West Ealing Station – 16th April 2019
These pictures were taken at West Ealing station.
At last there appears to be some progress, with the footbridge now under construction.
The station certainly looks to be advanced enough, to fit in with Crossrail opening within a year, as I wrote about in Crossrail Service To Reading On Track For December Opening.
According to the Wikipedia entry for Crossrail, West EWaling station will have the following trains, when Crossrail opens.
- Two trains per hour (tph) between Reading and Abbey Wood
- Two tph between Maidenhead and Abbey Wood
- Four tph between Heathrow Terminal 4 and Abbey Wood.
- Two tph between Heathrow Terminal 5 and Abbey Wood.
What if you want to go to Shenfield?
If the Western section of Crossrail opens in December, would West Ealing station get the following service?
- Two tph between Reading and Paddington
- Two tph between Maidenhead and Paddington
- Four tph between Heathrow Terminal 4 and Paddington
- Two tph between Heathrow Terminal 5 and Paddington
That would surely be an excellent service!
If the frequency on the Greenford Branch could be doubled to four tph, there would also be an excellent interchange to the branch line.
Crossrail To Reading In December 2019
As current rumours are that Crossrail will open in December to Reading, it looks like the station will be usable.
It is planned that West Ealing station will have a Crossrail train every six minutes.
An Automated Shuttle Train On The Greenford Branch Line
The Greenford Branch Line has the following features.
- It is 2.5 miles long.
- It is double-track.
- It is not electrified.
- There is a single platform station at both ends with three intermediate stations.
- The service frequency is two trains per hour (tph).
- Trains take 11-12 minutes to go between the two terminals.
- Freight trains also use the line.
To run the ideal four tph, trains would need to do a round trip between West Ealing and Greenford in fifteen minutes.
If we assume that the two end stops take two minutes and the six intermediate ones take thirty seconds, then that leaves just eight minutes to cover the five miles of the round trip.
This is an average speed of 37.5 mph.
I don’t have the calculation experience or knowledge of train performance to prove it, but I think that an appropriate train would be able to run an automated shuttle, with a frequency of four tph.
The train (or tram-train) would have the following features.
- It would be battery-powered.
- It would be highly automated.
- It would have an operating speed of perhaps sixty mph.
- It would have fast acceleration and deceleration.
The following infrastructure works would also be needed.
- The track would be improved to allow higher speeds.
- The points would be automated.
- Level access between platform and train would be provided.
- A fast charging system would be added to the bay platforms at Greenford and/or West Ealing stations.
If four tph could be achieved on the Greenford Branch with just one automated shuttle and no electrification, this would be exactly what the operator, the passengers and the Government ordered.
What Is Happening (Or Not!) At West Ealing Station?
I took these pictures at West Ealing station a few days ago.
There appears to be no work going on to finish the station for Crossrail.
There has also been no announcement about what is happening to the Greenford Branch.
Surely, if the bay platform were to be electrified, it would be the ideal place to charge a battery shuttle train to Greenford station.
West Ealing Station – 21st June 2018
The progress to create new station buildings at West Ealing station seems to be painfully slow, as these pictures show.
It looks like there are now no platforms on the fast lines and the actual platforms for Crossrail and the Greenford Branch Line appear to be complete except for finishing off.
There appeared to be no if any work going on to built the new station building and the fully-accessible bridge.
But there did appear to be some electrification gantries and wires over the Western end of the bay platform.
Were Network Rail making sure that if it were decided to electrify the Greenford Branch Line, it would not be a difficult job?
If on the other hand, it was decided to use battery trains on the Greenford Branch, I suspect that sufficient electrification could be installed to charge the batteries.
Could Three-Car Aventras Run Services On The Greenford Branch?
Services on the Greenford Branch Line between West Ealing and Greenford stations, are currently provided by a two-car Class 165 train.
Consider.
- There are no plans to electrify the line.
- West Ealing station has a recently-constructed bay platform to serve the branch.
- The branch line is a 2.7 mile double-track line with three stations.
- The intermediate stations at Drayton Green, Castle Bar Park and South Greenford have short platforms, that can only accept two-car trains.
- The service frequency is two trains per hour (tph).
- Each trip takes eleven minutes.
In an ideal world, the service would be electric and four tph.
Proposals For New Trains
Most proposals seem to suggest moving the branch line to the London Overground and using one of their Class 172 trains. But these trains are now being moved to West Midlands Trains, so that proposal would seem to be a non-starter.
Three-Car Aventras
Could three-car Aventras run services on the line using battery power?
