Elizabeth Line / Crossrail Updates.

[The Stationmaster]

On 22/10/2019 at 15:59, Platform 1 said:

Photos from inside Paddington’s Crossrail station: https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/blog/2019/10/22/photos-from-inside-paddingtons-crossrail-station/

 

Interesting that there is no sort of more direct link to the circle/District Line platforms.  At present apart from occasional use of platform 14 (which I think increases with the December timetable) the worst access to the Circle/District is from Platform 12 although even that isn't too bad and there is a lot of peak hour interchange between the main line station and the Circle/District.   It will be interesting to se how the much longer and more awkward route for interchange will go down . particularly with commuters, when the Crossrail station finally opens?

[stewartingram]

Regarding Paddington Underground, which platforms are you referring to? It has got quite confusing in recent years, as the "Circle" is now more of a "Teapot". Trains start and finish at Hammersmith on the former H&C line, passing through the (much rebuilt) LU platforms in the mainline station. They then continue to Edgware Road to join what was the original Circle line. In the reverse direction they branch off at Edgware Rd to go via Paddington to Hammersmith.

Outer rail (ie clockwise) trains on the Circle use the original Circle platforms, as do the District trains, which are reached by the escalators on the Lawn and a long passage. Not the best platforms to use, as the trains terminate at the next stop (Edgware Road) and therefore need a change of train - to one that has come from the H&C platforms.

 

Stewart

[The Stationmaster]

18 hours ago, stewartingram said:

Regarding Paddington Underground, which platforms are you referring to? It has got quite confusing in recent years, as the "Circle" is now more of a "Teapot". Trains start and finish at Hammersmith on the former H&C line, passing through the (much rebuilt) LU platforms in the mainline station. They then continue to Edgware Road to join what was the original Circle line. In the reverse direction they branch off at Edgware Rd to go via Paddington to Hammersmith.

Outer rail (ie clockwise) trains on the Circle use the original Circle platforms, as do the District trains, which are reached by the escalators on the Lawn and a long passage. Not the best platforms to use, as the trains terminate at the next stop (Edgware Road) and therefore need a change of train - to one that has come from the H&C platforms.

 

Stewart

That's why I said 'Circle/District'. because that's what the current (July 2019) UndergrounD map and station directions show it as.   Outer Rail Circle Line trains do indeed normally terminate at Edgware Road terminate and some H&C trains form the Circle Line service beyond there.  From what I've observed over the years the biggest transfer to those platforms at Paddington goes to the Inner Rail Circle Line/westbound Distruict Line platform and at times it does become quite crowded although not as bad as the Bakerloo.

 

One Paddington interchange which will continue its serious downhill slide into ever worsening inaccessibility is that to the H&C which of course is even further from the Crossrail station than almost any other part of the various stations at Paddington. (and probably even worse than the Circle/District although there you have the option of travelling via Edgware Road).  Travelling from Paddington to Kings Cross recently and coming into a low numbered platform I took the easiest option and went down to the Circle/District eastbound platform and changed at Edgware Road.  I doubt I would have caught the same train from Paddington H&C that I joined at Edgware Road and in consequence would probably have missed the train I caught at KX.  Overall interchange at Paddington to/from some UndergrounD lines is going to be infinitely worse for many passengers once Crossrail opens and of course it's also even further from the taxi rank than the mainline platforms.  At least the taxi rank has access via passenger lifts alongside platform 12 unlike the long trek to reach the fancy new H&C station. (you could of course use the lifts to get to the H&C station but interchange would take even longer!).

[Fenman]

On 23/10/2019 at 18:43, Platform 1 said:

Farringdon almost ready:

 

 

That was my home station 25 years ago. What a transformation. 
 

Paul

[Fenman]

21 hours ago, stewartingram said:

Regarding Paddington Underground, which platforms are you referring to? It has got quite confusing in recent years, as the "Circle" is now more of a "Teapot". Trains start and finish at Hammersmith on the former H&C line, passing through the (much rebuilt) LU platforms in the mainline station. They then continue to Edgware Road to join what was the original Circle line. In the reverse direction they branch off at Edgware Rd to go via Paddington to Hammersmith.

