London Banter - Overground article

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Overground article

Mizter T wrote:
On 01/06/2015 19:50, Roland Perry wrote:

In message , at 18:11:13 on Mon, 1 Jun 2015,
Peter Smyth remarked:
Er, I don't think so! Crossrail will be an intensive metro service
through the core, operating with ATO signalling and specifically
designed and high performance trains. There's not going to be
anywhere to reverse trains like you suggest.

So if there's a "one under" at Maryland, the whole core freezes up
for a couple of hours?

I would expect there to be crossovers allowing trains to turn in
emergencies or due to engineering work. That doesn't mean it would be
practical to have trains reversing at Stratford all day every day,
without building an extra platform.

You might manage it by "stepping back", but the discussion has revealed
the reversal is more likely to be at Abbey Wood.

?

Abbey Wood is the end of the line. (Well, the Crossrail branch.)

Roland had been advocating some (mainly Heathrow) Crossrail trains
reversing at Stratford till I pointed out that Canary Wharf (and ExCel) was
on the Abbey Wood branch. In any case, all the Heathrow Crossrail trains
are planned to go to Abbey Wood, so it's a null issue.

Overground article

Clank wrote:

The outrageous cost of the StEX strongly puts me off Stansted

I would also be concerned about the amazing large arrivals lines for UK/EU
citizens. Came through a few weeks ago on the Ryanair flight from Brno around
6PM and the line was spilling back up the corridor before the queuing area.

Overground article

Arthur Conan Doyle wrote:
Clank wrote:

The outrageous cost of the StEX strongly puts me off Stansted

I would also be concerned about the amazing large arrivals lines for UK/EU
citizens. Came through a few weeks ago on the Ryanair flight from Brno around
6PM and the line was spilling back up the corridor before the queuing area.

I've seen the same in Heathrow T5 and Gatwick North in recent weeks. For
some reason, EU Immigration queues have suddenly got a lot longer. I don't
know if the ePassport machines have got slower, or what.

Overground article

Recliner wrote:
Arthur Conan Doyle wrote:
Clank wrote:

The outrageous cost of the StEX strongly puts me off Stansted

I would also be concerned about the amazing large arrivals lines for UK/EU
citizens. Came through a few weeks ago on the Ryanair flight from Brno around
6PM and the line was spilling back up the corridor before the queuing area.

I've seen the same in Heathrow T5 and Gatwick North in recent weeks. For
some reason, EU Immigration queues have suddenly got a lot longer. I don't
know if the ePassport machines have got slower, or what.

Luton at the moment doesn't have any ePassport machines at all - according
to the signs they're being replaced. So bad queues there as well right
now.

I do agree though that in general Stansted always seems to have the worst
immigration delays.

Overground article

In message
-septe
mber.org, at 05:41:46 on Tue, 2 Jun 2015, Clank
remarked:

I do agree though that in general Stansted always seems to have the worst
immigration delays.

Luton (where the train+bus fare is almost as much as Stansted) in the
evening is the worst for regular queues. I've also seen huge queues at
Birmingham, but was able to use the Iris scanners there.
--
Roland Perry

Overground article

In message , at 21:41:05 on Mon, 1 Jun 2015,
Mizter T remarked:
You might manage it by "stepping back", but the discussion has revealed
the reversal is more likely to be at Abbey Wood.

?

Abbey Wood is the end of the line. (Well, the Crossrail branch.)

Yes, so reversing the HEx2023 there will be easy.
--
Roland Perry

Overground article

In message
-septem
ber.org, at 19:45:36 on Mon, 1 Jun 2015, Recliner
remarked:
24 March 2011

Airport operator BAA chief executive Colin Matthews this week
threw his weight behind plans to run Heathrow Express services
through Crossrailâ€™s central London tunnels.

He said he was backing the idea of extending the dedicated
Heathrow services east from their current Paddington terminus
and into the tunnels being constructed for Crossrail, "with
maximum enthusiasm".

The plan was outlined by Network Rail in its London and the
South East route utilisation study late last year.
Network Rail believes this would also remove the need for many
passengers travelling between Heathrow and central London to
change trains at Paddington.

BAA had previously campaigned against calls to dovetail
Heathrow Express with Crossrail. It objected to the
legislation that authorised the line, fearing that the
Department for Transport could take over the Express service.

However, Matthews told a Westminster Energy, Environment &
Transport Forum event last week that BAA now backs the idea.

"The opportunity of Heathrow Express going forward with
Crossrail, to make sure you can get from Heathrow not just to
Paddington but to other destinations in London, is going to be
great," he said.

Having read the 2011 RUS, it does not propose that Heathrow Express
trains would run onto Crossrail. In fact it proposes the opposite, that
Crossrail would replace HEx, running up to 10tph on the Relief Lines to
Heathrow T4 or T5, skip-stopping to reduce journey times.

Ah, that makes a lot more sense. I can definitely see that happening.

Unless Colin Matthews had read the wrong RUS, it sounds as if the
Heathrow "Crossrail" trains will be operated by HAL.
--
Roland Perry

Overground article

Roland Perry wrote:
In message -septem
ber.org, at 19:45:36 on Mon, 1 Jun 2015, Recliner remarked:
24 March 2011

Airport operator BAA chief executive Colin Matthews this week
threw his weight behind plans to run Heathrow Express services
through Crossrailâ€™s central London tunnels.

He said he was backing the idea of extending the dedicated
Heathrow services east from their current Paddington terminus
and into the tunnels being constructed for Crossrail, "with
maximum enthusiasm".

The plan was outlined by Network Rail in its London and the
South East route utilisation study late last year.
Network Rail believes this would also remove the need for many
passengers travelling between Heathrow and central London to
change trains at Paddington.

BAA had previously campaigned against calls to dovetail
Heathrow Express with Crossrail. It objected to the
legislation that authorised the line, fearing that the
Department for Transport could take over the Express service.

However, Matthews told a Westminster Energy, Environment &
Transport Forum event last week that BAA now backs the idea.

"The opportunity of Heathrow Express going forward with
Crossrail, to make sure you can get from Heathrow not just to
Paddington but to other destinations in London, is going to be
great," he said.

Having read the 2011 RUS, it does not propose that Heathrow Express
trains would run onto Crossrail. In fact it proposes the opposite, that
Crossrail would replace HEx, running up to 10tph on the Relief Lines to
Heathrow T4 or T5, skip-stopping to reduce journey times.

Ah, that makes a lot more sense. I can definitely see that happening.

Unless Colin Matthews had read the wrong RUS, it sounds as if the
Heathrow "Crossrail" trains will be operated by HAL.

Huh? I suppose HAL may have a financial stake in the Crossrail trains that
serve it, just as it does with HCon, but it certainly won't be operating
them.

As the then CEO of HAL, I imagine Colin Matthews was very interested in
having a good, direct connection between all his terminals and Canary Wharf
(which was contributing to Crossrail), but I don't suppose he much cared
who operated the trains or their exact stopping pattern. He also probably
knew he'd be long gone from HAL by then, as indeed he is. Who knows, by
2023 he may be back as boss of Network Rail?