted text the KMPG reviews on Crossrail Finances and Governance are now on line.

https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/publications-and-reports/crossrail-project-updates

To be honest this report concerns me more than anything. It suggests a complete lack of transparency at high levels which makes me think things are extremely bad, and they haven't learnt anything from the past behaviour of trying to bury secrets.

I have never seen a government report like this that has every single key finding redacted - what is the point of publishing this?! Did noone think it may embarrassing to publish in this state? I understand there is commercial confidentiality, but the tax/farepayer has a right to know what is going on which needs to be balanced.

I am starting to think this is more on the scale of Berlin Brandenburg airport in terms of delay when this kind of things happens...

 

[matt_world2004]

I wonder how tfl are going to pay for this. I can't see the district line shuttle to Kensington Olympia being maintained because to maintain track for such a low frequency of services is probably not worth it

 

[JN114]

I wonder how tfl are going to pay for this. I can't see the district line shuttle to Kensington Olympia being maintained because to maintain track for such a low frequency of services is probably not worth it

Don’t they have to maintain the track anyway as stock in/out of Lillie Bridge has to go to Kensington Olympia to reverse?

 

[700007]

Don’t they have to maintain the track anyway as stock in/out of Lillie Bridge has to go to Kensington Olympia to reverse?

I think that's the only reason this service is still alive otherwise it would have been axed by now...

 

[Class 170101]

As Geoff Marshall has noted there are some weekday services at Kensington Olympia (not many)

 

[bluegoblin7]

As Geoff Marshall has noted there are some weekday services at Kensington Olympia (not many)

All of which are depot workings, as noted already. It provides alternative access to/from Lillie Bridge depot, and is also a useful bolt hole during disruption. Closing it would cause more operational headaches than it would solve.

 

[Class 170101]

All of which are depot workings, as noted already. It provides alternative access to/from Lillie Bridge depot, and is also a useful bolt hole during disruption. Closing it would cause more operational headaches than it would solve.

But they are service trains so pnters may use them.

 

[bluegoblin7]

But they are service trains so pnters may use them.

Their primary reason is to run to or from Lillie Bridge depot. As Geoff's video notes, they're also first choice trains for reformation in the event of service perturbation.

 

[MJG]

A 2019 opening is pretty much dead in the water by the look of things.

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/tra...opening-this-year-and-he-has-no-a4053976.html

 

[samuelmorris]

No surprises there. I'm still currently thinking Core Q4 2020, GW only Q4 2019, stages 4&5 some time in 2021.

 

[PR1Berske]

No surprises there. I'm still currently thinking Core Q4 2020, GW only Q4 2019, stages 4&5 some time in 2021.

And accountability for the delay comes there none!

 

[jhy44]

Very grim reading indeed.

Would a Canary Wharf - Abbey Wood service be technically feasible? Unsure of what turnback / crossover provision has been built into the infrastructure, and if there are any at CW to allow such a service. Those four stations haven't been mentioned as ones with serious delays, and would have quite a big positive impact for those in SE London at least. Would be reminiscent of the Stratford-Greenwich leg of the jubilee line opening first.

 

[samuelmorris]

Potentially but I still don't think that's the big hold up. The big issue is being able to operate a passenger service meeting safety requirements at all. By the time that's achievable I imagine all the stations will be long finished, even the most troublesome ones.

 

[hwl]

Potentially but I still don't think that's the big hold up. The big issue is being able to operate a passenger service meeting safety requirements at all. By the time that's achievable I imagine all the stations will be long finished, even the most troublesome ones.

Yep lots of issues will be sorted in parallel, it will take while...

 

[swt_passenger]

Very grim reading indeed.

Would a Canary Wharf - Abbey Wood service be technically feasible? Unsure of what turnback / crossover provision has been built into the infrastructure, and if there are any at CW to allow such a service. Those four stations haven't been mentioned as ones with serious delays, and would have quite a big positive impact for those in SE London at least. Would be reminiscent of the Stratford-Greenwich leg of the jubilee line opening first.

There are no crossovers in the vicinity of Canary Wharf. On the SE leg the only intermediate crossovers are at Custom House.

 

[Tio Terry]

As I understand it, the problems revolve around the interfaces between the signalling systems on the rolling stock, the fixed infrastructure within the central section and the interfaces with NR's signalling systems at Pudding Mill Lane and Paddington. Yes, there's work to do on stations still but without a fully operational signalling system the state of the stations matters not.

NR identified the risks associated with the interfaces with their systems way back in 2015 when I was still working, I'm surprised we are still in this state now. Seem's to have been caused by failures in procurement with the trains being ordered by TfL and the central section signalling by Crossrail whilst the NR signalling systems were known from day one so someone should have been working on them ages ago.

 

[Chris125]

As I understand it, the problems revolve around the interfaces between the signalling systems on the rolling stock, the fixed infrastructure within the central section and the interfaces with NR's signalling systems at Pudding Mill Lane and Paddington. Yes, there's work to do on stations still but without a fully operational signalling system the state of the stations matters not.

If I remember Mark Wild correctly the interfaces aren't rocket science but need a lengthy period of intensive testing - that simply hasn't been possible with all the construction work going on in the core, even if everything else was ready.

 

[frediculous]

While being diverted down the North Kent Line, a 345 passed heading towards Abbey Wood. Nothing about it on RTT (on the Crossrail side). At least this section is sufficiently done that trains can move.

 

[Malcolmffc]

Will trains doing test runs in the Crossrail core appear in RTT / other open feeds?

 

[theironroad]

Will trains doing test runs in the Crossrail core appear in RTT / other open feeds?

I wouldn't have thought so. Often testing is done under a possession arrangement, so that a train can travel from a to b at the discretion of the person in charge of the possession/testing and doesn't need individual paths allocated.

 

[Chester1]

Is there any chance of TfL Rail running the 345s to Heathrow and / or to Reading by the end of the year? It would be progress at least.

 

[JN114]

Is there any chance of TfL Rail running the 345s to Heathrow and / or to Reading by the end of the year? It would be progress at least.

There’s a chance certainly - in the case of the former it’s their stated intention to get the 345s onto the Heathrows asap. In the case of the latter it’s said that they have a desire to run to Reading sooner rather than later; but there hasn’t been anything official on that front as of yet.

 

[matt_world2004]

There’s a chance certainly - in the case of the former it’s their stated intention to get the 345s onto the Heathrows asap. In the case of the latter it’s said that they have a desire to run to Reading sooner rather than later; but there hasn’t been anything official on that front as of yet.

They probably will start running 345s from Paddington mainline to Reading. The GWR 387s will start on Heathrow express duties at some point and that will leave a shortage. I reckon you will get 2tph from December to Reading.

The desire is in the Tfl business plan to start services from Paddington Mainline to Reading.

 

[ijmad]

They probably will start running 345s from Paddington mainline to Reading. The GWR 387s will start on Heathrow express duties at some point and that will leave a shortage. I reckon you will get 2tph from December to Reading.

The desire is in the Tfl business plan to start services from Paddington Mainline to Reading.

I assume there isn't enough platform capacity for the full service uplift that Crossrail was supposed to deliver (12tph west of Paddington in total). However as you say, current service pattern could be taken over.

 

[matt_world2004]

I wouldn't have thought so. Often testing is done under a possession arrangement, so that a train can travel from a to b at the discretion of the person in charge of the possession/testing and doesn't need individual paths allocated.

They have sometimes certainly in June they appeared