Outer rail (ie clockwise) trains on the Circle use the original Circle platforms, as do the District trains, which are reached by the escalators on the Lawn and a long passage. Not the best platforms to use, as the trains terminate at the next stop (Edgware Road) and therefore need a change of train - to one that has come from the H&C platforms.

 

Stewart

From KX to Paddington last week - and the Circle line train went anti-clockwise through Edgware Rd to Paddington and towards High St Ken. The first time I’ve not had to change at Edgware Rd since the teapot shape was introduced.

 

Is this a new thing, or was it a random freak event?

 

All the way from KX the driver announced we were on an anti-clockwise Circle line train, even though of course none of the line diagrams show that as a possibility. 
 

Paul

[Ron Ron Ron]

3 hours ago, The Stationmaster said:

........From what I've observed over the years the biggest transfer to those platforms at Paddington goes to the Inner Rail Circle Line/westbound Distruict Line platform and at times it does become quite crowded although not as bad as the Bakerloo.....

 

......Overall interchange at Paddington to/from some UndergrounD lines is going to be infinitely worse for many passengers once Crossrail opens......

 

If you don't mind me saying Mike, I think you've fallen into the trap of assuming there will be the same degree of interchange between the Paddington mainlines and the Underground, after the Lizzie Line opens.

 

When open, many of those (not inconsiderable number of) passengers arriving at Paddington on the Crossrail services, will be better served staying onboard and either disembarking, or interchanging at the Lizzie line's central London stations, all, of which have multiple underground line interchanges.

For example, much of the "West End" is either served directly, or within one or two connecting stops from a Crossrail station. It's also a quicker route to most of the other mainline termini.

 

I'm sure TfL have done a great deal of modelling of the likely passenger flows, but it wouldn't surprise me if anything from a third to half, or more, of the passengers who currently connect from the relief line services to the LUL at Paddington, will switch their travel patterns and continue eastbound beyond Paddington on the Lizzie line trains.

We'll find out in due course.

 

Ron

 

 

.

[stewartingram]

This is off topic really, but almost the same journey. It was about 2003-ish, and I had recently started work for a contractor on the Underground, with an office close to Park Royal station. I was on regular nights with V (name hidden), who always got me back to KGX by van for the 1st departure, WAGN at 0520 from the suburban platforms. This particular night V was on leave, so for that shift I was paired with D, who lived locally to the office. We finished our work and went back to the office; D got coffee from the machine. Having drunk it, he suggested another. The time was 0500.....I reminded him of my train. In no rush, he finished the coffee and asked if I was ready - silly question. 

We walked outside to the van, and drove out of the estate and turned on to the A40 - Westbound! Time was ticking as we headed without rush to Hanger Lane gyro system, & turned onto the Eastbound carriageway to head back towards KGX. OK, a straight journey, but the number of traffic lights is staggering, but D dropped me off at the front of the station by the bus stops & newspaper stall. Usually I reckoned 5 mins from there to p11 with my wheely toolcase in tow. Our road journey had taken......just 12minutes! I did catch my train though.

 

Stewart

Edited October 25, 2019 by stewartingram

[caradoc]

Normally nowadays when travelling on from Paddington I use the Bakerloo Line for, well, anywhere (eg for Liverpool St I change at Oxford Circus for the Central Line) due to the shortcomings of the Circle/District/H&C route. However last week, arriving at Paddington at 0850 and needing to catch the 0930 Euston-Glasgow, for some reason I decided the fastest route would be H&C direct to Euston Square. Of course, on arrival at the H&C platform there was disruption due to an earlier signal fault, and by the time an eastbound train arrived we could have done with Tokyo-style pushers to get everyone on board. And then we got to Edgware Road......forcing everyone off the Circle to change/cram into H&C services there is just ridiculous.

