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

[LUYMun]

I wonder why would the monarch and prominent politicians attend an opening ceremony a week before Crossrail is due to open?

 

[Sultan]

I wonder why would the monarch and prominent politicians attend an opening ceremony a week before Crossrail is due to open?

Before the trains get too dirty perhaps?

One must have one's carriage spick 'n' span.

 

[swt_passenger]

I wonder why would the monarch and prominent politicians attend an opening ceremony a week before Crossrail is due to open?

Usually, it would be because it’s been arranged before the delay occurred, and the usual guests are not available on the new date. This was already suggested a few posts back…

 

[James H]

It sounds like there will be further media/political/VIP trips on the Elizabeth line next Monday ahead of the Tuesday opening

 

[Andrew S]

Power supply fault at Abbey wood this morning and no Elizabeth line trains running

I get the impression that the power supply issue happened around 8am this morning, and just affects the station domestic supply, ie lighting, barriers, ticket machines, PA, PIS, and OPO monitors etc. According to an earlier poster the Crossrail runs today were cancelled late yesterday.

 

[Mojo]

According to an earlier poster the Crossrail runs today were cancelled late yesterday.

The service would always have to be suspended this morning to allow the relevant authorities to check the track and other areas for any suspicious items.

 

[CardiffKid]

I wonder why would the monarch and prominent politicians attend an opening ceremony a week before Crossrail is due to open?

Because them being there on the day would involve them being significantly in the way. Also see any Hospital, School or Bridge etc

 

[snowball]

Opening ceremonies are often days or weeks before or after the opening to the public. They often have to be fixed before the date of readiness is known.

 

[stuu]

I’m only thinking about whether there’s a paid side direct route from the Crossrail platform or concourse area to Praed St. A short cut if you like? Obviously as you say Praed St and the Bakerloo retain their existing paid side links.

No, there isn't, it was dropped. There is the paid side link via the Bakerloo line but I would bet that the signage says to go out the barriers and across the lawn

Re official openings, they are often a long time after the actual opening as well as before

 

[swt_passenger]

No, there isn't, it was dropped. There is the paid side link via the Bakerloo line but I would bet that the signage says to go out the barriers and across the lawn

Re official openings, they are often a long time after the actual opening as well as before

Thanks for the confirmation, I’d just been trying to deduce whether there was a paid side route from the signage in one of the videos about the station. Using the Bakerloo link would indeed be very indirect.

It shows we need to be careful if looking at online images that sometimes date from some years before design was completed, original discussion with @Watershed is here, post #29:

Elizabeth line ticketing

The central section of Elizabeth line is opening soon and the ticketing still isn't completely clear to me. I have a lot of questions here: Will London Underground tickets containing the appropriate zones be interavailable on the newly-opened section? Similarly, will National Rail only tickets...

www.railforums.co.uk

 

[subk2010]

Sorry if it was discussed before. Which crossover (s) will the Central Section Train use when reversing at Westbourne Park?

 

[JonathanH]

Sorry if it was discussed before. Which crossover (s) will the Central Section Train use when reversing at Westbourne Park?

That depends which reversing siding they are using. There are track diagrams on the various live signalling sites - eg traksy, opentraintimes, signalmaps.

 

[kevin_roche]

Sorry if it was discussed before. Which crossover (s) will the Central Section Train use when reversing at Westbourne Park?

There are two crossovers near the entrance to the portal. Which is used is assigned by the signalling system and I think it was mentioned earlier that it can change from trip to trip and depends on which reversing siding is used and what other trains are doing at the time.
See it in action here; https://signalmaps.co.uk/#crossrail:1269

 

[vic-rijrode]

Royals don't do cash.

... just our money ...

 

[matt_world2004]

The first two weekend closures are for elr210 commissioning

The third closure is for rfli maintenance

 

[Mojo]

No, there isn't, it was dropped. There is the paid side link via the Bakerloo line but I would bet that the signage says to go out the barriers and across the lawn

Pictures show that the signs direct customers to the Hammersmith & City line[1], District and Circle lines, and the Bakerloo line, the latter being an illuminated sign with arrows changeable by staff on site depending on which way they want customers to go.

Given the Bakerloo line only has one escalator from platform level to ticket hall level (the other one goes down and there is a fixed staircase in the middle) I’m guessing they will want to avoid making this even more busy than it is at present - even at quiet times there are often very hefty queues to leave the platform level - I’m wondering if they’re expecting a lot of customers to be changing to Crossrail via the low level platforms when it eventually opens up to the west, as I’ve not seen any plans for the installation of a third escalator; I suppose the expectation is that the new ticket hall covers this.

[1] Yes, this is typed correctly and doesn’t take into account the fact Circle line trains also go from Paddington (Suburban), presumably an error.

 

[camflyer]

Because them being there on the day would involve them being significantly in the way. Also see any Hospital, School or Bridge etc

Also a lot easier to manage security for a closed event ahead of the actual opening. You wouldn't expect HM to be there at 5am on the 24th for the actual first train.

