Crossrail 1 Corridor 6 (Richmond/Kingston/Norbiton) Proposal

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Response by London Borough of Hounslow

February 2003 Crossrail 1 Corridor 6 (Richmond/Kingston/Norbiton) Proposal: Response by London Borough of Hounslow February 2003

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 Context

This submission constitutes the London Borough of Hounslow’s response to an invitation to provide initial comments on the Crossrail project’s proposal for a new corridor for Crossrail 1: Corridor 6 – Norbiton, via Old Oak Common, Acton, Chiswick, Richmond and Kingston.

The submission considers the proposal in terms of service and amenity for the borough’s residents and businesses, and within the context of the Council’s published policies. In addition to the two options that constitute the Corridor 6 proposals, this submission provides two further options for Crossrail’s consideration.

While the Council must record its disappointment that an effective period of less than two weeks was offered for preparation of this submission, the Council also wishes to record its appreciation for the assistance given by the Crossrail consultation team during the preparation of the submission.

1.2 Council Policies

The London Borough of Hounslow Unitary Development Plan’s objectives relating to transport and land use development are summarised below:

• To promote sustainable transport modes (walking, cycling, public and waterborne transport) which improves access for all members of the community and enhances public transport provision in London as a whole, while reducing car traffic and the demand for road space.

• To encourage a pattern of land use, and provision of transport which minimises harm to the environment and reduces the need to travel, especially by car, whilst maximising development opportunities in the Borough.

• To adopt a sequential approach to all major trip generating developments thereby seeking to maximise opportunities in town centres, followed by edge of town centres, both to enhance the role of existing centres and to encourage more sustainable patterns of travel.

• Where economic development cannot be accommodated in existing centres the Council will encourage development in the key employment locations, namely the Great West Road, Chiswick Business Park and Bedfont Lakes provided that such areas are or can be made accessible by a wide choice of transport modes, in particular on foot, by bicycle or by public transport

(Reference: London Borough of Hounslow UDP: Proposed Alterations Revised Deposit 2001)

Crossrail 1 Corridor 6 (Richmond/Kingston/Norbiton) Proposal: Response by London Borough of Hounslow February 2003

1.3 Crossrail 1 Corridor 6 Options

The two options for Corridor 6 presented to the Borough on 5 February are:

• Option 1: Surface Route to Norbiton

From the Great Western Main Line at Old Oak Common, a branch of Crossrail would run via the North London Line to Richmond, then via a new rail underpass onto the Kingston Loop line to Kingston and Norbiton. The service frequency would be eight trains per hour.

From Paddington, trains would stop at Acton Central, (not South Acton), Gunnersbury, Kew Gardens, Richmond, (not St Margarets), Twickenham, Strawberry Hill, Teddington, Hampton Wick, Kingston and Norbiton.

The Silverlink Metro North London Line service (Richmond to Stratford / North Woolwich) would be diverted to run from Hounslow, and District Line underground services on the Richmond branch would be reduced to six trains per hour. There could also be alterations to some South West Trains services through Richmond to Waterloo.

• Option 2: Tunnelled Route to Norbiton

From the Great Western Main Line at Wormwood Scrubs, a branch of Crossrail would run by 5.3km tunnel under East Acton, surfacing immediately west of Turnham Green station, from which point it would replace the District Line branch to Richmond and extend through to Norbiton as above.

From Paddington, trains would stop at a new Chiswick Park station (located south east of the current station), then Gunnersbury, then as per Option 1 to Norbiton.

In this case the frequency of Crossrail service would be increased to 12 trains per hour - four trains per hour to Richmond, four to Kingston and four to Norbiton, or six trains per hour to Richmond and six to Kingston. The Silverlink Metro North London Line trains would continue to run from Richmond.

As with Option 1, there could also be alterations to some South West Trains services. The District Line rolling stock could be utilised to improve frequencies on the Wimbledon Branch.

While of no direct concern to LB Hounslow, it is suggested that consideration be given to an underground station for Crossrail in the general vicinity of The Vale / Uxbridge Road / Askew Rd junction - an area some distance away from existing rail and tube stations.

Existing services and Options 1 and 2, as they run though LB Hounslow, are set out on three separate maps attached to this submission. Coloured circles show the current stopping patterns of each line at the relevant stations, while coloured triangles represent proposed stopping patterns and locations.

Crossrail 1 Corridor 6 (Richmond/Kingston/Norbiton) Proposal: Response by London Borough of Hounslow February 2003

2. RESPONSE TO THE NORBITON OPTIONS

The Council’s views on the two options are considered under four headings:

• stations served • interchange facilities • level crossings • local environmental effects during construction and operation.

2.1 Stations Served

• Option 1

The only station in the Borough in Option 1 is Gunnersbury, which although well placed for the BSI building and Chiswick Business Park, does not have a very large residential catchment. Gunnersbury station’s layout is also very restricted and there would be problems in achieving access for disabled passengers and lengthening the platforms to the required 200 metres.

Option 1 would, however, result in Silverlink Metro trains serving the Hounslow Loop as far as Brentford, before utilising the Brentford - South Acton freight spur (formerly used by the Anglia Railways Basingstoke - Colchester service) to join the North London Line and continue to Stratford/North Woolwich as per the current service. (Note: this short spur, approximately 1.8 km in length, is not electrified.) While additional Hounslow Loop services would be generally welcomed, the North London destinations would serve only a small percentage of potential rail commuters.

