On Thu, 4 Oct 2007, Boltar wrote:

On Oct 4, 12:23 am, asdf wrote:
On Wed, 03 Oct 2007 01:52:11 -0700, Boltar wrote:
Question is , will they do the sensible thing and build the tunnels to
UIC gauge so there is at least the possibility of running dedicated
double deck trains through them alongside normal UK trains , or will
they build it to the hopeless 19th century UK loading gauge and then
complaints about undercapcity start to surface a few years after
opening?

Surely you mean, will they do the sensible thing and not waste money
building it to a larger loading gauge than that of the track at either
end?

This would be for trains dedicated to the new crossrail tunnel route
just like the shuttle trains at the channel tunnel.

How much demand is there for trips from Whitechapel (maybe even Stratford)
and points west to stops up to Paddington? Not an awful lot, i think. This
route covers all the major destinations (except Heathrow), but the only
sources of passengers would be the local areas around Stratford and
Whitechapel.

Stratford and Whitechapel are both interchanges, but i can't see a lot of
people coming in that way - at Stratford, if you're coming in by Central
line, you stay on it, by suburban train, you catch a normal Crossrail in
the first place, by Jubilee or DLR, you had better ways to get into town
in the first place. At Whitechapel, if you're on the H&C or District, you
stay on it. That leaves long-distance trains at Stratford and the ELL at
Whitechapel as sources of interchange passengers. That doesn't seem like a
big source.

Having said all that, i agree entirely that the tunnel should be built to
a UIC gauge, GB or GC. Yes, the surface lines are smaller gauge, but they
can be improved relatively cheaply, whereas once a tunnel is built, it's
virtually impossible to make it bigger. Future proof is where it's at! How
much more does it cost to make a tunnel wider? I can't believe it's that
much with modern boring methods.

tom

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