Crossrail is set to begin its first phase of operations in December, with services running through Canary Wharf between Paddington and Abbey Wood.

By Jon Massey

Credit: Matt Grayson

“We’ve got jacks the whole length of the maintenance road and we lift the whole nine-car train off its wheels at once,” said TfL fleet manager Ben Palmer.

“The wheel bogeys are a lightweight design, they’re only held in with about four bolts.

“We can replace every bogey on the whole train in about a day, which is about a two-week advantage on anywhere else.”

Few train passengers give much thought to the vehicles conveying them, let alone how you go about changing a wheel.

Crossrail is set to begin its first phase of operations in December, with services running through Canary Wharf between Paddington and Abbey Wood.

Already up and running is a purpose-built facility at Old Oak Common depot in Acton, capable of providing maintenance and housing for 60% of the Elizabeth line’s 70 trains.

Credit: Matt Grayson

Ben graciously let The Wharf tag along on a recent tour intended to give young engineers a glimpse of this often hidden world.

Operated on a 32-year contract by Canadian firm Bombardier, which built the line’s trains, the facility is all new carpets and deserted rooms, furnished and ready to welcome around 200 drivers and an army of maintenance staff later in the year.

Beyond the reach and gaze of the public (we’re warned not to share pictures on social media) it’s a remarkable piece of engineering itself, designed to make removing and replacing the modular lumps of equipment on the carriages as easy as possible.

“Every unit will come back here every other day when the full service is up and running,” said Ben.

“We’ll operate about 12 trains an hour with 35 going out in the morning and 35 coming back in the evening.”

TfL Fleet Manager Ben Palmer. Credit: Matt Grayson

Services returning to the 2km-long yard will pass through Bombardier’s Automatic Vehicle Inspection System, a collection of sensors, cameras and lazers designed to rapidly assess condition.

It can detect a wide range of issues including wheel diameters, brake pad thickness, loose nuts and bolts, smashed windows and even graffiti.

That feeds in to a facility capable of carrying out an enormous range of tasks.

It has the feel of a car production line, pristine and capable, a little like the purple rolling stock itself, which already sits in the “stabling roads” gleaming and ready for action.

“The depot is designed and built so there’s no excuse not to do the maintenance that’s needed,” said Ben.

“Two trains a day, every day will get jet-washed on a purpose-built road over a 12-hour period.

“That’s on top of the carriage wash that cleans them every 48 hours. First impressions are a must.

“Internal cleaning is carried out every night anyway – the units are hoovered, mopped, litter picked and everything is dusted.

“Then every 30 days we carry out heavy cleaning where panels are dropped.”

The shed for the serious maintenance is about 250yards long and 120 wide and is packed with heavy specialist equipment like the train jacks and overhead cranes.

Credit: Matt Grayson

There’s even a special tunnel for wheel bogeys to use when individual sets are removed rather than the whole lot and gantries to allow workers to service the roof of a train as though it were at floor level.

And while it’s likely to be a noisy environment with lathes ready to keep wheels in peak condition, there’s a gentler side too.

“There are pipes coming out of the ground all over the depot,” said Ben

“There are 250 going down 150m into the ground, allowing us to make use of geothermal energy.

“We have about 40,000sq m of underfloor heating and, when we were testing it, we had it up to 28C in the shed in February when it was about -2C outside. It’s not quite so good at the cooling side.

“We also have solar panels on the roof providing water heating and non-essential electricity.

“Overall, the depot has cut emissions by 30% – we’re the best in the country environmentally, if not Europe.”

Go to crossrail.co.uk for more information

How fast is the Elizabeth line again?

Credit: Matt Grayson

The following times are based on departure from Canary Wharf once the full service is up and running.

Custom House – 3mins

Whitechapel – 3mins

Tottenham Court Road – 11mins

Abbey Wood – 12mins

Paddington – 17mins

Shenfield – 43mins

Heathrow T5 – 48mins

Reading – 68mins

What parts open when?

Credit: Matt Grayson

December 9, 2018

Paddington to Abbey Wood

Paddington (mainline station) to Heathrow

Liverpool Street (mainline station) to Shenfield

May 2019

Direct services will operate from Paddington to Shenfield and Paddington to Abbey Wood. Services from Paddington to Heathrow will continue to start and terminate in the mainline station

December 2019

The Elizabeth line will fully open, with services running from Reading and Heathrow in the west through the central tunnels to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east.

Update: As of Friday, August 31 the Crossrail has been delayed, lines due to open in December 2018, have been pushed by almost a year, resulting in an autumn 2019 opening.