 

However, to be fair to TfL, I did get to Euston by 0920 (and I needn't have rushed as the 0930 was not even boarded)

 

Crossrail will hopefully go a long way to relieving congestion on Paddington's Underground links, and might finally provide something nearer what such a major terminal needs, and deserves.

 

[Christopher125]

On 09/10/2019 at 12:19, The Stationmaster said:

Is there any evidence that it doesn't?  Nowadays that has to be the question and not the other way round.  Hence there should have been a risk assessment (maybe there was and maybe it produced a satisfactory result - only TfL can answer that).

 

I don't see what a risk assessment would prove that billions of passenger journeys around the world on trains with longitudinal seating hasn't - if there was an issue it would have become clear a very long time ago. 

[The Stationmaster]

On 25/10/2019 at 15:35, Ron Ron Ron said:

 

If you don't mind me saying Mike, I think you've fallen into the trap of assuming there will be the same degree of interchange between the Paddington mainlines and the Underground, after the Lizzie Line opens.

 

When open, many of those (not inconsiderable number of) passengers arriving at Paddington on the Crossrail services, will be better served staying onboard and either disembarking, or interchanging at the Lizzie line's central London stations, all, of which have multiple underground line interchanges.

For example, much of the "West End" is either served directly, or within one or two connecting stops from a Crossrail station. It's also a quicker route to most of the other mainline termini.

 

I'm sure TfL have done a great deal of modelling of the likely passenger flows, but it wouldn't surprise me if anything from a third to half, or more, of the passengers who currently connect from the relief line services to the LUL at Paddington, will switch their travel patterns and continue eastbound beyond Paddington on the Lizzie line trains.

We'll find out in due course.

 

Ron

 

 

.

Ron,  I understand exactly what you are saying but I don't think that will apply over much with the people heading for the Circle/District Inner Rail judging by where they come from in terms of evening originating stations (and presumably go to in terms of destinations).   There are some areas where the travel pattern might change but the Kensington area and Earls Court/outwards from there strike me as less likely having used that part of the UndergrounD on a number of occasions recently and seen something of travel patterns towards Edgware Road and, more particularly, Paddington in the evening commuter period.

 

Crossrail has no other interchange with the Circle/District that is much use for that area and has no interchange with the Piccadilly Line.  I fully appreciate that there is currently major traffic interchange with the Bakerloo Line at Paddington plus, to a lesser extent with the Central Line via the walk round to Lancaster Gate but there doesn't seem to be any real alternatives in the central area for interchange to the western end of the Circle and District Lines.   My commuting on the Bakerloo Line is a long way in the past and patterns will obviously have changed  but it was always noticeable that Oxford Circus, and even more so Piccadilly Circus, were the major destinations on southbound morning trains although Crossrail will in some respects serve the former with its easternmost exit at Bond Street.

 

Equally of course, if the estate agents are to be believed and some journey times are not critical for some commuters a whole new travel market will be opened up to parts of the City and of course Canary Wharf so there's no doubt that travel patterns will change as these new markets emerge.   Some of these will, I'm sure, involve interchange onto/off Crossrail at Paddington as I suspect a 50+% quicker peak hour journey into Paddington by GWR with a change to Crossrail there will be the option quite a few Maidenhead and Twyford commuters are likely to grasp (as, more obviously, would those travelling from Reading).  It is going to be quite interesting to see what happens with London commuting from those stations with GWR offering much faster peak hour trains than Crossrail.

 

What happens off peak could be rather different and it is really going to come down to the mix of journey times (not overmuch different between the two operators from stations east of Reading due to the frequency of XR stopping trains forcing and effective deceleration of the GWR trains), possibly differences in fares, and the comparative travel experience on offer between Class 387 units and Class 345 units.   But one potentially important feature might be the distance you have to walk/fight your way through at Paddington from the high numbered platforms which will be used off peak by GWR stoppers and the Crossrail station at the opposite side of the mainline station and that might be a decider for many people.

