Railroad Forums 

  • The $15 Billion railway -Crossrail

  • Discussion about railroad topics everywhere outside of Canada and the United States.
Discussion about railroad topics everywhere outside of Canada and the United States.

Moderators: Komachi, David Benton

 #1434585  by george matthews
 
There have been a series of BBC programmes about the building. It is still some time before it will open, as a great deal of work is still to be done. The tunnels are largely excavated but only some of the track has been laid yet. The stations have to be fitted out - much work there. They are building platforms, installing escalators and so on. The trains are are being built and at least one has arrived to be tested elsewhere on electrified lines. I think the power will be delivered by overhead cable - unlike the third and fourth rails used in the traditional Underground.

Crossrail will connect with Reading in the west, and also with Heathrow airport. I think the trains will use the existing heavy rail stations at the airport. This railway is the largest new railway being built in Europe. From Heathrow its trains will replace the existing trains which run to Paddington and will call at a new station being excavated at Paddington.
 #1434618  by johnthefireman
 
george matthews wrote:Crossrail will connect with Reading in the west, and also with Heathrow airport.
And with Shenfield in the east. I used to travel to school every day on part of the old Liverpool Street to Shenfield line. It'll be interesting to see Crossrail passing through the stations of my youth such as Ilford, Romford, Gidea Park and Brentwood. All the years I was growing up in east London and then visiting my parents there later after I had left home, we hated having to go westwards, including Heathrow Airport, because there was no quick and convenient route by either road or rail. You had to allow three or four hours to get from home to Heathrow and vice versa. Crossrail would have been so useful. Ironic that they waited until I no longer had any links whatsoever with Ilford before they built the bloody thing! But I understand that the commercial interest in east London is Docklands, which will now have a quick and easy link to the West End, Heathrow and Reading.

There's still a conflict over the Heathrow link as apparently BAA are demanding an exorbitant fee to allow Crossrail to run over its private metals into the airport station, and Crossrail is refusing.
the power will be delivered by overhead cable - unlike the third and fourth rails used in the traditional Underground
Correct, it is 25kv AC overhead wires. These already exist at the eastern and westen ends (all the way to Shenfield in the east, and at least as far as Heathrow and probably Reading by now in the west). I don't think there is any real comparison between Crossrail and the traditional Underground except that they are both under the ground. Crossrail is a "normal" fast railway operation which just happens to be in a tunnel for part of its route (including a handful of stations).
 #1434664  by RRspatch
 
David Benton wrote:BBC programme on building London's Cross Rail.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08ry6ly" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Appears to be avaliable to international viewers .
Nope.

"BBC iPlayer only works in the UK. Sorry, it’s due to rights issues."

A quick check of Youtube shows it's not there either.

I really need to get off my butt and set up a VPN.
 #1434667  by David Benton
 
RRspatch wrote:
David Benton wrote:BBC programme on building London's Cross Rail.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08ry6ly" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Appears to be avaliable to international viewers .
Nope.

"BBC iPlayer only works in the UK. Sorry, it’s due to rights issues."

A quick check of Youtube shows it's not there either.

I really need to get off my butt and set up a VPN.
Hmm, yes , it worked on the office computer at work, but didnt work on the laptop at home for me. And i thought they were both on the same providor. Just shows i need to spen more time at work on Railways.