Crossrail

[mikey4444]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b08ry6ly/the-fifteen-billion-pound-railway-the-final-countdown-episode-1

Another fascinating program on the new London Crossrail link....I can heartedly recommend this !

[Mamyalynne]

I recorded ep 1.

[mikey4444]

Mamy...there were some earlier episodes of this...last year I think. The whole project is simply amazing....no one would have thought it was possible to build this, but build it they have.

Wonderful engineering !

[Mamyalynne]

Yes I saw those too, good stuff.

[jno]

I thought the woman in charge overdid the hype, though since the series is basically propaganda I can understand why. I'll welcome the arrival of Crossrail, or the Elizabeth Line as it has sycophantically been named, though I suspect, like the M25, it will partly alleviate congestion but also partly cause it by drawing more passengers into London.

I notice none of the programmes has yet mentioned what fare levels might be.

[mikey4444]

jno....I don't think she overdid the hype at all. The engineering difficulties of building this massive project, in a city the size and complexity of modern day London, is quite beyond anything that has gone on before.

[jno]

I didn't mean hype about the project itself, just her manner of talking about it - "This is an incredibly incredibly important moment in time"- that sort of blather. Probably because she's American! Just the facts, ma'am, just the facts.

[mikey4444]

jno.........Americans can get a tad over-excited at times, I will agree !

[mikey4444]

PS....at least she didn't whoop !

[jno]

true! It's a huge project and has been quite destructive in parts of London. It's also thrown up some wonderful archaeological discoveries - there's an exhibition on at the Museum of London Docklands till September if you're around taht way.

[-Talbot-]

We should be prioritizing our spending, and houses and health are more important than railways

[mushroom25]

//I notice none of the programmes has yet mentioned what fare levels might be. //

the Mayor will decide. he has yet to do so.
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/elizabeth_line_zonal_fares_oyste

[237SJ]

I can recommend the Crossrail exhibiton at the Docklands museum if you are in town - it's free as well

[jno]

houses and health are more important than railways

I think they're linked. Better transport options should mean that people are able to live outside London but commute in to work more quickly and buy a home more cheaply. Given that Oxford St seems to be the second most polluted place on earth after Chernobyl, anything that gets people out of cars and into trains has to be a good idea healthwise too.

[vulcan42]

For those interested, part two of the fifteen billion pound railway is on tonight, BBC 2 @ 9pm.