 

My own inclination, which I suspect many will quickly adopt when their GWR/successor trains call there, will be to change to Crossrail at Ealing Broadway should I happen to be going anywhere on its route as that will be a totally level interchange and thus a very convenient way of making a journey.  In fact it would be even better at Old Oak Common as that would be far simpler than navigating the dangerously overcrowded Down platform at Ealing Broadway in the late afternoon/evening (it's not so bad heading the other way in the morning because of the way interchange works there).  So there you are, I've justified the Relief Line platforms at Old Oak Common

[The Stationmaster]

3 minutes ago, Christopher125 said:

 

I don't see what a risk assessment would prove that billions of passenger journeys around the world on trains with longitudinal seating hasn't - if there was an issue it would have become clear a very long time ago. 

As Crossrail trains have yet to convey passengers at fairly high speeds along lines with major lineside tree and undergrowth the UK the simple answer is that nobody knows what the effect might of such flickering images might be.  When drawing up risk assessments you look at the pertinent facts, not what is happening some where else on a different sort of train running in a different environment.  When I was involved in risk assessment work on the Sydney suburban network I wasn't much interested in risk assessments on, say the South Western part of the Southern (a roughly equivalent network in Britain) - my task was to consider matters pertinent to what was going on, or not going on, in Sydney and what the risk potential and mitigations were there - not what they were at Clapham Junction.

[Christopher125]

20 minutes ago, The Stationmaster said:

As Crossrail trains have yet to convey passengers at fairly high speeds along lines with major lineside tree and undergrowth the UK the simple answer is that nobody knows what the effect might of such flickering images might be.  When drawing up risk assessments you look at the pertinent facts, not what is happening some where else on a different sort of train running in a different environment.  When I was involved in risk assessment work on the Sydney suburban network I wasn't much interested in risk assessments on, say the South Western part of the Southern (a roughly equivalent network in Britain) - my task was to consider matters pertinent to what was going on, or not going on, in Sydney and what the risk potential and mitigations were there - not what they were at Clapham Junction.

 

Perhaps operating 345s west of Paddington is so unique that many decades and billions of passenger journeys on longitudinal seats around the world aren't a useful indicator... but I just find that ludicrously unlikely, and I think TfL would be perfectly entitled to take the same view.

Edited October 26, 2019 by Christopher125

[Mike Storey]

3 hours ago, The Stationmaster said:

As Crossrail trains have yet to convey passengers at fairly high speeds along lines with major lineside tree and undergrowth the UK the simple answer is that nobody knows what the effect might of such flickering images might be.  When drawing up risk assessments you look at the pertinent facts, not what is happening some where else on a different sort of train running in a different environment.  When I was involved in risk assessment work on the Sydney suburban network I wasn't much interested in risk assessments on, say the South Western part of the Southern (a roughly equivalent network in Britain) - my task was to consider matters pertinent to what was going on, or not going on, in Sydney and what the risk potential and mitigations were there - not what they were at Clapham Junction.

 

How would you test it? The NLL has plenty of foliage for large parts of its route, and the trains reach decent speeds in the western half, and I am not aware of any medical issues since the Bombardier sets entered service, many years ago now. I used this route with the new stock for several years, and observed no medical emergencies. Journey times are comparable to the GWML...... Likewise - whilst not at the same speed, but with the lower ride, a similar effect is produced - on the LUL lines where they reach the surface, longitudinal seating is commonplace and has been for c.100 years.

[Bernard Lamb]

3 hours ago, Christopher125 said:

 

Perhaps operating 345s west of Paddington is so unique that many decades and billions of passenger journeys on longitudinal seats around the world aren't a useful indicator... but I just find that ludicrously unlikely, and I think TfL would be perfectly entitled to take the same view.

I find your attitude extremely offensive.

If you were afflicted with travel sickness in any where near as bad a degree as I am, I am sure you would take a very different attitude.

