Crossrail

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Template:Short description Template:About Template:Use British English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox rail line

Crossrail is a completed railway project centred on London. It provides a high-frequency hybrid commuter rail and rapid transit system, akin to the RER in Paris and the S-Bahn systems of German-speaking countries,<ref>https://learninglegacy.crossrail.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Crossrail-project-to-Elizabeth-line-operations-Operational-approach-and-lessons-learned.pdf Template:Bare URL PDF</ref> known as the Elizabeth line, that crosses the capital from suburbs on the west to east and connects two major railway lines terminating in London: the Great Western Main Line and the Great Eastern Main Line. The project was approved in 2007, and construction began in 2009 on the central section and connections to existing lines that became part of the route, which has been named the Elizabeth line in honour of Queen Elizabeth II who opened the line on 17 May 2022 during her Platinum Jubilee. The central section of the line between Paddington and Abbey Wood opened on 24 May 2022, with 12 trains per hour running in each direction through the core section in Central London.

The main feature of the project was the construction of a new railway line that runs underground from Paddington Station to a junction near Whitechapel. There it splits into a branch to Template:Stn, where it joins the Great Eastern Main Line; and a branch to Abbey Wood in southeast London.

When the Elizabeth line became fully operational in May 2023, the new nine-carriage Class 345 trains started to run at frequencies in the central section of up to 24 trains per hour in each direction through the central core, after which services divide into two branches: in the west to Template:Rws and to Template:Rws; in the east to Template:Rws and to Template:Rws. Local services on the section of the Great Eastern Main Line between Template:Stn and Shenfield had been transferred to TfL Rail in May 2015; TfL Rail also took over Heathrow Connect services in May 2018 and replaced some local services between Paddington and Reading in December 2019. The TfL Rail brand was discontinued when the core section of the Elizabeth line opened in May 2022.

The Elizabeth line is operated by MTR Corporation (Crossrail) Ltd as a London Rail concession of Transport for London (TfL), in a similar manner to London Overground. TfL's annual revenues from the line were forecast in 2018 to be nearly £500Template:Nbspmillion in 2022–23 and over £1Template:Nbspbillion from 2024 to 2025.

The total estimated cost rose from an initial budget of £14.8Template:Nbspbillion to £18.8Template:Nbspbillion by December 2020. Originally planned to open in 2018, the project was repeatedly delayed, including several months caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since the project was completed, Crossrail International continues to provide consulting services to other railway projects globally.

History

Template:Main

Crossrail timeline
Date Event
1941–48 Proposals for cross-London railway tunnel(s), of the national network, by George Dow
1974 London Rail Study Report recommends a Template:Stn–Template:Stn "Crossrail" tunnel
1989 Central London Rail Study proposes three Crossrail schemes, including an east–west Paddington or Template:Stn–Liverpool Street route
1991 Private bill promoted by London Underground and British Rail submitted to Parliament proposing a Paddington–Liverpool Street tunnel; it was rejected in 1994
2001 Crossrail scheme promoted through Cross London Rail Links (CLRL)
2004 Senior railway managers promote an expanded regional Superlink scheme
2005 Crossrail Bill put before Parliament
2008 Crossrail Act 2008 receives royal assent
2009 Construction work begins at Template:Rws
2015 Liverpool Street–Template:Rws service transferred to TfL Rail
2017 New Crossrail trains introduced on Liverpool Street–Shenfield route
2018 Paddington–Heathrow services transferred to TfL Rail
2019 TfL Rail begin operating Paddington–Reading services
24 May 2022 Paddington–Abbey Wood services begin following opening ceremony by Queen Elizabeth II
6 November 2022 Reading and Heathrow–Abbey Wood, and Paddington–Shenfield services begin
21 May 2023<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> Full route opening for passenger trains

Early proposals

The concept of large-diameter tunnels crossing central London to connect Paddington in the west and Liverpool Street in the east was first proposed by railwayman George Dow in The Star newspaper in June 1941.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The project that became Crossrail has origins in the 1943 County of London Plan and 1944 Greater London Plan by Patrick Abercrombie. These led to a specialist investigation by the Railway (London Plan) Committee, appointed in 1944 and reporting in 1946 and 1948.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

The term "Crossrail" emerged in the 1974 London Rail Study Report.<ref>London Rail Study Report Part 2, pub. GLC/DoE 1974, page 87–88</ref> Although the idea was seen as imaginative, only a brief estimate of cost was given: £300Template:Nbspmillion. A feasibility study was recommended as a high priority so that the practicability and costs of the scheme could be determined. It was also suggested that the alignment of the tunnels should be safeguarded<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite Hansard</ref> while a final decision was taken.

