What Do You Do With Six Million Tonnes Of Earth?
Crossrail will produce six million tonnes of earth and spoil, from where they are digging the tunnels, shafts and stations in London. Three-quarters of this are being used to create a new wetland habitat for the RSPB at Wallasea Island, north of Southend in Essex. Read all about it here.
Crossrail’s Tunneling Machines
The BBC has been showing a story with video about Crossrail‘s giant tunneling machines which will start work in the near future.
Crossrail has more on the boring of 42 km. of tunnels under London using eight tunnel boring machines here.
They also have more on the Tunneling and Underground Construction Academy, which will be a unique legacy of Crossrail and will continue to provide trained staff for tunnel projects all over the world.
We really are entering the Golden Age of Tunneling.
How To Recycle A Tunnel
Crossrail is Europe’s largest construction project and they are really upping their publicity this year, as the work begins in earnest.
I found this story with a video about the reusing of the Connaught Tunnel on the BBC’s web site. I wrote about this earlier.
It’s a fine piece of engineering and the associated project management.
The New Farringdon Station
The new longer 12-coach Thameslink trains are now running through the tunnels from St.Pancras to south of the river and Farringdon Station has been upgraded and lengthened to cope.
In a few years time, it will be the major interchange between Thameslink and Crossrail and one of the busiest stations in London.
The information on what they are doing is good to.
Note that the station used to be called Farringdon and High Holborn.
92 Clubs – Day 37 – Swansea
This was one that I thought would be simple. Just a return on a Sunday to one of the furthest clubs from London; Swansea.
But I knew there would be problems because of engineering works on both the Underground and the trains to South Wales. So I decided to start early and just took a Super Off Peak Return to Swansea, having booked a seat on the 08:00 from Paddington. I had elected to take my chances about getting a seat on the return journey. But I thought I’d have a reasonable chance, as the train started its return journey in Swansea and I knew there was an unreserved coach.
So it should have worked out well and mostly it did.
Because there was no Underground trains to Paddington, I had to take a couple of buses. Which wasn’t too much of a hardship, but the journey wasn’t as easy as it would have been on say a Monday.
When I got to Paddington, Marks and Spencer wasn’t yet open, so I couldn’t buy any sandwiches for the trip. As they are the only place to buy any gluten-free food in stations and there is nothing on the trains, I would have to wait until Swansea.
The journey was uneventful except that it took just over four hours instead of just under three. This was because it had to go via Bristol Temple Meads and Bristol Parkway, rather than straight through, because of the engineering works.
On arriving in Swansea, I walked straight to the Liberty stadium in about half-an-hour. There were no signposts for either walkers or drivers until you could see the stadium.
Swansea share the ground with the rugby club; The Ospreys, as you can see from the picture.
The Liberty Stadium, Swansea
I think I caught the remains of a car boot sale, so I thought I’d get back to the city centre and try and locate some food.
I did get a bus, but of course I had to pay for it, as English bus passes are not valid in Wales. Are we a United Kingdom or not? I don’t mind paying incidentally and feel that a UK wide scheme with perhaps a small charge outside your home are, would be the fairest way to do it.
But I couldn’t find any food. Marks & Spencer told me, that they had no gluten-free sandwiches, although they do stock them. but they are not the best of sellers! In the end I get some EatNakd bars from Holland and Barrett. They may be nice, but coffee and chocolate bars isn’t the best diet, even if it is gluten-free!
So I got back to the station and took the 14:00 train home. Paddington was in chaos because of the Underground engineering works, so it was buses to Oxford Street and then the Central line and another bus to Islington for supper in Carluccio’s.
All I say is roll on CrossRail, as this will make getting to Paddington so much easier; engineering works or not!
As an aside, I took this picture of the stadium from the train from London.
The Liberty Stadium from the London Train
It strikes me that this is a ground that could benefit from its own station.
It was a day though that showed me the problems of travelling as a coeliac unless you plan ahead and take your lunch with you!