Make a valid contribution to the discussion by all means, but please do not come on here taking such a sarcastic tone in respect of a topic of which you clearly have no knowledge.

Bernard

 

[Mike Storey]

1 minute ago, Bernard Lamb said:

I find your attitude extremely offensive.

If you were afflicted with travel sickness in any where near as bad a degree as I am, I am sure you would take a very different attitude.

Make a valid contribution to the discussion by all means, but please do not come on here taking such a sarcastic tone in respect of a topic of which you clearly have no knowledge.

Bernard

 

That is a bit of an extreme reaction Bernard??

 

It was a valid contribution to the discussion - as per my point: how do you risk assess something so indefinable without reference to the situation on other lines? Travel sickness takes many forms, and longitudinal seating is perhaps a lesser known aspect.

 

My condolences if you suffer from this particular affliction, but where have you experienced it? That would be a more worthwhile contribution to the debate.

[billbedford]

4 hours ago, The Stationmaster said:

As Crossrail trains have yet to convey passengers at fairly high speeds along lines with major lineside tree and undergrowth the UK the simple answer is that nobody knows what the effect might of such flickering images might be.  When drawing up risk assessments you look at the pertinent facts, not what is happening some where else on a different sort of train running in a different environment.  When I was involved in risk assessment work on the Sydney suburban network I wasn't much interested in risk assessments on, say the South Western part of the Southern (a roughly equivalent network in Britain) - my task was to consider matters pertinent to what was going on, or not going on, in Sydney and what the risk potential and mitigations were there - not what they were at Clapham Junction.

 

Do the 345s really go very much faster than the S stock on the Met? It seems to me that TfL, and before them, LT have had quite a lot of experience running longitudinal seated stock on essentially rural lines. 

[Ron Ron Ron]

6 hours ago, The Stationmaster said:

 .......My own inclination, which I suspect many will quickly adopt when their GWR/successor trains call there, will be to change to Crossrail at Ealing Broadway should I happen to be going anywhere on its route as that will be a totally level interchange and thus a very convenient way of making a journey.  In fact it would be even better at Old Oak Common as that would be far simpler than navigating the dangerously overcrowded Down platform at Ealing Broadway in the late afternoon/evening (it's not so bad heading the other way in the morning because of the way interchange works there).  So there you are, I've justified the Relief Line platforms at Old Oak Common

Old Oak Common will easily trump Ealing Broadway, as there’ll be twice as many trains heading east from there, if the Royal Oak reversals are moved to out OOC as currently planned.

 

Ron

[Christopher125]

6 hours ago, Bernard Lamb said:

I find your attitude extremely offensive.

If you were afflicted with travel sickness in any where near as bad a degree as I am, I am sure you would take a very different attitude.

Make a valid contribution to the discussion by all means, but please do not come on here taking such a sarcastic tone in respect of a topic of which you clearly have no knowledge.

Bernard

 

 

You are reading something into my post that simply isn't there, I'll assume you've had a bad day and leave it at that.

Edited October 27, 2019 by Christopher125

[DY444]

10 hours ago, billbedford said:

 

Do the 345s really go very much faster than the S stock on the Met? It seems to me that TfL, and before them, LT have had quite a lot of experience running longitudinal seated stock on essentially rural lines. 

 

I believe S stock max is currently 62mph* whilst 345 max is 90mph.  Assuming 345s will stop everywhere and given the line speeds and inter-station distances, it seems to me that Reading - Twyford** and Twyford - Maidenhead are probably the only sections where 345s are likely to run substantially faster than S stock.

 

* I don't know if the recent increase in traction supply voltage and eventual rollout of the new signalling to the extremities of the Met will change this.

** More likely in the Up direction imo.

[Zomboid]

The intervals between Harold Wood, Brentwood and Shenfield are quite long (in relation to the rest of the GE inner, at least), and the introduction of 345s replacing 315s out there doesn't seem to have created any major issues linked to longitudinal seating.

