please empty your brain below
Maybe they should have a word with Govia Thameslink about start dates for major programmes and what happens next...

Waterhouse | 09.07.18 - 7:24 a.m. | #

Doesn't look anywhere near finished to me.

I'd say the whole project should have been built years ago, so what's another month or two, or an unfinished station if it is late?

Lorenzo | 09.07.18 - 8:08 a.m. | #

My money is on 2019.

It is already years behind the original (quickly changed and forgotten) opening date.

scrumpy | 09.07.18 - 8:23 a.m. | #

Presumably they will be testing before the official opening.

dg writes: They're already testing.

I wonder if they might have an unannounced soft launch on or before 9 December, and then a big bang announcement afterwards, perhaps in January 2019.

Andrew | 09.07.18 - 8:55 a.m. | #

Applause for the complete lack of Elizabeth in this report.

Scott | Homepage | 09.07.18 - 9:08 a.m. | #

When will it be extended to Penzance?

Ironicsteve | 09.07.18 - 10:59 a.m. | #

A little bird tells me TFL are doing friends and family trips on Xrail in Oct-Nov

Anon | 09.07.18 - 11:09 a.m. | #

Look at London Bridge station... It opened after Christmas, with work scheduled to finish in May. It's now July and they are still working on it...

Southern Heights (Light Railway) | 09.07.18 - 11:13 a.m. | #

@Scott

It's going to be incredibly confusing when an army of railfans continue to refuse to call a train service by anything other than the construction project's name even when the project is over in less than 2 years.

There's 5 months to get over it before the dreaded "E******* line" is an actual service that you might need to mention when giving directions/advice on how to travel to somewhere.

Was it like this with the Fleet?

Si | 09.07.18 - 12:43 p.m. | #

My view is that "something" will launch on 9 December simply because it has to to avoid all sorts of red faces. However several of the stations won't be fully finished so TfL will be scrabbling to get the appropriate regulatory sign offs to allow the public into a partly finished railway.

I certainly don't expect to see everywhere open nor do I expect to see a full 18-19 hour service each day. It'll be limited to give more engineering hours access in stations to allow works to be completed.

I suspect we won't see anything remotely like a "full" service with all station entrances open and a full daytime service until not long before the "must happen" linking in of the Shenfield route in May 2019. Oh and the surface station rebuilds out west won't finish until well into 2020 or even 2021 in the worst case.

PC | 09.07.18 - 12:58 p.m. | #

@Si
I still go to The Dome, near North Greenwich. It is really good. Can go home from there on The Dangleway as well.
People still look for stop V at Stratford to get a coach. That disappeared last century, so heavens knows how they would find the Stansted stuff in it's 4th new home since then.
Names such as Roneo Corner,Charlie Browns', Crooked Billet or Thatched House stick, because we all know what/where we are talking about long after the source of the name is long gone.

scrumpy | 09.07.18 - 1:00 p.m. | #

Agree with PC. I think we might see something similar to the Jubilee Line extension. Something will open, even if it's just Canary Wharf to Abbey Wood, but on a very limited basis (the JLE started with North Greenwich to Stratford and gradually expanded as bits were completed).

And to ride one of my hobby horses, we're still none the wiser about any of the other bus changes a year after the consultation opened.

Ned | 09.07.18 - 1:14 p.m. | #

I just want them to open the main entrance to Whitechapel station again. Nothing else on crossrail is going to be a huge game changer until the whole thing is up and running in it's entirety. (Unless I have to go to Canary Wharf)

Lumma | 09.07.18 - 1:25 p.m. | #

TfL need this new fare box revenue badly so money will be thrown at this to ensure it’s open on 9 December. It might not all be working, but the ELIZABETH LINE will definitely open on that day.

Mark | 09.07.18 - 2:09 p.m. | #

Of course, the JLE set a precedent of stations opening after the rest of the line. Southwark didn't open until the Stratford-Waterloo section was connected to the rest of the line while Westminster opened about a month later. I have a sneaking suspicion that we will see something similar with Crossrail.

X-Plaistow | 09.07.18 - 2:12 p.m. | #

Embarrassingly, today is the first time I've actually looked at the Crossrail map properly. I live near Finsbury Park-ish and I can't see how it will ever help me. Does everyone need to change at Paddington?? How is that better than a single trip on the Piccadilly line all the way through to T5? Confused.

