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Elizabeth Line / Crossrail Updates.


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11 hours ago, St. Simon said:


Hi Adrian,

 

It’s a Block Marker, the cab signalling equivalent of a Lineside Signal.

 

They are used for degraded mode working when the cab signalling (in this case CBTC, but could be ETCS or TVM430 systems*) fails. The Block Markers act as a location marker, so when the cab signalling fails, drivers are told to proceed to the next block marker from where they can pick the movement authority up again or be talked to the next block marker.

 

They don’t really serve much of a purpose when the can signalling is working correctly.


*The block markers for each system vary slightly in design.

 

Simon

 

No idea about ETCS but the block markers certainly serve a vital purpose in normal working on the manually driven TVM430 equipped lines as they provide a lineside reference to the driver for the commencement point of a lower permitted maximum speed. 

 

If there is a stationary train on a TVM430 line then another train approaching behind doing 300kph will receive a succession of decreasing maximum permitted speeds (something like 270kph, 230kph, 170kph, 80kph, 0kph).  Each of those speeds will be applicable from a block marker and the driver has to ensure that the speed is not exceeded when the train reaches the marker concerned, and, in the case of 0kph the train must not pass the marker*.

 

*Some markers are permissive and trains can pass those with a train in front under certain circumstances

Edited by DY444
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21 hours ago, corneliuslundie said:

I was going to joke that they did the run in the dark so we wouldn't notice the tunnels - then we entered one. (I assume it was to keep out of the way of other traffic on those lines in use.) ..............


Running in the dark wouldn’t be to avoid other traffic, as Abbey Wood to Westbourne Park is all on separate, dedicated Crossrail lines.

 

.

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  • 1 month later...
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Are the wider staircases to cater for more obese passengers?!!!

I don't quite understand why so much work at the stations was needed though. Was it a convenient way of getting the work funded within a larger package where the cost would be a small fraction of the total and not noticed?

And I hope that these new buildings last better than many of those built by BR (and others) in the 1960s.

Jonathan

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11 hours ago, corneliuslundie said:

Are the wider staircases to cater for more obese passengers?!!!

I don't quite understand why so much work at the stations was needed though. Was it a convenient way of getting the work funded within a larger package where the cost would be a small fraction of the total and not noticed?

And I hope that these new buildings last better than many of those built by BR (and others) in the 1960s.

Jonathan

 

The stations are being re-built to meet the standards of accessibility required by CrossRail (and which will therefore be partly funded from the national Access for All scheme), hence lifts and new footbridges for same where necessary, which will have been built to modern specs. Another reason is to expand those where a much higher footfall is expected - many of them had not been re-built since the 19thC. - and where new ticket gates will be necessary. One other important reason for some of them is to improve interchange with other forms of transport, such as buses, bicycles and even walking, to make the likelihood of people leaving their cars at home more probable. 

 

Whether they will last better than those of early BR days is anyone's guess.

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On 30/01/2021 at 12:46, 2750Papyrus said:

Do the specifications not address issues such as durability and maintainability?

 

I don't know for sure but would strongly suspect that maintainability will have been a written requirement in the specs. - that was standard 10 years ago. The building life span can only be guaranteed for 10 years (not including electricals etc) but it would be unusual for any railway contractor to take responsibility for any defects, other than very serious ones (such as structural failure, but even that would more likely be self-insured, as the contractor has no control over levels of vibration), for more than the snagging period, normally one year after handover. The building structure would normally have a write down value of 40 years. 

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Maintainability is a legal requirement under the "Construction (Design & Management) Regulations 2015" https://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/cdm/2015/index.htm

 

It's pretty dry, but the essence is that if you don't consider how something will be maintained when designing it, you've broken the law. (Which also covers building it and taking it down at the end of its life).

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  • 2 weeks later...
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The Central London stations are now being handed over to TfL.

2 already handed over with more to follow over the next few months.

 

 

Worth a look....

Crossrail March Update....

 

https://2577f60fe192df40d16a-ab656259048fb93837ecc0ecbcf0c557.ssl.cf3.rackcdn.com/assets/library/document/c/original/completing_the_elizabeth_line-05_march_2021.pdf

 

 

 

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On 10/03/2021 at 08:19, Shed said:

Delayed enough already?

 

Well, yes. Although it does not matter anywhere near as much now, because forecasts suggest it will take a little while for demand to pick up again.

 

But what it does do is spend more money, which could otherwise be being used to work up Crossrail 2, and that is now touch and go - that could be a problem ultimately.

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I think this latest monthly update video from Crossrail is better than the regular PR fluff.

It's brief, but there's no fluff and there are plenty of glimpses of the "virtually finished" article.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Edited by Ron Ron Ron
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