Later proposals

The Central London Rail Study of 1989 proposed tunnels linking the existing rail network as the "East–West Crossrail", "City Crossrail", and "North–South Crossrail" schemes. The east–west scheme was for a line from Liverpool Street to Paddington/Marylebone with two connections at its western end linking the tunnel to the Great Western Main Line and the Metropolitan line on the Underground. The City route was shown as a new connection across the City of London linking the Great Northern Route with London Bridge.

The north–south line proposed routing West Coast Main Line, Thameslink, and Great Northern trains through Euston and King's Cross/Template:Rws, then under the West End via Template:Lus, Template:Lus and Victoria towards Template:Rws and Template:Rws. The report also recommended a number of other schemes including a "Thameslink Metro" route enhancement, and the Chelsea–Hackney line. The cost of the east–west scheme including rolling stock was estimated at £885Template:Nbspmillion.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 1991, a private bill was submitted to Parliament for a scheme including a new underground line from Paddington to Liverpool Street.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The bill was promoted by London Underground and British Rail, and supported by the government; it was rejected by the Private Bill Committee in 1994<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> on the grounds that a case had not been made, though the government issued "Safeguarding Directions", protecting the route from any development that would jeopardise future schemes.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2001, Cross London Rail Links (CLRL), a joint-venture between TfL and the Department for Transport (DfT), was formed to develop and promote the Crossrail scheme,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and also a Wimbledon–Hackney scheme.

While CLRL was promoting the Crossrail project, alternative schemes were being proposed. In 2002, GB Railways put forward a scheme called SuperCrossRail which would link regional stations such as Template:Rws, Template:Rws, Template:Rws, Template:Rws, Template:Rws and Template:Rws via a west–east rail tunnel through central London. The tunnel would follow an alignment along the River Thames, with stations at Template:Rws, Template:Rws and Template:Rws. In 2004 another proposal named Superlink was promoted by a group of senior railway managers. Like SuperCrossRail, Superlink envisaged linking a number of regional stations via a tunnel through London, but advocated the route already safeguarded for Crossrail. CLRL evaluated both proposals and rejected them due to concerns about network capacity and cost issues.<ref name="bbc-rival">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="clrl">Template:Cite web</ref>

Approval

The Crossrail Act 2008 was given royal assent in July 2008,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> giving CLRL the powers necessary to build the line.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In September 2009, TfL was loaned £1Template:Nbspbillion towards the project by the European Investment Bank.<ref name="Additional funding secured">Template:Cite news</ref> Both Conservatives and Labour made commitments in their 2010 election manifestos to deliver Crossrail, and the coalition government following the election was committed to the project.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Construction

Chronology

Construction of the Crossrail portal at Royal Oak, from a footbridge to the west of Royal Oak Underground station, July 2011

In April 2009, Crossrail announced that 17 firms had secured 'Enabling Works Framework Agreements' and would now be able to compete for packages of works.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> At the peak of construction up to 14,000 people were expected to be needed in the project's supply chain.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Work began on 15 May 2009 when piling works started at the future Canary Wharf station.<ref name="construction2009">Template:Cite news</ref>