[The Stationmaster]

15 hours ago, Mike Storey said:

 

How would you test it? The NLL has plenty of foliage for large parts of its route, and the trains reach decent speeds in the western half, and I am not aware of any medical issues since the Bombardier sets entered service, many years ago now. I used this route with the new stock for several years, and observed no medical emergencies. Journey times are comparable to the GWML...... Likewise - whilst not at the same speed, but with the lower ride, a similar effect is produced - on the LUL lines where they reach the surface, longitudinal seating is commonplace and has been for c.100 years.

But are they travelling at 90mph?  I think not and XR trains running to Reading will have to maintain their nett booked running times west of Maidenhead.  And why do tv stations keep warning us about 'flickering images' - no different and in fact perhaps not as bad as watching a jungle zooming past at 90mph.  Anyway it's basically a question for Crossrail in respect of their trains on the routes they will be working over, not other trains on other routes where speeds are lower.

1 hour ago, Zomboid said:

The intervals between Harold Wood, Brentwood and Shenfield are quite long (in relation to the rest of the GE inner, at least), and the introduction of 345s replacing 315s out there doesn't seem to have created any major issues linked to longitudinal seating.

Is the line speed there 90 mph on the Electric Lines?  and the distances aren't entirely comparable, Harold Wood - Brentwood is 3m20chs and the nett running time is 4 minutes,  Brentwood - Shenfield is 4 miles between platform centres and the nett running time is 6 minutes.  Maidenhead to Twyford is 6m 62ch and the nett running time will be  either 6 or 7 minutes (it varies from train to train),  Twyford to Reading is 4m79ch and the nett running time for Down trains. is 7 minutes (with the final half mile restricted to 20mph due to low speed crossovers) while for Up trains it is either 5 minutes or 6 minutes.  Thus while Brentwood - Shenfield is probably broadly comparable with Twyford - Reading in the Down direction Reading - Twyford is a shorter journey time and will require a speed in excess of 80 mph in order to maintain time (387s are booked 6 minutes and can beat it but they do have to run very fast to do it).

 

I doubt if there would be many issues with 345s replacing 315s although I don know of one regular passenger on the GE side who doesn't think much of the new trains.  But comparing 345s with 387s is like comparing chalk with cheese.  While not ideal due to glass intervening I took these two pictures last week while sitting in a 387 and looking through two lots of glass at the interior of a 345 sitting at the adjacent platform - expecting people to pay the better part of £4,000 a year to travel on the latter strikes me as taking the whatsit but that is what they will get for the major, 49 minute, part of their journey.

 

 

[billbedford]

26 minutes ago, The Stationmaster said:

doubt if there would be many issues with 345s replacing 315s although I don know of one regular passenger on the GE side who doesn't think much of the new trains.  But comparing 345s with 387s is like comparing chalk with cheese.  While not ideal due to glass intervening I took these two pictures last week while sitting in a 387 and looking through two lots of glass at the interior of a 345 sitting at the adjacent platform - expecting people to pay the better part of £4,000 a year to travel on the latter strikes me as taking the whatsit but that is what they will get for the major, 49 minute, part of their journey.

 

Yes, but, at what point in its journey does a peak 387 become overcrowded?

 

It seems to me that running the two types gives passengers a choice and while a majority of passengers from Reading may prefer the 387s, there will be some point in the journey where passenger preference will swap to the 345s. I suspect that at the moment that swap over point is still a bit vague, and once the relative passenger numbers become more robust then we can expect changes to the timetable to reflect actual usage. 

[The Stationmaster]

1 hour ago, billbedford said:

 

Yes, but, at what point in its journey does a peak 387 become overcrowded?

 

It seems to me that running the two types gives passengers a choice and while a majority of passengers from Reading may prefer the 387s, there will be some point in the journey where passenger preference will swap to the 345s. I suspect that at the moment that swap over point is still a bit vague, and once the relative passenger numbers become more robust then we can expect changes to the timetable to reflect actual usage. 

