FOUR trains per hour have been operating through Crossrail’s central London tunnels since May 10 as the new railway gears up for full operation.
The Trial Running programme will see train frequencies through 26 miles of tunnels increase to the planned 24 trains per hour (tph), then focus will switch to Trial Operation ahead of the line’s opening in the first half of 2022.
Trial operation is expected to start later this year and will include a range of mandatory exercises,with emergency evacuations of trains and stations.
The trial running has been made possible by the completion of integration work, linking the new railway’s signalling and safety systems with the Great Eastern and Great Western main lines at either end.The programme involves integrated trials of the railway to demonstrate that it is safe and reliable and meets capacity and performance requirements.