2 October (Part 2) - Crossrail news
I am quite often asked about Crossrail developments, the line is very close to home and I am a nosey blighter, so here's a few observations before I get stuck into tearing Cheryl Bacon’s statement apart.
The
predicted Abbey Wood parking problems have not yet materialised, at least
not to the south of the railway line, and a quick glance during my twice daily trip
along Abbey Road has still only revealed
one £3.80 ticket lying on a dashboard.
But maybe that is all about to change.
Abbey Wood station car park which was scheduled for closure on 15th September is
still open, there were 73 cars in it last Monday afternoon but the contractors
are there erecting a new fence across the adjacent pub garden. Closure cannot be far away.
The Thames Water works in Abbey Road which were the
subject of a Traffic Order
two months ago are finally due to start tomorrow. There will be no free all day
parking available anywhere in Abbey Road for two days. That is likely to cause problems;
one can only hope the station car park doesn’t close the same day.
Bexley’s Abbey Road Traffic Order didn’t make any sense unless you knew the area
inside out but it would appear that Thames Water is taking things a step
further. Their notice says parking will be banned in Carrill Way too which
normally takes some of the Abbey Road overflow. There was nothing about that in Frizoni’s Traffic Order.
Along
the railway line itself there is a lot going on. The track has been fenced off
on both sides with blue painted scaffold poles presumably to protect workers who
are even now busy clearing the scrub from either side of the track. Excavators
are at work in what were people’s back gardens. The fence extends both east and
west of Abbey Wood station for quite a distance.
Under the bridges towards Plumstead there are men at work doing what I cannot
say, but no doubt there is a considerable amount to be done on the infrastructure to
accommodate the overhead electricity supply which I don’t think has been seen
south of the river (Eurostar and high speed excepted) since the 1920s.
All of these scenes require the larger version for a clear view of what is going on. Click to see.