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Originally Posted by LineDrive
The branding for CrossRail is a disaster. TFL tries to stress to the public that it is a separate mode from the Underground - and the quality of trains (both in comfort and speed) bare that out. However to the average person it will not be obvious.
They should’ve kept it CrossRail. Or at minimum Elizabeth rail. Or at the very least gave it a distinct and separate logo (like national rail). With it having the roundel and it being listed on signs in the same fashion as tube lines there is no real distinction
Another thing - what’s with all the hang ups? Okay I get it takes so long to open but now even on its opening it’s going to be split into 3 separate lines for 6-10 months or so? And in initially only running 6 days a week and initially only from 6am to 11pm? Are they trying to make people not ride it?
With all that said the thing looks amazing. Would love to see similar mega projects in the US. Would also love to see CrossRail 2 gets built (at that point the Elizabeth thing might make sense: “MODE: Crossrail; Elizabeth Line; Diana Line”)
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Rebranding Crossrail to the Elizabeth Line was poor judgment by Boris Johnson (then Mayor London, now Prime Minister), it will certainly create some short-term confusion and waste – a lot of signage was installed before the name change – but I don’t think it will be a massive impediment. The average traveller will though understand the difference between Crossrail and Underground in terms of far faster journeys, the gigantic size of the trains and stations (e.g. Liverpool Street Crossrail spans and connects with Moorgate in the east), and fewer stops (e.g. Ealing Broadway to Stratford is 20 stops on the Central, 7 on Crossrail).
There is a legitimate question as to how the Crossrail/Elizabeth Line branding aligns with future Crossrail lines, i.e. will they get their own coloured roundels, etc… It would be a bit odd if there are Elizabeth Line’s 1, 2, 3, etc…
A phased approach to the opening of Crossrail was always envisioned, as the biggest risk to Crossrail was merging different signalling systems:
- The core tunnel section from Paddington to Abbey Wood runs on completely new segregated track and uses CBTC
- West out of Paddington on the Great Western Main Line uses a mixture of TPWS and ETCS (although the GWML is moving over to ETCS)
- East out of Liverpool Street on the Great Eastern Main Line, TPWS is used
In essence, the line is being opened around existing and new signalling systems and timetable changes, with sections being added one-by-one to reduce operational complexity. Far better to do a soft launch, get people used to the system, and go from there.
Image sourced from Crossrail: https://www.crossrail.co.uk/project/...e652d707e5d84a
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