Construction of new Paddington Crossrail station steps up a gear from next month
Monday 30th January 2012
By Peter MacLennan
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Existing taxi rank alongside Eastbourne Terrace to be replaced by new and improved taxi rank above platform 12
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Eastbourne Terrace to close until 2014 to enable excavation of the new Crossrail station with some bus and traffic diversions necessary
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Pedestrian access routes to the National Rail station will change during this period
Construction of the new Crossrail station at Paddington enters a new phase from next month as excavation of the station box gets underway with some changes to transport services in the area.
When complete, Crossrail will significantly reduce journey times from Paddington to the West End, the City and Docklands. Passengers will be able to reach Tottenham Court Road in four minutes, Liverpool Street in nine minutes and Canary Wharf in 16 minutes. Crossrail will also help transform and regenerate the area around Paddington station.
The new Crossrail station will be built under Eastbourne Terrace and Departures Road. To enable excavation of the 260m long station box, Westminster City Council has agreed to a full closure of Eastbourne Terrace from 12 February 2012.
A full closure will cut the time taken to construct the station by two years compared with a partial closure alone, and will reduce the overall impact on commuters, businesses and residents. The closure, in place until early 2014, will make it safer for construction workers to build the foundations and excavate the station box. Once the box structure and excavation is complete, work will get underway to fit-out the new station with platforms, escalators, lifts and other equipment.
All traffic, including buses and taxis, will be diverted to alternative routes. Transport for London will be monitoring the situation closely to assess the impact, keep traffic moving and limit disruption and congestion. Further information about road and bus diversions will be issued by Transport for London ahead of the closure coming into effect.
Andy Mitchell, Crossrail Programme Director said: “Once complete, Crossrail will cut journey times across London as well as creating new journey opportunities. It’s vital that the impact of Crossrail’s construction on central London is kept to a minimum. A full-closure of Eastbourne Terrace will mean that construction of the new station box at Paddington can be completed in two years instead of four years enabling station fit-out to commence and Eastbourne Terrace to be re-opened as soon as possible. Crossrail, Network Rail and TfL have worked closely with Westminster City Council, businesses and residents to do all we can to deliver these major works in the least disruptive way possible.”
Kay Buxton, Chief Executive, Paddington Waterside Partnership said: “The Paddington area has changed beyond recognition and is now one of the fastest growing business and residential areas in the capital with significant further investment underway. The new Crossrail station at Paddington will deliver improved and direct transport connections with areas to the west and east of the capital as well as with London’s other major employment centres. Crossrail has worked closely with us ahead of these major works commencing and while there will be an impact locally we are clearly focused on the long-term benefits that will be delivered.”
To coincide with the closure of Eastbourne Terrace, the existing taxi rank on Departures Road, alongside platform 1, will be relocated to a newly constructed facility to the north of Paddington station, above platform 12.
The new permanent taxi rank will replace the current facilities on Departures Road. Passengers will be able to access the mainline station from the taxi deck by lifts and escalators.
Crossrail is working with Network Rail, Transport for London, taxi associations and train operating companies to communicate the changes to pedestrians, road traffic, taxi drivers and all station users.
Information for the travelling public will be placed on all bus stops affected by diversions. Leaflets will be handed out in the days before the change and will also be available at nearby Tube stations. Extra staff will be on hand at Paddington station to provide information and directions to station users.
Crossrail will boost London’s rail-based capacity by 10 per cent, delivering new journey opportunities, faster journey times and up to 24 trains per hour between Paddington and Whitechapel during the peak.
Ends
Notes to Editors:
A public exhibition giving information about the changes to transport services in the area will be held on 31 January and 9 / 10 February on Paddington station’s main concourse.
The new Paddington Crossrail station will take the form of a 260m long, 25m wide and 23m high underground box underneath Eastbourne Terrace and Departures Road. Once excavation of the box and roof is complete, Eastbourne Terrace will partially re-open to traffic.
Enabling works to prepare Paddington for the construction of the new Crossrail station began in August 2010. Since then numerous utilities have been relocated away from the site of the new station box.
The overall traffic impact associated with a full closure is largely similar to a partial road closure. Under a partial closure all stopping bus services would have been diverted.
The main construction of Paddington Crossrail station is being undertaken by Costain Skanska JV. The design team for Paddington Crossrail station was URS Scott Wilson; Weston Williamson; Gillespies.
A total of eight new Crossrail stations will be constructed – Paddington, Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon, Liverpool Street, Whitechapel, Canary Wharf and Custom House. Berkeley Homes has also agreed to build a station box at Woolwich and Network Rail will construct a new station at Abbey Wood.
About Crossrail:
The total funding envelope available to deliver Crossrail is £14.8bn. The Crossrail route will pass through 37 stations and run 118 km (73 miles) from Maidenhead and Heathrow in the west, through new twin-bore 21 km (13 miles) tunnels to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east.
When Crossrail opens it will increase London's rail-based transport network capacity by 10%, supporting regeneration and cutting journey times across the city. Crossrail services are due to commence through central London in 2018.
Crossrail is being delivered by Crossrail Limited (CRL). CRL is a wholly owned subsidiary of Transport for London. Crossrail is jointly sponsored by the Department for Transport and Transport for London.
