Wednesday 14 January 2009

Patience is needed as we await Crossrail’s arrival



The reality of travelling on less crowded trains may be far off, but TFL seems to be working on it however slowly it might appear.

We are told that preparatory work on the new Crossrail starts this month. When it opens in 2017 it will run from Heathrow to Stratford, Shenfield and also Abbey Wood. It’s expected to increase London’s public transport network capacity by 10 per cent.

So rest assured that, although you might have to wait until 2017 to get a seat on your way to work during peak times, something is being done about it.

For those who fly more often, it may not come as a surprise that Heathrow and Gatwick reported a drop in the number of passengers over the year. One passenger said the long queues and poor customer services explain why. This news comes as our Docklands-based London City Airport came out smiling with its figures.

It says it saw a 12 per cent rise in passenger numbers in 2008 with over 3 million people travelling through. In spite of the current economic and financial challenges, December still showed a 10 per cent growth in passengers on the previous year.

But it’s boss Richard Gooding is trying not to appear over-exited about its performance. He said: “We remain cautious about 2009’s prospects until stability returns to the financial services industry and the wider economy.”

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm a bit confused by Richard Goodings quote that passenger numbers are up while the CAA who get everyone's figures say that London City Airport have had a sharp decrease in passenger numbers. Cross rail will benefit us Eastenders more than the airport. Please see attached link.

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23619000-details/London%27s+airports+hit+by+passenger+fall/article.do

London's airports hit by passenger fall
This is London, UK - 22 hours ago
London City airport, which serves the financial community, also saw sharp falls late last year. The Civil Aviation Authority statistics show that some of ...

Gledwood said...

I can't see the point of crossrail if it's only going to be a glorified tube line. Why not send express trains right through central London so passengers from the West Country to Norfolk or wherever don't have to change between Liverpool St and Paddington..?