The threat of diseases being released by work on the project was raised by Lord James of Blackheath at the passing of the Crossrail Bill. He told the House of Lords select committee that 682 victims of anthrax had been brought into Smithfield in Farringdon with some contaminated meat in 1520 and then buried in the area.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On 24 June 2009 it was reported that no traces of anthrax or bubonic plague had been found on human bone fragments discovered during tunnelling.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Invitations to tender for the two principal tunnelling contracts were published in the Official Journal of the European Union in August 2009. 'Tunnels West' (C300) was for twin Template:Convert tunnels from Royal Oak through to the new Crossrail Farringdon Station, with a portal west of Paddington. The 'Tunnels East' (C305) request was for three tunnel sections and 'launch chambers' in east London.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> Contracts were awarded in late 2010: the 'Tunnels West' contract was awarded to BAM Nuttall, Ferrovial Agroman and Kier Construction (BFK); the 'Tunnels East' contract was awarded to Dragados and John Sisk & Son.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The remaining tunnelling contract (C310, Plumstead to North Woolwich), which included a tunnel under the Thames, was awarded to Hochtief and J. Murphy & Sons in 2011.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

By September 2009, preparatory work for the £1Template:Nbspbillion developments at Template:Stl station had begun, with buildings (including the Astoria Theatre) being compulsorily purchased and demolished.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Construction of Crossrail at Tottenham Court Road in September 2011

In March 2010, contracts were awarded to civil engineering companies for the second round of 'enabling work' including 'Royal Oak Portal Taxi Facility Demolition', 'Demolition works for Crossrail Bond Street Station', 'Demolition works for Crossrail Tottenham Court Road Station' and 'Pudding Mill Lane Portal'.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In December 2010, contracts were awarded for most of the tunnelling work.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> To assist with the skills required for the Crossrail project, Crossrail opened in 2011 the Tunnelling and Underground Construction Academy in Ilford.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The academy was handed over to TfL in 2017, who have sub-contracted its management to PROCAT.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In February 2010, Crossrail was accused of bullying residents whose property lay on the route into selling for less than the market value.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> A subsequent London Assembly report was highly critical of the insensitive way in which Crossrail had dealt with compulsory purchases and the lack of assistance given to the people and businesses affected.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> There were also complaints from music fans, as the London Astoria was forced to close.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In December 2011, a contract to ship the excavated material from the tunnel to Wallasea Island<ref name="Guardian">Template:Cite news</ref> was awarded to a joint venture comprising BAM Nuttall Limited and Van Oord UK Limited.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Between Template:Convert of soil would be used to construct a new wetland nature reserve (Wallasea Wetlands).<ref name="Guardian" /><ref name="BBC19598532">Template:Cite news</ref> The project eventually moved Template:Convert of earth.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Restoration of Connaught Tunnel by filling with concrete foam and reboring, as originally intended, was deemed too great a risk to the structural integrity of the tunnel, and so the docks above were drained to give access to the tunnel roof in order to enlarge its profile. This work took place during 2013.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>"Connaught Tunnel restoration complete" Template:Webarchive, Global Rail News, accessed 8 March 2014</ref><ref name=crossconnaught>Template:Cite web</ref>

Boring of the railway tunnels was officially completed at Farringdon on 4 June 2015 in the presence of the Prime Minister and the Mayor of London.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>

Installation of the track was completed in September 2017.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The ETCS signalling was scheduled to be tested in the Heathrow tunnels over the winter of 2017–2018.<ref name="tflreadinessreport2017">Template:Cite web</ref> The south east section of the infrastructure was energised in February 2018, with the first test train run between Plumstead and Abbey Wood that month.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In May 2018 the overhead lines were powered up between Westbourne Park and Stepney, the installation of platform doors was completed,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and video was released of the first trains travelling through the tunnels.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

TfL Rail took over Heathrow Connect services from Paddington to Heathrow in May 2018.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="tflreadinessreport2017" />

Construction of the link with Liverpool Street at Moorgate, November 2018

At the end of August 2018, four months before the scheduled opening of the core section of the line, it was announced that completion was delayed and that the line would not open before autumn 2019.<ref name="bbcnews-310818">Template:Cite news</ref>