Are The Edinburgh Trams About To Do a U-Turn?
I thought it was difficult because of their size for trams to do a U-turn. But apparently not in Edinburgh!
I think it’s a toss-up about which opens first; the Edinburgh Tram or Crossrail in London.
Avoid Changing At Bank
For some time now, changing from one tube line to another at Bank has been something to avoid according to Transport for London.
I have advised people coming to see me to change at Bank onto a 76, 21 or 141 bus to go north to Dalston. But now CrossRail works and putting in a new water main seem to mean that finding a bus at certain times at Bank, is like looking for a needle in the proverbial haystack.
Coming back from Oxford Circus at around four this afternoon, took me nearly an hour, when normally in the rush hour, I can do it on a 73 bus in about thirty-five minutes.
So where were the seventy-frees this afternoon? Stuck in the jams at Bond Street caused by Sunday afternoon shoppers and the CrossRail works at Bond Street. I couldn’t tak the Victoria line to Highbury and Islington, as that was closed for engineering work.
The problems will sort themselves out in the next few weeks, as the summer will be over and a lot of the weekend engineering work will be suspended until the Christmas period.
It is now though, that one of the major faults of the Overground is starting to show itself. And that is the lack of a link to the Central line in the east of London. You have to remember too, that the Central line is actually under Shoreditch High Street station. But then the cost of a new tube station there would probably have doubled the cost of the East London line.
I suppose the planners felt that when CrossRail is finished, then this will solve the problem with the interchange at Whitechapel.
Interchange at Stratford
Yesterday I took a friend down the North London line to take a train to her home in Ipswich. The interchange there is now very good and it is just down one set of steps, a short walk and a climb up between trains. Both climbs can be avoided by lifts, if you have limited mobility or heavy luggage.
The only problem is that the proper Ipswich trains have non-sliding doors and this is a slight problem for some with less than perfect hands. It’s exacerbated by the fact that no-one gets out of an Ipswich train at Stratford, so these trains need to have a better door mechanism, when they are refurbished next time.
Stratford is going to be a major interchange during and after the Olympics. If say I was travelling from Ipswich to say Oxford Circus on the Central line, then now it is better to change at Stratford rather than Liverpool Street. Other journeys may also be better with a change at Stratford. For example.
- Ipswich to Gatwick, by changing to the Jubilee at Stratford for London Bridge.
- N**wich to Southampton, by changing to the Jubilee at Stratford for Waterloo.
The interchanges are much better than using the Underground or buses in central London.
You can make a list of places, that are directly connected to Stratford, but not to Liverpool Street.
- London Bridge, Charing Cross and Waterloo
- Canary Wharf, Greenwich and the O2.
- Camden Town, Kentish Town, Hampstead and the Heath.
When Thameslink is completed at London Bridge, many more places will be easier to get to, after a short trip from Stratford.
Chiltern are also threatening to connect at West Hampstead to the North London line, so this would mean East Anglia or Essex to Birmingham or Oxford would be a simpler journey in new trains all the way.
And then in 2016 or thereabouts there’s CrossRail.
Apologies To CrossRail
In a previous post, I accused CrossRail of not giving much information on the work they are doing.
But then I found these notes overlooking the new Canary Wharf station.
That is a lot better, so I apologise. But where is similar information at Bond Street and Tottenham Court Road stations?
Crossrailed Again!
I have a feeling London is going to have to learn to live with CrossRail. Not content with causing chaos in Oxford Street, the construction work has now effectively removed Hanover Square from being a useful thoroughfare between Fenwick and John Lewis.
An Unfriendly Hanover Square
But it still doesn’t stop idiots driving through to make matters worse for buses, taxis and pedestrians.
Traffic Jams Towards John Lewis
I must say that I might miss driving at times, but not in Central London.
I should say that I walked to John Lewis, a couple of minutes quicker than the Ferrari! But perhaps the driver was a learner, as this driver was.
The Anonymous Widower 