3 June - Crossrail. It’s not quite perfect
When
I left the cricketing gang at Moorgate Underground station (which is now connected to the
Elizabeth Line) last night I knew I would
be home indoors in not much over 20 minutes and as the Lizzie line train surfaced at Plumstead a
text message told me that they had just reached Bethnal Green; which brings me
to the first of several Crossrail shortcomings.
The wi-fi connection is confined to stations whereas the South Eastern service
provides an excellent service throughout one’s journey.
With a train every five minutes the actual time of departure is of little
interest. However to determine which of two trains will depart first from Abbey
Wood it is necessary to glance at the departure board and check the time and
indicated Platform. Quite often the board is showing a general TfL message about
strikes etc. leaving passengers momentarily uncertain about which train to get
on. This will be a bigger problem when trains go to either Heathrow or Reading or Paddington only.
Abbey Wood needs a Next Train indicator.
Abbey Wood probably needs an Oyster Card journey validation reader on the footbridges
too, the same as when one leaves the DLR to get on a South Eastern train at Woolwich Arsenal.
Without one South Eastern passengers may be liable to pay a maximum TfL fare.
More generally, there are some horrendously long underground walks between
stations and exits. I timed one at eight and a half minutes. After taking eight
return journeys on the new railway since it opened I have discovered that the
signs sometimes direct travellers to the longest route, presumably for crowd control purposes.
Just as Abbey Wood users have discovered, lifts are not the most reliable of contrivances. Last night the one from
Moorgate down to the Elizabeth line was out of order and earlier in the day the
lift to the main station concourse had failed leaving a man in a wheelchair completely stranded.
Back at Abbey Wood I have seen up to five buses waiting at the new 472 terminal
in Gayton Road. Three 472s and two 244s. There was no parking space for cars.
The Photo above shows three buses, a delivery truck and a tanker.