In April 2019, it was announced that Crossrail would be completed between October 2020 and March 2021, two years behind schedule, and that it would not include the opening of the Bond Street station, one of ten new stations on the line.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The London Assembly's transport committee concluded that TfL played down the prospect of delays to the project in updates to Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, and called for TfL commissioner Mike Brown to consider his position.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Crossrail said major challenges before completion included writing and testing the software that would integrate the train with three different track signalling systems, and installing equipment inside the tunnels.<ref name=":0" />

In July 2019, it was announced that the line would not open in 2021, with TfL not expecting the full line from Heathrow to Shenfield to open until the early part of the 2023/24 financial year.<ref name="auto1">Template:Cite web</ref>

In August 2020, Crossrail announced that the central section would be ready to open "in the first half of 2022".<ref name="auto">Template:Cite news</ref>

In May 2021, trial running commenced,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> with the core section opened by Queen Elizabeth II for passenger service on 24 May 2022.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Tunnel boring machines

The second Tunnel Boring Machine Ada en route to the Royal Oak Portal, June 2012

The project used eight Template:Convert diameter tunnel-boring machines (TBM) from Herrenknecht AG (Germany). Two types are used; 'slurry' type for the Thames tunnel, which involves tunnelling through chalk; and 'Earth Pressure Balance Machines' (EPBM) for tunnelling through clay, sand and gravel (at lower levels through Lambeth Group and Thanet Sands ground formation). The TBMs weigh nearly 1,000Template:Nbsptonnes and are over Template:Convert long.<ref name="tbm1">Sources:

Crossrail ran a competition in January 2012 to name the TBMs, in which over 2,500 entries were received and 10 pairs of names short-listed. After a public vote in February 2012, the first three pairs of names were announced on 13 March and the last pair on 16 August 2013:<ref name="TBMnames">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Health, safety, and industrial relations

The collapsed gantry (29 September 2012)

In September 2012, a gantry supporting a spoil hopper, used to load rail wagons with excavated waste at a construction site near Westbourne Park Underground station, collapsed. It tipped sideways, causing the adjacent Network Rail line to be closed.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On 7 March 2014, Rene Tkacik, a Slovakian construction worker, was killed by a piece of falling concrete while working in a tunnel.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In April 2014, The Observer reported details of a leaked internal report, compiled for the Crossrail contractors by an independent safety consultancy. The report was alleged to have pointed to poor industrial relations arising from safety concerns, and that workers were "too scared to report injuries for fear of being sacked".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Three construction workers died from suspected heart attacks over six months in 2019, but Crossrail announced that, following extensive testing, the air quality at Bond Street station was within acceptable limits.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Blacklisting

The Tottenham Court Road construction site (2009). This included the former site of the London Astoria music venue.

In 2012, Crossrail faced accusations of blacklisting. It was revealed that an industrial relations manager, Ron Barron, employed by Bechtel, had routinely cross-checked job applicants against the Consulting Association database.<ref name="Guardian-20121201">Template:Cite news</ref> An employment tribunal in 2010 heard that Barron introduced the use of the blacklist at his former employer, the construction firm Chicago Bridge & Iron Company (CB&I), and referred to it more than 900 times in 2007 alone. He was found to have unlawfully refused employment to a Philip Willis. Aggravated damages were awarded because Barron had added information about Willis to the blacklist.<ref name="Guardian-20121201" />

In May 2012, a BFK manager challenged their subcontractor, Electrical Installations Services Ltd. (EIS), saying that one of their electricians was a trade union activist. Some days later, Pat Swift, the HR manager for BFK and a regular user of the Consulting Association, again challenged EIS. EIS refused to dismiss their worker and lost the contract. Flash pickets were held at the Crossrail site and also at the sites of the BFK partners.Template:Citation needed The Scottish Affairs Select Committee called on the UK Business Secretary, Vince Cable, to set up a government investigation into blacklisting at Crossrail.<ref name="Smith and Chamberlain">Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Further allegations of blacklisting against Crossrail were made in Parliament in September 2017.<ref name="TCI-06Sep2017">Template:Cite news</ref> In March 2023, a former Crossrail worker made a High Court statement regarding a damages claim against Crossrail, Skanska, Costain, T Clarke and NG Bailey for blacklisting. The case had been settled out of court in December 2021. Electrician Daniel Collins had raised health and safety concerns at the Bond Street station site in February 2015, was fired three days later, and faced repeated difficulties in gaining new employment on the project. He alleged there was a "secretive system of misuse of private information" about union activists. Crossrail and the contractors denied all Collins' allegations, saying they settled the court case "for purely commercial reasons" and "without admission of liability or wrongdoing". Collins received an undisclosed sum for damages and to cover court costs.<ref name="Stein-20Mar2023">Template:Cite news</ref>

