Elizabeth Line / Crossrail Updates.

[phil-b259]

1 hour ago, adb968008 said:

Except when it rains

Indeed - but just like you don’t reinstate railways today just because they might come in handy for diversionary purposes, you cannot justify a railway on the basis it stops people getting wet!

 

A pedestrian subway equipped with travel actors would come in a lot cheaper than a railway (and perform the same function) when it comes to providing an weatherproof link between St Pancras and Euston.

[ess1uk]

This thread drift reminds me of a Jago Hazzard video! 😆

[adb968008]

5 hours ago, phil-b259 said:

A pedestrian subway equipped with travel actors would come in a lot cheaper than a railway (and perform the same function) when it comes to providing an weatherproof link between St Pancras and Euston.

Sounds entertaining.

😀

 

having hot footed it several times, it is a bit of a pain, especially with baggage.. it just adds an unnecessary 20-30 minutes to the journey.

A travelator would be a great advantage.

Edited December 12, 2023 by adb968008

[Southernman46]

That's what you get for letting dirty, filthy passengers on your nice clean shiny railway !!

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-67959169

 

Antimacassar anyone ?

[ess1uk]

Plan to fix performance

NR to overhaul line

[Southernman46]

Just seen who the NR Route Director is ........... 😬, we had him for a while - great for soundbites but don't hold your breath on this, he'll already be looking for the next job move .................................... 👌

i.e.

 

"But the evidence we have is that it is not the train causing the failures but the phenomenal growth in services."

 

so THAT's what's broken all those sleepers so quickly that the maintenance organisation could neither prevent the damage or replace them in time - Utter rubbish !   The route and infrastructure are designed take those trains and the projected EGMTPA tonnage ......................... but not if they're not looked after properly 🤦‍♂️

Edited February 27 by Southernman46

[The Stationmaster]

On 27/02/2024 at 20:54, Southernman46 said:

Just seen who the NR Route Director is ........... 😬, we had him for a while - great for soundbites but don't hold your breath on this, he'll already be looking for the next job move .................................... 👌

i.e.

 

"But the evidence we have is that it is not the train causing the failures but the phenomenal growth in services."

 

so THAT's what's broken all those sleepers so quickly that the maintenance organisation could neither prevent the damage or replace them in time - Utter rubbish !   The route and infrastructure are designed take those trains and the projected EGMTPA tonnage ......................... but not if they're not looked after properly 🤦‍♂️

Spot on  the build up in number and severity of wet spots and 'pumping' from the sub-formation was obvious to any experienced railway person long before they led to broken rails.  in fact you could predict with ease the spots where rails would break at least a couple of months before broken rails started hitting performance. 

 

But I think it is fair to say that in one or two spots, particularly Slough West on the Up Main facing points, the extent of the problem suggested to me that the infrastructure had not been properly blanketed to take account of Thames Valley conditions when the junction was relaid - it was simply a repeat of the initial cwr programme problems of the 1960s.

 

The trains have clearly played a significant in certain things - the Liz Line 345s have also been 'hard riding' through fitting work and their riding - according to what I've felt - has gradually deteriorated.  I wonder how long the sharp radius scissors crossover at Reading East Main is going to last before there are problems with it.  The 80Xs are also suffer 'very busy' riding through fittings and I do wonder if they might have helped to contribute to track deterioration on, in particular,  the Up Main between Ruscombe and West Drayton West .

 

But whatever the trains might have done - and don't forget that for some reason (signalling changes?) maximum permitted speeds for freights east of Reading were reduced following route modernisation for Crossrail - it is all too obvious that little or no patrolling and lack of proper attention to developing wet spots has been responsible for the deterioration n train performance. 

 

Incidentally I thought that the ohle was in any case supposed to be renewed to the latest standards  between Acton Main Line and Airport Jcn as part of the GWML scheme to cater for higher speeds.

[Northmoor]

My manager commutes into London from Reading and reliability in the last week has been abysmal.  One day the power was off because of a trespasser - so not wholly the railway's fault - but then the next two days there were also power supply problems which affected his journey home.

An impressive railway but not in the Network Rail sections.