Elizabeth Line (CrossRail) opened 24th May 2022

As we know, the passenger information screens (PIS) are above the platform doors.

Last Thursday I saw some of the displays showing information in a format that I've not seen before:

Alternate PIS displays showed this format and information in the more traditional format.





PS: Message edited in February 2024 because I've found a way to get Tweets to parse so that they are visible

These were apart of a trial which, the only and only, ianvisits covered:

www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/the-elizabeth-line-has-been-testing-new-train-departure-displays-66402/

It did end and went to consultation and they've chosen what to use now.

The list of calling points on the right panel is much better than the hard to see route diagram. Heathrow destinations showing via Terminals 2 & 3 also better.

The new version is now live at Woolwich.

As far as I could see, it was all of them, but I didn't go past door 9 on the westbound.

They have actually / finally changed the on-train announcements.

So, instead of announcing that "This is the Elizabeth line train to Shenfield" (ie: the 'one and only' train!!) ... the message is "This is an Elizabeth line train to Shenfield"

Admin comment: Please can we keep discussion on the units to this thread.

An announcement is now played as you arrive at Woolwich telling those with heavy luggage, pushchairs and bicycles to use the lifts. There is only one.

Most of the other new stations have more than one lift.

Woolwich is having capacity problems with platforms not clearing before the next train arrives. Ideally it should have had an additional entrance/exit at the eastern end of the station.

Wasn't Woolwich station a late addition to the planned route, dependent on private capital investment? Perhaps that is why costs were reduced by only providing a single ticket hall.

Maybe that is the way forward also. Further development of the area could be made dependent upon funding for another ticket hall.

The one that surprises me is Whitechapel, given it's a major interchange, having a bank of three escalators to the Elizabeth Line for passengers interchanging to/from both the Overground and SSR seems woeful, especially as there is interchange in both directions and that means a single escalator in one direction when both directions are busy. I have been through the station a couple of times at rush hour and anecdotally it doesn't feel like enough, especially if the Elizabeth Line might have a frequency uplift in the not too distant future.

Though I don't know whether a second entrance at the other end of the Elizabeth Line platforms would even be useful for Whitechapel, given it'd be nowhere near the SSR or Overground platforms so wouldn't help with interchange at all.

I am reminded of this article from some years ago, "I’m very worried that Crossrail doesn’t have enough escalators".

It seems like the stations are 'saved' from overcrowding issues by their cavernous platforms which could hold thousands of people in a crunch, I guess this makes it safter than, say, the Victoria Line at Victoria where you need to get people off the platforms as quickly as possible. Though it's still not ideal having to slowly trudge towards the escalator.

Of the several descopes that fell by the wayside, my money is on Whitechapel being one of the first to be revisited once train frequency has been maxed out. The crowd control tape at the bottom of the escalators between the totems is practically a permanent fixture there now. With service increases on both the Tube and Overground coming in the near future on top of what is already planned for the EL, traffic will only climb one way.