Archaeology

Much like the Thames Tideway Scheme and the High Speed 2 projects, which were under development in London at the same time as Crossrail, the excavation works that took place during the project gave archaeologists a valuable opportunity to explore the earth underneath London's streets that was previously seen as inaccessible. Crossrail undertook what was described as one of the most extensive archaeological programmes ever seen in the UK. Over 100 archaeologists have found tens of thousands of items from 40 sites, spanning 55Template:Nbspmillion years of London's history and prehistory.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Many of the items were placed on show at the Museum of London Docklands from February to September 2017. Some of the most notable finds include:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Operational testing

In the first half of 2021, Crossrail entered trial running stage of construction.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Crossrail, in partnership with TfL, ran trains to a timetable through the core section, to check the reliability of the railway. In November 2021, Crossrail entered trial operation which is the final stage before opening.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Completion

With an initial budget of £14.8Template:Nbspbillion, the total cost rose to £18.25Template:Nbspbillion by November 2019,<ref name="theguardian.com">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="bbc.co.uk">Template:Cite news</ref> and increased further to £18.8Template:Nbspbillion by December 2020.<ref name="fundingpage">Template:Cite web</ref> Delays to the project of several months were caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in England,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and in late 2020 this reduced the number of workers that could be safely on-site.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

By August 2021, seven of the nine new stations had been handed over to TfL.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The Abbey Wood to Paddington section opened to passengers on 24 May 2022, although initially trains did not run on Sundays to allow for further testing, nor did they call at Bond Street, which opened on 24 October 2022. From Sunday 6 November trains began running directly from Reading and Heathrow in the west to Abbey Wood, and from Shenfield in the east through to Paddington as the surface railways connect with the central tunnels.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> TfL released the final timetable, on 22 May 2023.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Route

Map showing the geographic route of the Elizabeth line (purple) alongside London Underground lines. The line runs alongside the Central line (red) for much of the central section, and is expected to relieve pressure on it.

In the west, the new tunnel connects with the Great Western Main Line at Royal Oak, west of Template:Stn. East of Template:Stn the line splits at an underground junction. The north-eastern branch emerges to join the existing Great Eastern Main Line at Template:Stn. The south-eastern branch runs underground to Abbey Wood via Canary Wharf, Custom House and Woolwich. This branch takes over a stretch of the former North London line built by the Eastern Counties and Thames Junction Railway, and connects it with the North Kent Line via a tunnel under the Thames at North Woolwich.<ref name=":3">Template:Cite web</ref>

The tunnelled sections are altogether approximately Template:Convert in length.<ref name="Crossrail1">Template:Cite web</ref>

There are new stations at Paddington, Template:Lus, Template:Lus, Template:Stn, Template:Stn and Whitechapel, with interchanges with London Underground and National Rail services. Due to the length and positioning of the new platforms, Farringdon station is also connected to Template:Lus station,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Liverpool Street to Template:Stn station.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Western end

From the western end of the tunnel Elizabeth line services continue to Template:Rws where they either remain on the Great Western Main Line and run to Template:Rws or Template:Rws via Template:Rws or split off to the Heathrow branch terminating at Heathrow Terminals 4 or 5. Existing stations were refurbished and upgraded, including the provision of step-free access at all stations, and platform lengthening at most to accommodate the new Template:Convert trains.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Earlier plans suggested terminating at Maidenhead, with an extension to Reading safeguarded.<ref name="safeguarding">Template:Cite web</ref> Various commentators advocated an extension further west as far as Reading because it was seen as complementary to the Great Western Electrification project which was announced in July 2009.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> A Reading terminus was also recommended by Network Rail's 2011 Route Utilisation Strategy.<ref name="rus2011-1">Rail Utilisation Strategy, 2011, page 9</ref> On 27 March 2014 it was announced that the line would indeed extend to Reading.<ref name="BBC Reading">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="DfT Reading">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="TfL Reading">Template:Cite press release</ref>

