On 6 May, 17:49, Mizter T wrote:
Except that (if I've got this right) in the evening peak you can use
off-peak tickets on the slower Turbo services but not on the HSTs, at
least for journeys leaving London - though to outsiders this
information is rather hard to come by.

Posters are up & visible at Paddington.....
And that is unlikely to change under Crossrail - just that they'll
need to change trains at Maidenhead / Reading.to get to Oxford in the
evening peak.

On 6 May, 18:01, "Peter Masson" wrote:
"Chris" wrote
It won't be cross-platform - fast London's will leave from current
platforms 8 & 9, the slows / crossrail would be from the 3 extra
platforms (behind current Plat 9 and a further island platform to the
north of that.

AIUI existing 5 & 8 will be the Down Main platforms, 9 and a new face
opposite it will be theUp Main platforms, and the Relief/Crossrail platforms
will be two new islands beyond that.

You are correct - I got my current platform numbers in a mess!

On 6 May, 18:39, Roland Perry wrote:
I thought the residents in the vicinity of Maidenhead were opposed to
the ugly looking OHL? Or have they come to terms with it now.

Do they have any choice? Permitted development on the railways means
that they don't need planning permissions....

On 6 May, 20:22, GazK wrote:
Oh yeah? Do you know just how large these two projects are? Not a hope
in hell.....

Sorry to contradict, but they are being developed by a single NR team,
with a single manager at the helm. I know this to be true because he
gave a presentation last week, at which I was present.

Thanks for this update.

On 7 May, 09:05, "DW downunder" noname wrote:
4. NO-ONE has mentioned the plethora of hybrid battery-equipped rollingstock
currently prototyped, on trial, in low volume production etc around the
world. Given Crossrail's gestation, can I assert with some confidence that
by then it will be quite normal for trains to extend a moderate distance
beyond the wires or juice rail. 25kV to Reading would not necessarily be a
pre-requisite to CrossRail service by the mid-10s.


As a mechanism purely for getting ECS Crossrail stockl to / from the
Rwading Depot & Maidenhead - yes, I guess this would be a possibility.

5. Also absent from discussion so far has been AirTrack. In some other
forums, we hear that BAA are firmly behind AirTrack. AIUI, provision has
been made in the Heathrow 5 station box for them.

Correct.

The discussion suggests
that HConn/Crossrail will run through to Reading via H5 and AirTrack.

Hmmm - brains trying to do overtime again?.....not a chance! Why on
earth would the DfT want to spend a lot extra on dual-voltage systems
to enable Crossrail to run on the third-rail system? Secondly,
AirTrack will be a BAA service, just like HEx - so BAA will purchase &
run their own trains for their services....not state-owned Crossrail
trains.

Those
with local route knowledge can fill me in here, but once the link is made,
basically would dual-voltage stock (one assumes Bombardier will have
recovered from their supply line and quality management difficulties by
then - ) provide a through Crossrail all-electric service?

Getting the Crossrail stock from the new Platform at REading back to
it's depot will also be somewhat of a challenge, as there is no
connector in the plans from the Airtrack line into Reading with high-
nuumbered Reading platforms, and thus a route to the depot. It's self-
contained. There is also an AirTrack depot shown in those plans, but I
can't remember where it was to be located....

The enhancements of the track at Reading as part of
the £425 million station redevelopment would also pave the way for Airtrack
trains to use the station. Network Rail is also working with the Department
for Transport and British Airports Association (BAA) on the scheme to
connect passengers directly to Terminal 5.

Yup - that's the new platform on the south-east side of Reading
together with the BAA-owned route into the airport.
\Nothing to back up the Crossrail stock being used there.

6. Given the time frames for Crossrail, and the rather modest scope of
AirTrack in comparison, could it be that AirTrack is up, and through
electric services running Paddington - Reading before Crossrail starts?

Quite likely - another reason that it won't be using Crossrail stock.
It won't be built in time....

7. While HConn only goes to H123 (old H Central, made more sense!), AIUI
that's a commercial decision. The AirTrack scheme clearly envisages
HConn/Crossrail coming into the H5 box and extending west out of it.

Proof please - just where does it state or heavily hint this is the
case? I understood they will be using separate platforms at T5, with
no connections.

What
happens to HEx and links to H123 then would be influenced by the commercial
imperitives of the day.

Possibly - but currently BAA have a long contract with the DfT, and by
extension, NR, to run HEx services to HCen & T5.
Something BAA won't give up unless *they* want to do so.