In many respects you are absolutely right although the heaviest loading 387 worked trains - most (if not all) of which will still be 387 worked from December - are run as 12 x car formations and generally don't call at stations east of Maidenhead/. I'm not sure incidentally how the seat count works out but a 9 car 345 seems to come with 450 seats which I suspect isn't that much different from an 8 car 387 formation.

 

The matter of overcrowding splits really into two areas and they are to some extent peak hour related.  Trains seem to load fairly well all through the day Slough and east thereof but particularly so West Drayton and east thereof.  Thus providing people don't mind standing a 345 is ideal inwards towards London from West Drayton and probably relatively handy from Slough although that means longer standing.  During the peak, from what I have seen, the stretch between Ealing Broadway and, again, West Drayton, is very heavily loaded - so sensible to use a 345 (if people don't mind standing) and eventually there will also be a more frequent service,  

 

The other area of heavy loading is the peak hours from Maidenhead and Twyford in particular to/from London  and this is partly a function of accessibility to the stations from the branchlines, and in the. case of Twyford due to people using it instead of Wokingham which is nearer to their homes but has much longer journey times to/from London.   Although it is not possible to finance it GWR seem to think that peak hour travel between Twyford and London could grow substantially if a larger/multi-storey car park could be provided there.   But the crtitical thing at both these stations is that they are popular due to journey time as much as anything else and during the peaks that won't change at all as GWR will still provide a variety of fast services.

 

You can, I think, forget Reading completely as far as commuter travel to London by Crossrail is concerned because  journey time by GWR will be less that half what Crossrail will offer (the latter is c.56 minutes).   They might pick up some residual traffic to/from Ealing Broadway in the periods when there are fewer GWR trains calling there so that is one where it might be interesting to see what happens.  Thus I would think, based on the way GWR already advertise stopping trains for London at Reading (as terminating at Ealing Broadway - a long established principle) that what Crossrail will be carrying to/from Reading will be almost entirely relatively short distance local traffic with very few people travelling to/from stations east of Slough and not many going east of Maidenhead apart from school children.  

 

It could be of course that travel patterns might change but judging by what will happen in December with a much poorer XR service being offered for a number of  journeys than that currently offered by GWR I doubt if there will be any growth and for some journeys I wouldn't be at all surprised to see a decline in passenger numbers.  The worst example of this is the connections off our branch which currently give us a generally 30 minute, or quicker, journey in each direction, with one change, to/from Reading throughout the day with a train every 30 minutes.  This is faster than the parallel 'bus routes and  can be cheaper in marginal cost for two people than going by car due to the high cost of parking in Reading.  But from December the off peak service is shot to ribbons and some journey times will increase by 20 minutes - which will give a longer journey than the 'bus alternatives.  Not too bad for those commuting with only small decelerations for some starting times but the off-peak market could suffer as it is quite busy.  Again time, and total passenger numbers on the branch, will tell

[mdvle]

London Reconnections has an update on the state of Crossrail based on the 23rd October meeting of the Programmes & Investment Committee

 

https://www.londonreconnections.com/2019/crossrail-progressing-but-slipping/

[DY444]

On 27/10/2019 at 09:22, Zomboid said:

The intervals between Harold Wood, Brentwood and Shenfield are quite long (in relation to the rest of the GE inner, at least), and the introduction of 345s replacing 315s out there doesn't seem to have created any major issues linked to longitudinal seating.

 

Not really comparable in my view:

Harold Wood to Brentwood is 3.2 miles and Brentwood to Shenfield is 2 miles,  Line speed on U/D Electric is 60/70 with 25 on approach to Shenfield. 

Maidenhead to Twyford is 6.8 miles and Twyford to Reading is 4.9 miles.  Line speed on U/D Relief is MU75 for approx 1/4m leaving Maidenhead then MU90 with 40/30/25 (depending on route and platform) approaching Reading.