 

[StratfordP]

New more detailed information on the DLR maps for distance to stations near canary wharf

 

[the sniper]

Also a lot easier to manage security for a closed event ahead of the actual opening. You wouldn't expect HM to be there at 5am on the 24th for the actual first train.

Nah, she'll be there, gotta get that selfie with Geoff Marshall & @timmydunn for her socials.

 

[Snow1964]

There will now be a stage 5b-minus which will provide a 22 trains per hour peak (16 trains per hour off-peak) frequency in the central section (Paddington – Whitechapel) which can commence outside of a National Rail timetable change but requires a 16-week notice period;

5.1 The plan to complete the end-to-end railway entails three steps; 5b-minus which will provide a 22 trains per hour peak (16 trains per hour off-peak) frequency in the central section (Paddington – Whitechapel) which can commence outside of a National Rail timetable change but requires a 16-week notice period; and stages 5b and 5c both of which step up the peak frequency to 24 trains per hour but require auto-reverse and will be implemented to align with the National Rail timetable change.
5.2 Reliability will be a key factor in commencing and moving through the Stage 5 stages with the reliability on each of the west, central and east sections needing focus and management. Particular attention is also currently on the transitions which will be key to support Stage 5. A T-minus process is being established that builds on the approach taken to countdown to commence revenue service of the Elizabeth line

https://board.tfl.gov.uk/documents/s17801/elc-220525-elizabeth-line-readiness.pdf

 

[Acton1991]

New diagrams are up in-station!

 

[spinba11]

I’ve read something on twitter that says every station in the core will have a train waiting and they will all set off at 6:30, is there any truth to that or are the first trains leaving paddington at 6:33 and Abbey Wood at 6:30

 

[StratfordP]

I’ve read something on twitter that says every station in the core will have a train waiting and they will all set off at 6:30, is there any truth to that or are the first trains leaving paddington at 6:33 and Abbey Wood at 6:30

No, e.g. first service from Farringdon to Abbey Wood on opening day is at 6:41 and Paddington 6:51: https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/search/simple/gb-nr:ZFD/2022-05-24/0630

 

[JonathanH]

No, e.g. first service from Farringdon to Abbey Wood on opening day is at 6:41 and Paddington 6:51: https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/search/simple/gb-nr:ZFD/2022-05-24/0630

RTT is just taking a feed of data which has some limitations.

If the operator opens the gates at the stations at 0630 and the drivers are instructed to open the doors at the first station they reach after 0630 it would be possible to do what is suggested on Twitter. (However, it would seem improbable to have passengers riding class 5 trains.)

 

[matt_world2004]

RTT is just taking a feed of data which has some limitations.

If the operator opens the gates at the stations at 0630 and the drivers are instructed to open the doors at the first station they reach after 0630 it would be possible to do what is suggested on Twitter. (However, it would seem improbable to have passengers riding class 5 trains.)

It would make the testing pointless if passengers can get on part way through the journey. May as well have passengers getting on from the first stop.

 

[Horizon22]

There will now be a stage 5b-minus which will provide a 22 trains per hour peak (16 trains per hour off-peak) frequency in the central section (Paddington – Whitechapel) which can commence outside of a National Rail timetable change but requires a 16-week notice period;

https://board.tfl.gov.uk/documents/s17801/elc-220525-elizabeth-line-readiness.pdf

Yes auto-reverse still isn't working by all accounts, which is absoutely vital for 24tph.

 

[jumble]

I hope these questions have not been asked before but does anyone know
Where can I get the limited edition Oyster card and if it is from a machine how do I know I will not get a plain one?
If a Spaniel wanted to ride on the first train out of Paddington next Tuesday to Abbey Wood and was travelling from Baker Street would it be better to use the HandC or the Bakerloo to get to Paddington ?

 

[Snow1964]

Yes auto-reverse still isn't working by all accounts, which is absoutely vital for 24tph.

I do tend to wonder why this wasn’t tested somewhere about 4 years before opening (about 8 years ago)

Does seem pretty fundamental to the basic design of the planned 24tph service, and if it wasn’t going to work, an alternative was needed.

 

[stuu]

I do tend to wonder why this wasn’t tested somewhere about 4 years before opening (about 8 years ago)

Does seem pretty fundamental to the basic design of the planned 24tph service, and if it wasn’t going to work, an alternative was needed.

I don't know any of the detail at all, but it is entirely possible that they have been concentrating on the rest of the software that is needed, rather than something that isn't urgent. I don't think for a minute that they have been working on it all this time and can't get it to work

Auto-reverse exists on the DLR, it's not a new invention

 

[subk2010]

I hope these questions have not been asked before but does anyone know
Where can I get the limited edition Oyster card and if it is from a machine how do I know I will not get a plain one?
If a Spaniel wanted to ride on the first train out of Paddington next Tuesday to Abbey Wood and was travelling from Baker Street would it be better to use the HandC or the Bakerloo to get to Paddington ?

According to TfL, it should be available in all Zone 1 LU Stations. As far as I know, Charing X, Paddington, King's Cross St Pancras sell the limited edition of Oyster.