Sashina | 09.07.18 - 2:15 p.m. | #

@X-Plaistow

A long, long tradition. The London and Greenwich Railway opened in 1836 without either of its terminus stations, running just from Spa Road to Deptford.

AlanBG | 09.07.18 - 2:17 p.m. | #

To put it simple, Crossrail isn't built for North London, Sashina.

Patrickov | 09.07.18 - 2:24 p.m. | #

@Sashina
Although the Tube map pretends they don't exist, Finsbury Park has direct services to both Moorgate and Farringdon, both giving connections to Crossrail. In the short term, yes, a change at Paddington will be needed for Heathrow, but from the end of next year (if all goes to plan) there will be direct trains from both Farringdon and Moorgate to Heathrow.

Finsbury Park to Heathrow by Picadilly Line is 65 minutes, via Farringdon will be about 45.

And of course it's not just about Heathrow - connections to East London and Docklands from north London will be much faster too.

timbo | Homepage | 09.07.18 - 4:25 p.m. | #

@X-Plaistow, Alan BG

Pimlico is a more recent example of an Underground station opening after the line it is on. Pudding Mill Lane and Canary Wharf are examples on the DLR. (From Day 1 the automatic trains used to stop there, even though there was no trace of even a platform)

timbo again | Homepage | 09.07.18 - 4:32 p.m. | #

I have a medallion issued to commemorate the opening of the Jubilee Line Extension, except it has the wrong date on it, as it didn't open when originally scheduled. TfL clearly don't want to do that again.

Deborah Kelly | 09.07.18 - 8:18 p.m. | #

Thanks Timbo. I know I can get from FPK to Moorgate or Farringdon (if you're lucky), but having two make two tube changes instead of zero completes negates its attractiveness to me. Plonking myself down at FPK or (Turnpike Lane) and zoning out until Northfields-ish is much easier.
Anyway, will be interesting to see how usage changes... on that mystery date!

dg writes: Finsbury Park to Heathrow will be easier by Piccadilly line, and a lot cheaper, and hopefully emptier. No need to switch :)

Sashina | 09.07.18 - 9:53 p.m. | #

I see that the National Rail December timetable change has now been abandoned.

Matthew | 09.07.18 - 10:19 p.m. | #

there's also the fact that Crossrail will have aircon and wifi ... so on a sweltering day, you might just prefer it !

ADS | Homepage | 09.07.18 - 11:23 p.m. | #

One other reason TfL want to make the deadline is to reduce the risk of her maj' popping her clogs before launch date.

Anon | 10.07.18 - 1:25 a.m. | #

The December timetable change hasn't been abandoned - rather, as the article makes clear, some of the service changes that were planned to take place at the December timetable change have been dropped. None of the dropped changes are ones that get in the way of the December 2018 central tunnel Crossrail route (whose only direct interface with National Rail is at Abbey Wood).

johnb78 | Homepage | 10.07.18 - 5:52 a.m. | #

TfL are also keeping the £500m overspend pretty quiet

Flare | 10.07.18 - 8:55 a.m. | #

@johnb78
Actually, there will be no direct interface at the Abbey Wood end as Crossrail has its own dedicated tracks there. However, there will be an interface at the Paddington end since out-of-service trains will need to use part of the Great Western line to reach the depot at Old Oak Common.

@Alan BG, timbo again
For the record, the reason why I specifically mentioned the JLE was to use the context of a (relatively) recent example of a project of the same nature as Crossrail.

X-Plaistow | 10.07.18 - 1:24 p.m. | #

@ Mark - your point about "extra revenue" has actually been disproved by TfL. They appeared in front of a London Assembly Cttee recently and said the "extra" money showing for Crossrail in its first year is almost all transfers from tube and DLR routes. The actual new traffic is tiny. It is only when routes are linked into the core that new traffic is generated. The really big jump in revenue occurs after Dec 2019 when TfL takeover a large slice of what is currently GWR commuter service revenue for trips out of Paddington. They will also get a share of London - Reading revenue.

I don't disagree that the extra money is vital but I was surprised at how modest the uplift from "new journeys" was in TfL's modelling. So much for it being "full from day one".

PC | 11.07.18 - 10:21 a.m. | #

Well, this is awkward.

Hope you kept the wallet?

dg writes: thumbs-up emoji

craig beaumont | 31.08.18 - 3:57 p.m. | #











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