TfL Rail
TfL Rail is the current name of the commuter railway line in London and its environs that serves the 14 stations on the Great Eastern Main Line from Liverpool Street in central London to Shenfield in Essex. It is operated by MTR Corporation (Crossrail) Ltd under contract to Transport for London (TfL), and forms part of the future Crossrail route from Shenfield to Reading and Heathrow Airport.[1]
TfL Rail took control of the Liverpool Street to Shenfield "metro" service in May 2015. It will be re-branded as Crossrail in May 2017 when new Class 345 trains are introduced on the line, and Crossrail will be renamed as the Elizabeth line in December 2018 when the central underground section of the route opens.[2][3][4]
History
In June 2013 TfL announced that Arriva, MTR Corporation, Keolis/Go-Ahead Group and National Express Group had been shortlisted to bid for the concession to operate Crossrail, which was under construction.[5][6]
In July 2014 TfL awarded the contract to MTR, with a duration of eight years with an option to extend by an additional two years.[7][8]
MTR Corporation (Crossrail) Ltd was created as a new train operating company and took control of the "metro" service between Liverpool Street and Shenfield from the previous operator, Abellio Greater Anglia, in May 2015. The existing Class 315 trains were re-painted in the TfL Rail livery, and appropriate branding, advertising and message boards were added at the 14 stations along the line. Every station is also staffed from first train to last of the day.
Route
TfL Rail utilises the existing 20 miles 16 chains (32.5 km) of track on the Great Eastern Main Line between Liverpool Street and Shenfield. The future Crossrail route will retain most of the use of this track, except the portion between Liverpool Street and Stratford, where trains will use new underground tunnels to connect to the central section of the route.
The 14 stations on TfL Rail are:[9]
| Station | Zone | Local authority | Interchange | Managed by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liverpool Street | 1 | City of London |   .svg.png){kind=small} |
Network Rail |
| Stratford | 2/3 | Newham |  |
London Underground/TfL Rail |
| Maryland | 3 | Newham | TfL Rail | |
| Forest Gate | 3 | Newham | TfL Rail | |
| Manor Park | 3/4 | Newham | TfL Rail | |
| Ilford | 4 | Redbridge | TfL Rail | |
| Seven Kings | 4 | Redbridge | TfL Rail | |
| Goodmayes | 4 | Redbridge | TfL Rail | |
| Chadwell Heath | 5 | Barking & Dagenham | TfL Rail | |
| Romford | 6 | Havering | |
TfL Rail |
| Gidea Park | 6 | Havering | TfL Rail | |
| Harold Wood | 6 | Havering | TfL Rail | |
| Brentwood | 9 | Brentwood | TfL Rail | |
| Shenfield | C | Brentwood | |
Abellio Greater Anglia |
Services
The typical weekday off-peak service pattern is:
- 6 trains per hour (tph) from Liverpool Street to Shenfield, calling at all intermediate stations;
- 6 tph from Shenfield to Liverpool Street, calling at all intermediate stations.
During peak times, service frequency is increased and calling patterns vary, with some stations omitted on certain services. Generally, trains starting or terminating at Shenfield during the peak omit the three stations between Ilford and Stratford and/or stations between Romford and Ilford, some trains also start or terminate at Gidea Park and Ilford calling at all stations.
On Sundays there are two trains per hour between Liverpool Street and Shenfield calling at all stations and two trains per hour between Liverpool Street and Gidea Park calling at Stratford, Forest Gate, then all stations.
Future services
The schedule of the handover of services on the Crossrail route is as follows:
| Stage | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Stage 0 | May 2015 | Existing services between Liverpool Street (main line station) and Shenfield transferred from Abellio Greater Anglia to TfL Rail |
| Stage 1 | May 2017 | New Class 345 trains brought into service; Liverpool Street (main line station) to Shenfield services rebranded as Crossrail |
| Stage 2 | May 2018 | Existing services between Paddington (main line station) and Heathrow Terminal 4 transferred from Heathrow Connect to Crossrail, as well as shuttle services between Heathrow Central and Heathrow Terminal 4 transferred from Heathrow Express to Crossrail |
| Stage 3 | December 2018 | Services between Paddington (Crossrail station) and Abbey Wood begin; route rebranded as Elizabeth line |
| Stage 4 | May 2019 | Services between Paddington (Crossrail station) and Shenfield via Liverpool Street (Crossrail station) begin; limited services retained between Liverpool Street (main line station) and Gidea Park |
| Stage 5 | December 2019 | Full route opens, linking Abbey Wood and Shenfield to Heathrow Airport via Paddington, and existing services between Reading and Paddington transferred to Crossrail and extended to Abbey Wood and Shenfield |
Between Shenfield and Liverpool Street once the Crossrail brand has been introduced there will be at least 12 trains per hour at peak times and eight per hour during off-peak times.[10][11]
Rolling stock
TfL Rail operations commenced with the existing fleet of Class 315 rolling stock. These units will be replaced by 66 new Class 345 trains built by the Canadian firm Bombardier Transportation.[12][13]
| Class | Image | Type | Top speed | Number | Routes operated | Built | Years in operation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| mph | km/h | |||||||
| Class 315 |  |
EMU | 75 | 120 | 44 | Liverpool Street to Shenfield | 1980–81 | 2015–present |
| Class 345 Aventra |  |
EMU | 90 | 145 | 66 | Reading and Heathrow Airport to Abbey Wood and Shenfield | 2015–18 | From May 2017 |
The Class 315 trains will continue to be maintained at the existing Ilford depot.
The Class 345 fleet will be maintained at a new depot at Old Oak Common.[12]
References
- ↑ MTR Corporation Named as Preferred Operator for Crossrail, London’s Brand New 21st Century Rail Service "MTR Corporation" 18 July 2014
- ↑ MTR Crossrail | Crossrail
- ↑ Smith, Howard. "Crossrail – Moving to the Operating Railway Rail and Underground Panel 12 February 2015" (PDF). 12 February 2015. Transport for London. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 February 2015. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
- ↑ Jobson, Robert (23 February 2016). "Crossrail named the Elizabeth line: Royal title unveiled as the Queen visits Bond Street station". Evening Standard. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
- ↑ TfL announces shortlist of bidders to run Crossrail services Crossrail 25 June 2013
- ↑ Crossrail shortlist reveals four contenders Rail News 25 June 2013
- ↑ TfL announces MTR to run Crossrail services Crossrail 18 July 2014
- ↑ MTR Corporation wins £1.4 billion contract to run Crossrail services Rail Technology Magazine 18 July 2014
- ↑ https://www.tfl.gov.uk/cdn/static/cms/documents/liverpool-street-romford-shenfield.pdf
- ↑ Crossrail (25 August 2015). "Eastern section". Crossrail (London).
- ↑ Hayes, Simon (19 April 2011). "Crossrail will leave a positive legacy says chairman". The Wharf (London). Archived from the original on March 15, 2012.
- 1 2 Crossrail rolling stock and depot contract to be awarded to Bombardier Department for Transport 6 February 2014
- ↑ Bombardier wins Crossrail train contract Railway Gazette 6 February 2014
External links
- "Crossrail". Crossrail. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
- "Transport for London". Transport for London. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
| Preceded by Abellio Greater Anglia Greater Anglia franchise 31 May 2015 |
Operated by MTR Crossrail 2015 – 2023 |
Incumbent |
| Preceded by Great Western Railway Greater Western franchise | ||
| Preceded by Heathrow Connect Heathrow Airport Holdings & Great Western Railway from May 2018 |
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