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News and Comment June 2022

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3 June - Crossrail. It’s not quite perfect

Loss of parkingWhen 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.

 

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