We like to think it is not often we get caught out at London Reconnections. Often there’s a hint, either spotter or official, if not an openly advanced warning, about significant announcements. Other times we …
Continue readingCategory: Crossrail
MTR To Operate Crossrail Concession
We wrote recently about how Crossrail would operate and now we know who – it was announced this morning that MTR have been selected as the successful bidder for the £1.4bn, eight year (extendable to …
Continue readingPurple Reign – How Crossrail Will Be Run
There was a time when your humble Editor worked in the Civil Service. From this period of personal history two clear memories stick out. Firstly that there was once a genuine publication titled Guidance on …
Continue readingCrossrail: Reading the Future
At yesterday’s TfL Board Meeting “Crossrail Enhancements” were discussed, in a non-public session, and agreed. These enhancements were the extension of Crossrail to Reading, which will be officially announced today. That Crossrail will be extended …
Continue readingCrossrail: A Fit Off-Peak?
We have already seen how population estimates for growth in London have been seriously underestimated and how there is concern in some quarters that Crossrail will be “full up” when it opens. The presumption was …
Continue readingIn Pictures: Crossrail’s Eastern Tunnels & Canary Wharf
As Pedantic of Purley pointed out recently, it has been some time since we properly paid Crossrail some attention. As much as it is important to delve into the world of timetables and capacity though, …
Continue readingQuestioning Capacity: How Quickly Will Crossrail’s New Trains Fill Up?
We had gone for quite a while without looking at Crossrail other than to publish some of the dramatic pictures made available showing the progress of the construction works. That had already started to change …
Continue readingMore Than Politics: Bombardier Gets Crossrail Rolling Stock
As had been widely anticipated for some time, this morning the winner of the Crossrail rolling stock and depot contract was announced. The (approximately) £1bn contract covers the supply of 65 nine car trains (which …
Continue readingA Window Into Crossrail From the National Audit Office
As a public project with Department for Transport ownership (albeit in this case jointly with TfL), Crossrail is subject to a number of elements of public project governance. One of the most interesting of these …
Continue readingIn Pictures: Canary Wharf Crossrail Station
Of all the new stations on the Crossrail Route it is Canary Wharf that has arguably progressed the fastest. Here work on on the four floor structure itself is effectively complete and fit-out underway, with …
Continue readingOld Oak Common: Part 3 – Looking Over the Fence
Think of Old Oak Common (OOC) as the Canary Wharf of west London. That’s the Vision: bold and challenging. But will a ‘super hub’ emerge? While the grand plan for OOC may depend on decisions further up the metaphorical line, to a certain extent OOC leapfrogs the institutional black hole of rail strategy and drives deeper changes in strategic planning for London as a whole.
Continue readingOld Oak Common: Part 2 – Putting the Pieces Together
In Part 1, we introduced the many components that need to be integrated into the grand plan at Old Oak Common (OOC), for a new interchange with HS2, Crossrail, the Great Western Mainline (GWML) and …
Continue readingIn Pictures: Tottenham Court Road Station Work
Crossrail have released another batch of photos highlighting the work underway at Tottenham Court Road on the new Underground and Crossrail stations. The first of Crossrail’s Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) has now cleared Tottenham Court …
Continue readingWrangling at Woolwich: Woolwich Crossrail Station Finally Proceeds
With tunnelling and construction underway across London. Crossrail has seemed in full swing now for some time. In truth though, an air of uncertainty has continued to hover over one station on the new line – Woolwich, for which funding arrangements were finally confirmed yesterday by Crossrail’s sponsors, the DfT and TfL.
Continue readingTfL Announce Crossrail Concession Shortlist
TfL have announced that four firms have been shortlisted for the Crossrail Concession. The shortlisted firms are: Arriva Crossrail Limited Keolis/Go Ahead MTR Corporation (Crossrail) Limited National Express Group PLC FirstGroup, RATP and Stagecoach were …
Continue reading