I discussed such a train in A Detailed Look At A Three-Car Aventra, after West Midlands Trains ordered thirty-six of the trains.
These are my thoughts.
Capacity Increase
A three-car train would give a fifty percent increase in capacity on the line.
Is this capacity increase needed?
The Link With Crossrail
Under Services in the Wikipedia entry for Crossrail, it is indicated that twelve tph will pass through West Ealing station, although it is not yet known how many will stop.
Surely, when Crossrail opens fully, an integrated service with good connections will be created at West Ealing.
I believe Crossrail will work in one of two ways at West Ealing.
- In a London Underground-like manner, all trains will stop.
- Perhaps four or six tph will stop.
I suspect that Londoners won’t accept the second pattern, as they are used to the Underground and the Overground, where there are not many limited-stop services and a train comes along every few minutes.
So this would mean that there will be trains every five minutes in both directions at West Ealing station, creating a steady stream of passengers for the Greenford Branch Line.
Passengers will get fed up waiting thirty minutes for the branch line train.
As West Ealing will be a well-equipped station, waiting fifteen minutes for a train will probably be acceptable to passengers.
Anything less and there will be masses of complaints.
The Link With The Central Line
What applies at West Ealing with Crossrail, surely applies at Greenford with the Central Line.
Short Platforms
I feel that selective door opening on the Aventra could handle the short platforms on the branch.
Four Trains Per Hour
I think it be possible to work a four tph West Ealing to Greenford shuttle, as the branch line is double-track.
But it may need another cross-over to be installed.
Four tph would need two operational trains.
Charging The Trains
The trains could be charged at either end of the branch line, although for practical reasons, charging might use 25 KVAC overhead at West Ealing and 750 VDC at Greenford, as these are used on other tracks in the respective stations.
But as Aventras can be dual voltage, this could be handled by the trains.
As the line is only 2.7 miles long, charging could probably be done at one end only.
Other Alternatives
It would not be balanced to ignore other possibilities.
Refurbished Two-Car Diesel Trains
Two refurbished two-car diesel trains, like say Class 150 trains could also work four tph. on the branch.
But these would probably present services and refuelling problems.
Class 230 Trains
Two Class 230 trains could also work four tph. on the branch.
Consider.
- They could work the branch on diesel or battery, or a combination of both.
- Trains would be refurbished to a modern standard, with wi-fi and power sockets.
- Two-car trains would fit the stations on the branch.
- They are designed for remote servicing.
I think that a dedicated fleet of three two-car Class 230 trains would be a viable alternative.
Conclusion
Three-car Aventras could provide a good service on the Greenford Branch Line, but there are issues and it may be more complicated than anyone thinks to run a service, that is acceptable to passengers.
But three two-car Class 230 trains would be a viable alternative.
Innovation In Railway Projects
This article in Rail Technology Magazine is entitled NR routes to publish ‘pipeline’ of third party opportunities by year end. It lays out a new philosophy of how rail infrastructure projects could be handled in the future. I suggest you give the article a careful read.
Some politicians will say it is privatisation by another name. But to me it is just a way of getting a project built faster in a safe manner.
This is a paragraph.
By the end of this year, NR’s routes will publish ‘pipelines’ of projects that they want to put out to market. The infrastructure owner will also be working with government on producing a list of third-party opportunities. Initially these opportunities may be at the smaller end of the spectrum such as new stations, depots and car parks.
Take the simple example of a depot. These days fleets of new trains often mean a large increase in depot capacity as trains are longer and fleets are larger. As fleets are often bundled in with maintenance, there is a specialised multi-million pound asset that needs to be created. Big investors create office blocks, sporting venues and shopping centres and lease them to other businesses, so why shouldn’t they build the infrastructure that the railway needs?
This article in the EADT is entitled New rail depot unveiled by Greater Anglia at Brantham on Suffolk/Essex border.
The article dates from February 2017 and says that design is starting and the depot will be open by the end of 2018.
Not a bad timescale for a depot covering 22 acres with fifteen electrified tracks, two of which are under cover.
Why should the taxpayer get involved in a project like this?
Network Rail’s only involvement should be to ensure that the depot interfaces with the railway correctly.
This article on the BBC is entitled Crossrail stations in west London delayed until 2019.
I took this picture at one of the of the five stations; West Ealing, yesterday.
Nothing appeared to be going on, despite the fact that much of the construction is well to the side of the railway. Compare this with the situation at Abbey Wood station, that I saw a few days ago.