A flyover at Airport Junction near Hayes & Harlington station allows Heathrow Express trains to pass over the track used by Crossrail, avoiding delays caused by crossings.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The line between the junction and Heathrow Central (mostly in a tunnel) is not owned by Network Rail but by Heathrow Airport Holdings.

A "dive-under" was constructed at Acton to allow passenger trains to pass slower freight trains leaving and entering a goods yard. It was completed in July 2016 and was brought into use in 2017.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Template:Clear Template:Wide image

Eastern end

The north-eastern Crossrail tunnel connects with the Great Eastern Main Line at Template:Rws. The Elizabeth line runs to Template:Rws via Template:Rws, Template:Rws and Template:Rws.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Design and infrastructure

Name and identity

Elizabeth line roundel
Elizabeth line roundel installed at Seven Kings in 2019

Crossrail is the name of the construction project and of the limited company, wholly owned by TfL, that was formed to carry out construction works.<ref name="panel_presentation022015">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="crossrailltd-about">Template:Cite web</ref> The Elizabeth line is the name of the new service that will be seen on signage throughout the stations. It is named in honour of Queen Elizabeth II.<ref name="Standard">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Elizabeth line logo features a Transport for London roundel with a purple ring and TfL-blue bar with white text. TfL Rail was an intermediate brand name which was introduced in May 2015 and discontinued in May 2022. It was used by TfL on services between Paddington and Heathrow Terminal 5 and Reading, as well as trains between Liverpool Street and Shenfield.<ref name="designidiom">Template:Cite web</ref>

Tunnels

Template:Convert of twin-bore tunnels were constructed by tunnel boring machines (TBM), each with an internal diameter of Template:Convert<ref name="tbm1" /> (compared with Template:Convert for the deep-level Victoria line). The wide-diameter tunnels allow for new Template:Brc rolling stock, which is larger than the traditional deep-level tube trains. The tunnels allow for the emergency evacuation of passengers through the side doors rather than along the length of the train.

The tunnels are made up of three main sections: a Template:Convert tunnel from Royal Oak portal near Royal Oak station to Victoria Dock portal near Custom House station, a Template:Convert tunnel from Template:Stn portal connecting to the longer tunnel at an underground junction at Stepney Green cavern, and a separate Template:Convert tunnel from Plumstead to North Woolwich underneath the Thames. The Custom House to North Woolwich section, included a £50Template:Nbspmillion investment to renovate and reuse the Connaught tunnel.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Crossrail has often been compared to Paris's RER system due to the length of the central tunnel.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Stations

A typical platform (here at Farringdon station) built as part of the project

The majority of stations in the central section all have distinctive architecture at street level; whereas stations at platform level have identical "kit-of-parts" architecture, including full height platform screen doors with integrated passenger information displays.<ref name=":3" /> This is a different approach from the Jubilee Line Extension in the 1990s, where each station was designed by a different architect.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Artwork was also installed at seven of the stations in the central section.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

A mock-up of the new stations was built in Bedfordshire in 2011 to ensure that their architectural integrity would last for a century.<ref name="Dock Mockups">Template:Cite web</ref> It was planned to bring at least one mock-up to London for the public to view the design and give feedback before final construction commenced.<ref name="BBC mockup">Template:Cite news</ref>

Across the nine new stations, 81 escalators were installed.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref> At Template:Convert in length, the escalators at Bond Street are just one metre shorter than the escalators at Angel, the longest escalator on the Underground.<ref name=":1" /> All stations in the central section were built to be step free from street to train, with 54 lifts installed in the nine new stations.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":1" />

Existing stations on the Great Western Main Line and Great Eastern Main Line were upgraded and refurbished, with some stations receiving new entrance buildings.<ref name=":2">Template:Cite web</ref> All surface level stations have lifts, allowing step free access from street to platform.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":2" /> Template:Crossrail RDT

Electrification and signalling

Crossrail uses [[25 kV AC|25Template:NbspkV, 50Template:NbspHz AC]] overhead lines, which are also used on the Great Eastern and Great Western Main Lines.

