14.08.17
TfL on new Elizabeth Line train delay: roll-out ‘all about confidence’
The roll-out of TfL’s new Elizabeth Line trains were delayed earlier this year to ensure they would not experience any problems when they entered service in order to maintain the confidence of the public, staff and TOCs, RTM was told today.
The new trains were due to begin running on tracks at the end of May, but this date was pushed back a month to the end of June, with TfL confirming that “thorough testing, assurance and approvals” needed to be made before the trains entered service.
Speaking exclusively to RTM, TfL’s senior project manager for rolling stock, David Sherrin, confirmed that the rest of the project was still on track to be completed on time, and that the delay was necessary to ensure confidence in the new rolling stock was properly maintained.
“Stage 1 is really important in terms of making sure we get the trains reliable and understood,” he explained. “Crossrail has a staged build-up of services, and the whole idea behind that is to progressively introduce services so we can make sure we keep them reliable, so overnight we don’t suddenly have 65 trains trying to run Crossrail.
“Stage 1 has always been about getting the first trains into service and building up in a reliable way. It was really important that we got off on the right step.
“If we had pushed a new train into service when we said we would, that would have undermined people’s confidence in the new rolling stock.”
Sherrin went on to argue that introducing new trains is all about confidence: “confidence with our passengers, confidence with our traincrew and confidence with the operators”.
“It was really important that we held back for a couple of weeks just to make sure we had settled the units down and that they were going to work,” he noted.
The TfL project manager also revealed that the trains have been operating without any major disruptions so far, with passengers and staff currently very happy with the new trains.
“But the important thing is that trains used in Stage 1 build the confidence, so it’s one aspect of the overall system to worry about when the new trains come in,” he concluded.
Our full interview with Sherrin will appear in the upcoming August/September issue of RTM, set to hit desks on 6 September. Subscribe to receive a free copy here.
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