Chaos on the Elizabeth line… AGAIN: Commuter fury after year-old …
Fed up commuters are facing chaos on the Elizabeth Line again this morning, with part of the year-old Transport for London[2] service being suspended over emergency service work.
The disruption on the line today, which has resulted in no service between Paddington and Abbey Wood, has infuriated passengers, who have questioned ‘is there a week when there has been no delays on the Elizabeth Line?’
The shiny new Crossrail tube service launched last May despite initial plans for it to start running in 2018.
Since then disruption has continued, with commuters now facing years of havoc on the line after it emerged engineering work could take place until 2029.
One infuriated passenger this morning wrote on X: ‘Another day of no Elizabeth Line, this is a complete joke.
Commuters pack the Bond Street station platform during Elizabeth line disruption last week
Infuriated commuters took to social media this morning fed up with delays on the Elizabeth Line
‘Several years late and billions over budget and it still doesn’t work and can’t be relied on!’
Another added: ‘No Elizabeth Line between Abbey Wood and Paddington again this morning. Make sure to check before leaving home.’
A third asked: ‘TfL, National Rail, is there a week when there has been no delays on the Elizabeth Line? Do you know people have jobs to go to? Delays on Monday morning, last night and now this.’
‘Elizabeth Line is going to have to have me screaming in the early AM,’ a fourth said.
Confirming the delays the TfL app said: ‘No service between Paddington and Abbey Wood due to emergency engineering work at Tottenham Court Road. MINOR DELAYS on the rest of the line.’
The £18.9billion TfL service was opened by a beaming Sadiq Khan and his colleagues, who posed for selfies as they took the first train.
Since then it has been plagued by reliability issues and ongoing strikes, with one in six trains on the service being cancelled or delayed this summer.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan poses for a selfie on the first Elizabeth line train on May 24, 2022
One angry commuter wrote: ‘Several years late and billions over budget and it still doesn’t work and can’t be relied on’
Last week National Rail apologised for the poor service, particularly out of Paddington, as passengers became more displeased.
TfL meanwhile said there would be ‘significant challenges’ until new infrastructure was installed, which includes overhead power lines between Paddington and Heathrow Airport.
The works on the western section of the line could last a decade, Network Rail said.
Officials are hoping to modernise overhead power cables between Paddington and Heathrow, with work set to take place between 2024 and 2029 – but this still requires final funding approval from the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) regulator.
Despite the poor reliability on the line, it continues to rise in popularity with a record 738,000 passengers clambering onboard on October 11.
More than 150million passenger journeys were made in its first year, with 56 per cent of these at the peak times of 7am to 10am and 4pm to 7pm on weekdays.
The Evening Standard reported last week that at a TfL customer service and operational performance panel meeting it discussed the ‘significant challenges’ expected on the line until the new rail infrastructure is installed.
Elizabeth Line director Howard Smith added that it would not ‘be a quick fix’ and that work will continue ‘next year and beyond’.
Sophie Bancroft, operations director of Network Rail’s western routes, added: ‘It’s not a quick fix [but] it’s not going to be terrible for years.’
MailOnline has contacted TfL.
References
- ^ Eirian Jane Prosser (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Transport for London (www.dailymail.co.uk)