The Anonymous Widower

Ealing Broadway Station – 31st May 2021

This article on Rail Technology Magazine, which is entitled Transport for London Completes Step-Free Access At Ealing Broadway, alerted me that the station might be worth a look.

I took these pictures this morning.

This map from cartometro.com shows the station layout.

Note.

1. The black lines in Platforms 1 and 2 are the Great Western Railway main line platforms.
2. The black/blue lines in Platforms 3 and 4 are the Great Western Railway slow line platforms, which are also used by Crossrail.
3. The red tracks in Platforms 5 and 6 are the Central Line platforms.
4. The green tracks in Platforms 7, 8 and 9 are the District Line platforms.

These are my thoughts.

Step-Free Access

Consider.

• Access between platforms 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 is on the level, as it has been for years.
• There are a pair of lifts to access these six platforms from street level.
• There are also two other lifts to Platform 1 and Platform 2/3.
• There are three typical Network Rail stairs to the platforms, with double-handrails, which at 73, I can still manage.

I’ve certainly seen much worse stations with supposedly step-free access.

I also wonder if another lift will be added to directly serve the District Line platforms.

It could be one of those additions, that has been catered for, so it can be added if necessary.

Crossrail And Routes Into And Out Of London

Crossrail will change commuting and leisure routes, into and out of London.

• Crossrail serves the West End, the North of the City and Canary Wharf directly.
• Crossrail has good connections to the Central, Circle, District and Jubilee Lines.
• Crossrail has a direct connection to Thameslink.
• All Crossrail interchanges will be step-free.

After it has been opened for a few months, I can see that direct connections and ducking and diving will have seriously changed London’s well-established commuting and travel patterns.

Using Ealing Broadway Station As An Interchange

It will certainly be easier with all the new step-free access, but I suspect some passengers, who previously changed at Ealing Broadway station, will go straight through on Crossrail.

In Will Crossrail Open To Reading in 2019?, I said that Ealing Broadway station will get the following total number of Crossrail trains.

• 12 tph in the Peak
• 10 tph in the Off-Peak

Note.

1. tph is trains per hour.
2. Six tph would go between London Paddington and Heathrow.
3. Two tph would go between London Paddington and Reading.

It will be interesting to see what Crossrail timetable is delivered.

The Overall Design

It is a fairly conservative design, that follows the principles of good step-free access.

Interchange is level and good between Crossrail and the tube lines.

There are still a few details to be finished and I suspect it will be a well-thought of station.

A Few Questions

These are a few questions.

Will The Station Be A Gateway To Heathrow?

I suspect it could be, as the station is well-connected by bus and tube to large numbers of places.

Conclusion

Ealing Broadway will be a busy interchange and I’m sure, it’s been designed to handle a lot of passengers.

 

 

May 31, 2021 - Posted by AnonW | Transport | Central Line, Crossrail, District Line, Ducking And Diving, Ealing Broadway Station, Great Western Railway, Step-Free