The Anonymous Widower

Extending The Elizabeth Line – Connecting West Anglia Main Line Services To The Central Tunnel

If say it was ever needed to run a train between Cambridge or Stansted stations and the Central Tunnel of the Elizabeth Line, three things must be possible.

Trains Would Have To Be Compatible With The Central Tunnel Of The Elizabeth Line

As any train would have to be compatible with the platform-edge doors in the central tunnel of the Elizabeth Line, the trains would have to be dimensionally identical to the current Class 345 trains.

• Nine cars
• Possibility of lengthening to ten cars.
• 204.73 metres long.
• 6 sets of doors per carriage
• Ability to run under full digital signalling.

I covered this in detail in Extending The Elizabeth Line – High Speed Trains On The Elizabeth Line.

Trains Would Need A 100 mph Capability To Travel On The Fast Lines Of The West Anglia Main Line

They would be designed for a higher speed of at least 100 mph, to enable running on the fast lines.

The faster running would ease scheduling of the trains.

Effectively, the train would be a Class 345 train with more features and considerably more grunt.

Trains Must Be Able To Connect Between The West Anglia Main Line And The Central Tunnel Of The Elizabeth Line At Stratford

This map from cartometro.com shows the track layout at Stratford.

Note.

1. The Elizabeth Line is shown in black and purple.
2. The Elizabeth Line enters and leaves the Central Tunnel at the Pudding Mill Lane Portal Eye.
3. The West Anglia Main Line to and from Stansted and Cambridge goes through Platforms 11 and 12 at Stratford station, before crossing over Stratford International station and going through Olympic Park Junction.

I am fairly sure that the track layout at Stratford does not allow trains to go both ways between West Anglia Main Line and the Elizabeth Line Central Tunnel.

But I suspect with the addition of a couple of extra crossovers, that this could be arranged.

February 5, 2023 - Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | Class 345 Train, Elizabeth Line, Extending The Elizabeth Line, Stratford International Station, Stratford Station, West Anglia Main Line