I suspect Crossrail wish they had taken control of the Project Management of the five West London stations themselves.
Network Rail seem to have a culture that if assets are built a few years late, it is totally acceptable.
This culture must stop!
Track Layout At West Ealing For The Greenford Branch Line
These pictures show the track layout, where the Greenford Branch Line leaves the Great Western Main Line.
The basic track layout is simple.
The track from the bay platform 5 in West Ealing station and a track that joins to the Up Slow Line through platform 4 come together in a short length of single track, that then splits again to form the double track of the Greenford Branch Line.
Whilst I was waiting on West Ealing station, a freight train came down the Down Slow Line and then through Platform 3 of the station, before going down the branch line. So there must be another crossover to allow trains to change tracks.
The pictures are described in detail as follows.
- The Greenford Branch Splits/Joins Outside West Ealing Station – The track to the left, goes to the bay platform 5.
- The Greenford Branch Changes From Single To Double Track At The Start Of The Branch – The branch is double-track until outside Greenford station.
- West Ealing Sidings To The Top-Left And The Greenford Branch To The Right – The Plasser site is in the middle.
- The Greenford Branch Joins The Great Western Main Line – The bay platform 5 is straight ahead.
I suspect that when the timetable changes in May, the track layout will be in its final form.
Changing At West Ealing Station
This morning I changed at West Ealing station onto the Greenford Branch Line, after taking one of the new Class 387 trains from Paddington, which now run at a frequency of two trains per hour (tph).
It was not the best of experiences.
My train arrived and I assumed that they would be a few minutes to allow me to get across from Platform 3 to Platform 5.
But by the time I got there, the train had long since left, so I had a twenty-seven minute wait on a draughty and cold platform.
GWR could do one of three things.
- Arrange the schedules, so that transferring passengers have time to catch the shuttle train.
- Put up a temporary shelter, until the new station is built.
- Run four tph on the Greenford Branch.
I wasn’t the only passenger, who was a bit fed up.
Timetable Updates At West Ealing
I’ve just been looking at the National Rail Journey Planner, and it appears that starting from January 9th 2016, to get between Greenford and Paddington, you’ll need to change at West Ealing station.
So this means that Platform 5 at West Ealing station will be opening after Christmas and the New Year.
But it also appears that the frequency of the shuttle on the Greenford Branch is still two trains per hour (tph).
This map from carto.metro.free.fr shows the layout of lines at West Ealing station.
Note the track to the new bay Platform 5, shown as a dotted line.
But note that if a train uses the bay platform, the track layout does not allow it to return to Greenford on the correct left-hand line as there is no cross-over.
This means that if two trains are working the shuttle, there is no way they could pass and it restricts the shuttle to 2 tph.
To get to the promised 4 tph, a cross-over needs to be installed.
As the current bridge at West Ealing station, is one of the worst disabled-unfriendly horrors in London, I suspect that until there is a decent bridge across the line, the shuttle will be restricted to 2 tph.
I think the only way, that they could start a 4 tph shuttle earlier, that wouldn’t cause problems will be, if the bridge is one that has already been assembled off-site and it will be lifted in during a convenient blockade.
West Ealing Station – 12th October 2016
I took these pictures at West Ealing station.
It looks like the new bay platform 5 is ready, but little progress seems to have made on the new station building.
There’s still no information, as to when the service on the Greenford Branch, becomes a four trains per hour (tph) shuttle.
What we do know is that this page on the Crossrail web site has some nice images of the station, that will rise behind the hoardings.
Wikpedia says that initial services on Crossrail will be.
- 4tph Abbey Wood to Heathrow Terminal 4
- 2tph Shenfield to Reading
- 2tph Shenfield to Maidenhead
There will also be another 2 tph running between Abbey Wood and West Drayton in the Peak.
All this in addition to other Great Western Railway services running to and from Paddington.
Services On The Greenford Branch
Passengers on the Greenford Branch will have to change to get to and from Paddington and I suspect some will moan.
But for many passengers from Greenford to the West End, the City or Canary Wharf, they will have an easier journey with just one change at West Ealing.
Consider.
- The Greenford Branch shuttle frequency of 4 tph fits well with the Crossrail and Paddington services.
- I suspect that every shuttle arriving from Greenford will arrive so that passengers for London can just walk across the platform and get a train to Central London.
- The maximum wait for a Crossrail train to Liverpool Street will be seven and a half minutes all day.
- If passengers need to cross between the shuttle platform and the Westbound Crossrail platform there will be a bridge with stairs and a lift.