The Heathrow branch started using the European Train Control System (ETCS) in 2020. The Automatic Warning (AWS) and Train Protection & Warning (TPWS) systems are used on the Great Western and Great Eastern Main Lines, with possible later upgrades to ETCS. Communications-based train control (CBTC) is installed in the central section and the Abbey Wood branch.<ref name="boriswatch">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite press release</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Depots

Crossrail will have depots in west London at Old Oak Common TMD, in south-east London at Plumstead Depot, and in east London at Ilford EMU Depot and at a new signalling centre at Template:Rws in Havering, East London.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Further proposals

Additional stations

The Elizabeth line passes close to London City Airport but no station is currently planned

Silvertown (London City Airport)

Although the Crossrail route passes very close to London City Airport, there is no station serving the airport directly. London City Airport had proposed the re-opening of Silvertown railway station, in order to create an interchange between the rail line and the airport.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The self-funded £50Template:Nbspmillion station plan was supported 'in principle' by the London Borough of Newham.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Provisions for re-opening of the station were made in 2012 by Crossrail.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> However, it was alleged by the airport that TfL was hostile to the idea of a station on the site, a claim disputed by TfL.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2018, the airport's chief development officer described the lack of a Crossrail station as a "missed opportunity", but did not rule out a future station for the airport.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The CEO stated in an interview that a station is not essential to the airport's success.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In May 2019, the chief development officer confirmed discussions are ongoing about a station for the airport as part of the proposed extension to Ebbsfleet.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Old Oak Common

Template:Main As part of the High Speed 2 (HS2) rail link from London to Birmingham, a new station is being built at Template:Stnlnk between Paddington and Acton Main Line station.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The new station will connect HS2 services with Crossrail and National Rail services on the Great Western Main Line, as well as London Overground services running through the area.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> The original plan was that the station would open with High Speed 2 in 2026, with preliminary construction beginning in 2019.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Go-ahead for construction was given in June 2021.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Dft Go ahead">Template:Cite web</ref>

Extensions

Possible Crossrail extensions as recommended in the 2011 RUS<ref name="rus2011">Rail Utilisation Strategy, 2011, page 153.</ref>

To Ebbsfleet and Gravesend

In the 2003 and 2004 consultations into Crossrail, the South East branch was proposed to go beyond Abbey Wood, running along the North Kent Line to Ebbsfleet, linking up with the (then under construction) Channel Tunnel Rail Link.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> However, prior to the submission of the Crossrail Hybrid Bill to Parliament in 2005, the branch was truncated at Abbey Wood to cut overall project costs.<ref name=":5">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Although dropped from the main scheme, the route was safeguarded by the DfT as far as Gravesend and Hoo Junction, protecting the route from development.<ref name="safeguarding update">Template:Cite web</ref>

With the Crossrail project nearing completion in 2018, local MPs, council leaders and local businesses began lobbying<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the government to fund the development of a business case for the extension to Ebbsfleet,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> with the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan including the project in his Mayor's Transport Strategy.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Mayor's Transport Strategy estimated that an extension could assist in delivering 55,000 new homes and 50,000 new jobs planned along the route in Bexley and north Kent.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In March 2019, the Government committed £4.8Template:Nbspmillion on exploratory work into the extension as part of the Thames Estuary 2050 Growth Commission.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":5" />

The following stations are on the protected route extension to Gravesend: Template:Stnlnk, Template:Stnlnk, Template:Stnlnk, Template:Stnlnk, Template:Stnlnk, Template:Stnlnk for Bluewater, Template:Stnlnk, Ebbsfleet, Template:Stnlnk, and Template:Stnlnk.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

