Southern CrossRail
London - a world city - needs to have the transport infrastructure to ensure a high quality of life for Londoners and visitors
Support our cause and donateLondon’s railways are already bursting and new rail lines are not being built fast enough. A quick and simple alteration to London Waterloo station will double its capacity and dramatically improve the daily commute for millions.
Introducing Southern Crossrail
Southern Crossrail involves converting part of Waterloo into a through station. This will avoid the jam caused by trains having to enter a terminus station and reversing out. On four platforms the trains will continue on to London Bridge station via a short section of bridge.
Not many people realise that trains did at one time travel from Waterloo to Waterloo East. Under the proposal for Southern Crossrail, the alignment of that original single track would be followed by three parallel tracks straight from one station to the other. This allows up to 120 trains an hour to pass through Waterloo – an increase in capacity that would have a transformative effect on transport south of London.
Currently trains from London’s south east are separated from trains from London’s south west, but Southern Crossrail would allow trains from Windsor, Guildford, Dorking and Surbiton to pass rapidly though Waterloo to Bromley, Dartford and Sevenoaks.
The case for Southern Crossrail
Crossrail is due in 2018 and Crossrail2 is planned for 2030, but we need more lines faster. In peak times Waterloo is at full capacity. The station already handles 100 million passengers per year and an increase in passenger journeys of 50 per cent over the next ten years will take it over its capacity. Southern Crossrail is an imaginative solution that will double the rail capacity and shorten journey times. Unlike Crossrail1 it is very inexpensive, and unlike Crossrail2 it can be delivered very quickly.
The benefit to the economy from Southern Crossrail is expected to be £5.6bn a year, which means the scheme would pay for itself within 12 months. The project will support economic regeneration across London and the south east of England by providing the infrastructure needed to support 200,000 new homes and 200,000 new jobs.
How much will it cost?
The engineering works required by the project are relatively minor compared to Crossrail and are estimated to cost £5bn.
What engineering would be required?
Crossrails 1 and 2 require deep tunnelling through a crowded underground London. Southern Crossrail does not require tunnelling. The minimum engineering requirement would be for the centre part of the concourse at Waterloo to rise up over four through tracks. There would need to be lifts and escalators.
A new bridge, alongside the old one, would be required to carry three new tracks over Waterloo Road.
Additional changes to infrastructure
To make the best of the proposals the following changes would be advisable:
• Signalling changes to increase the throughput
• Flyovers between Battersea and Waterloo thus allowing the local, suburban and express lines to be segregated on the approach to Waterloo, would increase throughput further
• Waterloo East Station would close releasing some land and a new station above the new Southwark station on the Jubilee line could be opened for interchange with Thameslink
• Closing the line up to Charing Cross would allow for greater throughput. Commuters travelling to the west end can change at London Bridge using the Jubilee line. This will have the added advantage of opening up the front of Waterloo through to the South Bank
What’s next?
The ETA is now calling for TFL to undertake a feasibility study.
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John Farrell
A deceptively simple idea. Is this appearing now to counter Crossrail2?
Vested interests to be overcome- Loss of Charing Cross mainline. Increasing capacity of tracks between Surbiton and Clapham Junction. Integrating services of two or is it three franchises. Given the reconstruction now in progress at Waterloo implementing a further project. The temporary arrangements as Waterloo East ceased to exist. The cosmetics at Waterloo itself- an upper level concourse with escalators to terminal platforms?
When? Almost certainly has to wait till London Bridge reconstruction completed given the impact on Waterloo East and Charing Cross.
And what is the timescale? 18 – 24 months reconstruction? Build passenger connection from south to north of the proposed through platforms. Rebuild approach road to avoid the four track rail bridge. Start creating the opening in the Waterloo facade and building the tracks. Build the additional bridges to join the 4 tracks at Waterloo East. Make the join from west to east.
If the returns are as good as you suggest, it should be investigated. But do the returns take account of the track and signalling infrastructure to slot in the theoretical increase in throughput?
ETA
This project is not considered to be in conflict with Crossrail 2 but to compliment it. Southern Crossrail, providing direct travel to the City, would be available first and Crossrail 2, when it arrives, would offer people of south-west London, Surrey and beyond a direct route to Westminster and the West End. There are already concerns that Crossrail 2 might degrade some fast services to Waterloo. Southern Crossrail would remove these capacity problems.
You are correct in mentioning a number of aspects that have to be considered in depth – not only in the immediate environs of Waterloo but at Charing Cross and London Bridge.
The costs offered include the signalling from Waterloo to Surbiton. This is because the increase in frequency of trains would necessitate it.
There are benefits to be had by planning both projects with the other in mind – especially in the Wimbledon to Surbiton section. Part of this section could be increased to six tracks – there is space available within the curtilage of the route – to take full advantage of the extra capacity that would be provided north of Wimbledon.
We believe that the returns on investment for south-west London are very great but the whole project could only proceed if the return on investment for south-east was sufficiently high positive.
We think that further investigation of this project would be of great befit to the people of London and beyond.
Simon Mitchell
People in the south east e.g. Bromley, Dartford and Sevenoaks want to go to the West End i.e. Charing Cross. They don’t want to go to Windsor, Guildford, Dorking or Surbiton.
Is the plan to close Waterloo East which would also mean closing Charing Cross ?.
And how are 120 trains a hour going to get through the 3 CHX platforms at London Bridge or is the plan to close Blackfriars and Cannon Street too and make those London Bridge platforms available for people from Worplesdon, Farncombe, Oxshott, etc ?.
Tony Williams
120 trains an hour to pass through Waterloo on 4 tracks? That’s 30 per hour per track. Feasible but not if they are stopping to unload and reload the number of passengers that will want to alight or board at Waterloo.
And there will be a larger number of passenger than at present, because the plan would mean closing the line to Charing Cross (laughably dismissed by John Farrell as “vested interests”). All those people who currently travel through Waterloo East to Charing Cross will have to get off and get the tube, or walk. Have you assessed in detail how many people and what additional means of access to the tube may be needed to accommodate them?
“Quick and simple”? Quicker and simpler than Crossrail 2, I agree, but it couldn’t be done quickly and it won’t be simple. Crossrail 2 will offer many new and faster journey connections to where people want to be. This scheme won’t. It’s ingenious but that doesn’t make it worthwhile.
Louisa Radice
Isn’t it high time the rest of the UK’s rail network got a slice of the infrastructure pie?
Roy St Pierre
I agree with Louisa’s comment. We’ve been campaigning for the restoration of an 11 mile rail link between Lancashire & Yorkshire railways, Colne to Skipton, the lowest crossing of the Pennines, for 20 years at a fraction of the cost. The trackbed is still there and it could be done at a fraction of the £5 billion quoted for this. Currently it takes me 2 hours 30 minutes to travel 35 miles from Colne to Manchester or Leeds, 54 miles to Macclesfield means 4 trains! More about Colne-Skipton and the wider trans-Pennine corridor for passengers and freight at http://www.selrap.org.uk
Please invest in the North and elsewhere away from London first!