These are the timings before and after Crossrail opens between Greenford and Liverpool Street.
- Currently, using the Metropolitan Line across Central London – 66 minutes
- Crossrail and the shuttle – 31 minutes plus how long it takes to change trains at West Ealing.
Greenford to Canary Wharf gives these timings.
- Currently, changing to the Underground at Paddington – 75 minutes
- Crossrail and the shuttle – 37 minutes plus how long it takes to change trains at West Ealing.
And these timings apply between Greenford and Heathrow Terminal 4.
- Currently, changing at Ealing Broadway – 54 minutes
- Crossrail and the shuttle – 28 minutes plus how long it takes to change trains at West Ealing.
I suspect that each 4 tph shuttle will be timed to arrive at West Ealing, so that someone with a child in a buggy and a heavy case has time to cross the line using the bridge and the lifts.
Trains On The Greenford Branch
The Greenford Branch is not electrified and there seem to be no plans to electify the whole line.
But if you look at the pictures, that I took yesterday, you’ll see the foundations for the gantries are there to electrify the bay platform 5 .
Initially, the shuttle will have to be run by something like the current Class 165 trains.
Simple mathematics says that to provide a four tph shuttle two trains will be needed.
There would be no major infrastructure changes, as the line is mainly double-track, so the trains could probably pass easily. But there might need to be an additional crossover to allow trains to run on the correct line.
But these trains have their problems, which were illustrated yesterday, when a fit young lady with a toddler in a buggy didn’t board the train as fast as she would have done at a typical Overground station with a modern Class 378 train.
As Crossrail will be run to a tight schedule, I doubt that TfL want serious loading delays with wheelchairs, buggies and heavy luggage.
So this means that modern trains must be provided on the Greenford Branch.
There has been a lot of speculation on the Internet, that the Greenford Branch, like the Romford to Upminster Line in the East of the capital, should become part of the London Overground.
This might be a sensible idea, especially as London Overground from 2018 will have some spare modern weheelchair-friendly Class 172 trains,, once the Gospel Oak to Barking Line is fully electrified and running new electric Class 710 trains.
On the other hand, the fleet of eight Class 172 trains, will probably be very much in demand by other train operating companies, as with a change of seats, they’d be ideal for many routes outside of London.
As Baldrick would say, there is a cunning plan, that could be enabled.
The platforms at West Ealing station are all being made step-free for the two types of trains that will use them; Crossrail’s 345s and GWR’s 387s.
This applies to all of the Western Crossrail stations and looking at the bay platform 5 at West Ealing, that has been built to the standard height.
So this would mean that GWR’s 387s would be able to use the platform, once it is electrified, which looks like is happening.
But these trains wouldn’t be able to use the branch, unless it was electrified.
However, London Overground’s new Class 710 trains, would also fit the bay platform.
The Class 710 train, like Crossrail’s 345 are members of Bombardier’s new Aventra family of trains.
As Bombardier demonstrated battery trains in public service nearly two years ago, there has been speculation that Aventras will have a battery capability to do journeys away from the overhead wires.
This is the best information so far!
This article in Global Rail News from 2011, which is entitled Bombardier’s AVENTRA – A new era in train performance, gives some details of the Aventra’s electrical systems. This is said.
AVENTRA can run on both 25kV AC and 750V DC power – the high-efficiency transformers being another area where a heavier component was chosen because, in the long term, it’s cheaper to run. Pairs of cars will run off a common power bus with a converter on one car powering both. The other car can be fitted with power storage devices such as super-capacitors or Lithium-Iron batteries if required.
Bombardier have confirmed the wiring for onboard power storage to me.
Consider use of Class 710 .
- The length of the Greenford Branch is just 4.3 km., so out and back from West Ealing should be within the typical 50 km. range quoted for battery trains.
- The batteries could be used to handle regenerative braking at the various stops to save electricity.
- There would be no need to put up any overhead wires on the branch.
- The Class 710 trains are four-car trains, so would be sufficient capacity for the medium future.
- The Class 710 trains are optimised to call at stations in the shortest time possible. So could we see a faster service on the branch?
- The Class 710 trains are friendly to wheelchairs, buggies and heavy luggage.
- The Class 710 train would just look like a mini-Crossrail train.
- Bombardier would love to have a live demonstration of their battery technology on a line close to Heathrow Airport.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see London Overground taking over the Greenford Branch and using Class 710 trains running on batteries on the route.
The Anonymous Widower 