Crossrail - London

[ledge69 0]

Is it just me or is this project going to become one of the biggest white elephants to date in the UK. If anyone has seen the film 'Cube' then this is Crossrail. A project that has lost its purpose but is being pushed over every hurdle because its been on the agenda so long and already cost millions in preperations.

This was one of the original route maps before the project was rejected in 1994.

The Alylesbury and Cheshem lines now have a good train operator and the Metropolitan already joins into the Underground. However the Reading route which has now been cut back to Maidenhead seems odd as trains from Paddington to Reading are very crowded and the operator even marks fast trains to Reading from local services. I couldn't find a real reason although with inflation the rising cost has to be forever cut back from somthing.

So after more then a decade were left with this.

The Isle of Dogs is now well established as a new micro city. This and Heathrow Airport have now made an apperance as new branches. With all the development in the Docklands the Docklands Light Railway can't cope on its own and the Jubilee Line is quite a slow way to get into the City. Currently the Heathrow Express runs to Paddington where you can either get a train into the west or change for the Underground. Most take the Piccadilly as its a lot cheaper even thou it is a nightmare trying to get all your cases and the twins on. This strikes me as the only part of the system that will actually benefit people and course no disruption to exsisting services.

Although why the route then takes you from Isle of Dogs out to Abbey Wood, a station on the Dartford Loop Line, taking you right under Woolwich Arsnel, a station on the same line. The reason is because there isn't the money to build it, even thou the area is going through regeneration and will have a link to the Docklands Light Railway. Would it not be sensible to terminate the line here and not take it to a station miles away? Apprently not and the proposal to take the line all the way to Ebbesfleet International was thrown out too. A route that would have allowed many people in Kent to get into the city and avoid using the Underground.

That just leaves the line to Shenfield. Like the line to Maidenhead people are left asking, why to Shenfield? Why not to Chelmsford a big city that like most of the rail network out this way dosen't get all that great a service.

The last point is the disruption to exsisting servies a point that is played down. No extra capacity will be made for the Heathrow branch. First Great Western already runs as many services to the South West as it can and these will take 2nd priorty over Crossrail trains as will freight trains. Tee same is true on the Shenfield branch.

I just wonderd what your views were and what improvements could be made even thou it seems to late and this project is going ahead albeit at a slow pace.

[bearmans 0]

It seems to me that crossrail was a project invented to try and divert people who were crossing london off of the tube and onto a different system. Although it would probably make a more efficient system for shifting people across london how many people would actually use it and what would the benefit really be? My personal view is that money should be spent on improving the underground and then current mainlines into London which are already extremely stretched. We've already got a massive and vast underground system thats now operating above and beyond its capacity. Why not pump money into this and improve its capacity?

[ILL Tonkso 1,236]

Crossrail is now based mainly on further development in and around Canary Wharf. Although only 3 stations serve the area, the idea is to create better links with heathrow. This also brings up mone of the strangest things. Canary Wharf Group tried to sue crossrail because construction of Crossrail has delayed the construction of 3 skyscrapers in the Wharf. (the station will be undernearth) allthough Canary Wharf is by far, recieving the most benifit from the project (more transit = more skyscrapers = more money).

Also Crossrail is already Under Construction

[ledge69 0]

I agree bearmans the money would be better spent improving what we have. The thing is that to pay for Crossrail it will no doubt run on a seperate fare structure, tempting less people to use it. The London Overground/Orbirail will deliever more benefits and yet that is going to end up a half botched job cos there isn't the funding for it.

[ILL Tonkso 1,236]

Oh, by the way. Crossrail is also the largest rail project in world history and the largest construction project ever undertaken in the UK ever