To the West Coast Main Line

Network Rail's July 2011 London & South East Route Utilisation Strategy (RUS) recommended that a short railway line could be built to connect the West Coast Main Line (WCML) with the Crossrail route. This would enable train services that currently run between Template:Rws and London Euston to be re-routed via Old Oak Common to serve central London, Template:Rws and Template:Rws. The report argued that this would free up capacity at Euston for the planned High Speed 2, reduce London Underground congestion at Euston, make better use of Crossrail's capacity west of Paddington, and improve access to Heathrow Airport from the north.<ref name="rus2011-2">Rail Utilisation Strategy, 2011, page 150.</ref> Under this scheme, all Crossrail trains would continue west of Paddington, instead of some of them terminating there. They would serve Heathrow Airport (10 tph), stations to Maidenhead and Reading (6 tph), and stations to Milton Keynes Central (8 tph).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In August 2014, a statement by transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin indicated that the government was actively evaluating the extension of Crossrail as far as Template:Rws and Template:Rws, with potential Crossrail stops at Template:Stn, Template:Stn, Template:Rws, Template:Rws, Template:Rws, Template:Rws, Template:Rws, Template:Rws, Template:Rws, Template:Rws, Template:Rws and Template:Rws. The extension would relieve some pressure from London Underground and London Euston station while also increasing connectivity. Conditions to the extension were that any extra services should not affect the planned service pattern for confirmed routes, as well as affordability.<ref name="Crossrail Tring">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="guardian-crossrail-0814">Template:Cite news</ref> This proposal was shelved in August 2016 due to "poor overall value for money to the taxpayer".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

To Staines

As part of the Heathrow Southern Railway scheme proposed in 2017, the western extent of the Crossrail route could be extended beyond Heathrow Airport to terminate at Template:Rws. This extension would form part of a wider scheme to create new rail links in west London and Surrey serving Heathrow, and would require the construction of an extra platform at Staines station. This proposal has not been approved or funded.<ref name="hsr">Template:Cite web</ref>

To Southend Airport

Stobart Aviation, the company that previously operated Southend Airport in Essex, proposed that Crossrail should be extended beyond Shenfield along the Shenfield–Southend line to serve Southend Airport and Template:Rws. The company has suggested that a direct Heathrow-Southend link could alleviate capacity problems at Heathrow.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The extension proposal has been supported by Southend-on-Sea City Council.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Management and franchise

Funding for the project came from:

Crossrail was built by Crossrail Ltd, jointly owned by TfL and the DfT until December 2008, when full ownership was transferred to TfL. In 2007, Crossrail had a £15.9Template:Nbspbillion funding package in place<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> for the construction of the line. Although the branch lines to the west and to Shenfield will still be owned by Network Rail, the tunnel will be owned and operated by TfL.<ref name="GA inv">Template:Cite web</ref>

On 18 July 2014, TfL London Rail said that MTR Corp had won the concession to operate the services for eight years, with an option for two more years.<ref name=rg20140718>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The concession will be similar to London Overground.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>Template:Primary source inline It is planned for the franchise to run for eight years from May 2015,<ref name=rg20140718 /> taking over control of Shenfield metro services from Abellio Greater Anglia in May 2015,<ref name=rg20140718 /> and Reading / Heathrow services from Great Western Railway in 2018.<ref name="London Reconnections blog">Template:Cite web</ref>

In anticipation of a May 2015 transfer of Shenfield to Liverpool Street services from the East Anglia franchise to Crossrail, the invitation to tender for the 2012–2013 franchise required the new rail operator to set up a separate "Crossrail business unit" for those services before the end of 2012, to allow transfer of services to the new Crossrail Train Operating Concession (CTOC) operator during the next franchise.<ref name="GA inv" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The infrastructure of the core section is managed by Rail for London Infrastructure (RfLI), a subsidiary of TfL. Signalling is controlled by Network Rail's Romford Rail Operating Centre.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Crossrail International

Building on the success of the Elizabeth line, Crossrail International was established to provide advice to other organisations. In 2022, it agreed to provide strategic advice to Israel’s National Transport Authority for the development of the Tel Aviv Metro.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

See also

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References

Citations

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General and cited sources

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