tisdag 19 december 2006

Crossrail alternative

I have had comments on my alternative proposal. These are

Where is the link to Shenfield?
Where is the relief of the Central Line from Essex to Oxford St?
Where is the link to Heathrow?
Where is the link to Maidenhead?
Where is the link to The Royal Docks and Abbey Wood?

My alternative proposal does not address these but
(1) Shenfield is not an important destination. Chelmsford might be.
(2) People should be encouraged to use the airport on their side of the capital.
(3) Passengers would continue to have to change at Stratford. This is not ideal but changes are acceptable if the design of the interchange is satisfactory.
(4) Maidenhead is not an important destination. It is not a hub and has a population of 60,000. Reading is a worthwhile destination but would involve major infrastructure works. High Wycombe would be better than Maidenhead as it has almost three times the population, and this would make use of the redundant GW line as far as Ruislip.
(5) The Royal Docks and Abbey Wood are served by the DLR.

The disadvantage of reduced connectivity would surely be offset by the much more reliable service that could be run from Hammersmith to Stanmore. It has only two termini instead of several, and the route involves no junctions or conflicting movements, which is where delays come from - it is a simple shuttle service which would give conveyor-belt reliability and optimum capacity. It would also, incidentally, give much improved services in the densely populated North Kensington area.

Like Thameslink and Cross Country, Crossrail will give rise to something called network delay propagation; there is a body of literature on this subject. I hope people will take notice of it before the scheme goes ahead.

Overshadowing all of these issues, however, is the uncertainty over which will be the major areas of expansion in London and the South East

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