On Aug 2, 6:14 pm, "Graham Harrison"
wrote:
The "Two Crossrail questions" thread set me thinking. Paddington is
currently FGW territory. Liverpool St is "One Land". So when (yes when)
Crossrail gets built how do the franchises align?

Possibilities:

1) "Paddington (currently FGW) franchise" + "Liverpool St (currently One)
franchise + a 3rd franchise for Crossrail bringing competition at both ends
between the enw Crossrail franchise and the incumbents. (3 franchises)
2) One big franchise covering Paddington + Liverpool St + Crossrail (1
franchise)
3) One of the Paddington or Liverpool St incumbents gets to run Crossrail
bringing competion to the area they don't currently serve.(2 franchises)
4) The incumbents remain in place and run Crossrail as a joint venture.(2
franchises + JV).

Personally, I reckon FGW could do with some competition so I favour 1 or 4.

Another option - as a result of Ken/Boris exercising his Mayoral
powers over railways outside London - TfL assume responsiblity for
Crossrail and lets the franchise as part of London Overground/
Underground ensuring that maximum connectivity with the existing TfL
network - after all Crossrail has unlike Thameslink not been designed
as an equivalent RER but merely a full gauge fast tube.