Laura Reynolds

Will Crossrail Trains Run 24 Hours?

With Crossrail's arrival imminent (catch up here), we're starting to think about what it actually means for us. Can we use it to get to work? For nights out? Most importantly, will it be 24 hours? Could we see a night Crossrail service? After all, we've got a night tube and night Overground — night Crossrail seems like the next logical step.

At the moment, there are no immediate plans to make Crossrail a 24-hour service — although it's not been ruled out for the future. Sadiq Khan has a good record when it comes to making parts of the tube and the London Overground 24 hours at weekends.

Could we see a Crossrail version of this roundel? Image: TfL

There's certainly been chatter online about whether it'll be 24-hour, suggesting the demand is there, and we reckon it'd be particularly useful on the Paddington to Heathrow branch (currently operating as TfL Rail).

As stated in a 2016 TfL report on Crossrail;

Consideration is being given to future night services. These would follow full service introduction and would require significant changes to maintenance practices on the surface sections of the route, where Network Rail practice is to undertake major maintenance work overnight at weekends.

Image: TfL

Basically, the main issue with running Crossrail 24 hours is that parts of its track and network — particularly out west — are shared with other Train Operating Companies, meaning that the tracks are susceptible to be closed for engineering work by Network Rail.

However, never say never...

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