The Silverlink Metro North London Line service is part of the proposed OrbiRail network, and its removal from Richmond (where interchange to Thames Valley services is currently available) would appear to be a retrograde step as Hounslow station would not offer this interchange. Ideally, Crossrail’s proposed rail underpass at Richmond could be developed instead to link the existing Silverlink services to the Windsor main line and permit their extension to Kingston and Wimbledon.

LB Hounslow therefore believes that Option 1 is of less value to the Borough than the tunnelled option.

• Option 2

For the tunnelled option, two stations within the Borough are proposed - Gunnersbury and a new Chiswick Park station. These stations are only about 600 metres apart, and Chiswick Park attracts only about 2200 passenger boardings per day (see Table 5). On the other hand Turnham Green attracts about 7500 boardings per day. Turnham Green, with its greater population catchment area, its local shopping, its interconnection with a major north-south bus service (route E3) and its potential interchange with the Piccadilly Line (see below) appears to be a more appropriate interchange station than Chiswick Park in the tunnelled option.

Local environmental issues are considered in section 2.4.

Crossrail 1 Corridor 6 (Richmond/Kingston/Norbiton) Proposal: Response by London Borough of Hounslow February 2003

2.2 Interchange Facilities

Any new rail facility in the Borough of Hounslow should permit interchange with the maximum number of existing railways in or near the Borough. The existing services are:

• District Line – Ealing Broadway and Richmond Branches • Piccadilly Line – Heathrow and Uxbridge Branches • North London Line – served by Silverlink Metro • Hounslow Loop Line – served by South West Trains.

• Option 1

In Option 1, there would be interchange between Crossrail and the District Line Richmond branch at Gunnersbury and with the North London Line at Acton Central, but there would be no interchange whatsoever with the Piccadilly or Hounslow Loop Lines.

The Piccadilly Line is a particular lost opportunity because direct interchange would offer a fast service from Richmond to Heathrow, a journey which cannot easily be done by train at present. An interchange would also allow LB Hounslow residents to take the Piccadilly Line from stations such as Osterley and transfer to Crossrail for a fast trip into central London or to access destinations not served by the Piccadilly Line.

To overcome this problem, the Council suggests that a new Chiswick Business Park Interchange be constructed. This interchange would be at the point where the North London Line passes under the District and Piccadilly Lines. There would be platforms on these three lines and also on the Brentford - South Acton spur, which would be served by the Silverlink Metro trains diverted from Richmond.

A proposal for an interchange station at this location has been under consideration since the early stages of planning of the Chiswick Business Park development, however the proposal was mothballed apparently because of London Underground Limited’s refusal to consider stopping Piccadilly Line services at any additional stations. Chiswick Business Park, when complete, will offer over 140,000 square metres of office accommodation and will be the workplace of up to 10,000 people, the majority of whom will access the park by public transport. It would thus be an important destination in itself.

This new interchange would probably take the place of Gunnersbury as a stop on Crossrail. However, as there are only two platforms at Gunnersbury, it may not be possible to run Crossrail non-stop through this station while District Line trains (albeit at a lower frequency) continue to stop there.

The new interchange would also mean that the Silverlink North London Line trains could continue to serve Chiswick Business Park under Option 1, as they would no longer run via Gunnersbury station. It is not clear under Crossrail’s proposal whether these trains could continue to stop at South Acton station, as Crossrail trains would not. As with Gunnersbury, there are only two platforms at this station. The new Chiswick Business Park Interchange station would allow South Acton station to be closed completely, with local residents accessing the new interchange via a short pathway from Bollo Lane.

Crossrail 1 Corridor 6 (Richmond/Kingston/Norbiton) Proposal: Response by London Borough of Hounslow February 2003

• Option 2

In the tunnelled option there would be interchange with the District Line (Ealing Broadway branch) at a new Chiswick Park station located southeast of the existing station of the same name. (This is not to be confused with the suggested Chiswick Business Park Interchange in Option 1.) The quality of this interchange would be relatively poor, as the existing and new stations would be some distance apart.

Crossrail would interchange with the North London Line at Gunnersbury, with the inherent problems of platform space and accessibility mentioned earlier.

Again there would be no interchange with the Piccadilly Line. As stated in section 2.1, Turnham Green station would have advantages over Chiswick Park in terms of the number of passengers who can access it on foot. It would also have potential as an interchange with the Piccadilly Line, since platforms already exist even though practically no Piccadilly line trains stop there at present. In the past, there have been unsuccessful attempts to persuade London Underground Limited to stop all Piccadilly Line trains at Turnham Green which, as well as being located on the Zone 2/3 boundary, is at the point of bifurcation of the District Line’s Richmond and Ealing Broadway branches and therefore a key potential interchange location.

With the tunnel portal being located on Chiswick Back Common immediately to the west of Turnham Green station, it would be possible to construct a cut-and-cover Crossrail station under the Common, with existing features such as tennis courts being reinstated after construction. A segregated pedestrian route could be provided between the western end of the District/Piccadilly Line platforms and the eastern end of the Crossrail platforms, passing over Turnham Green Terrace. This arrangement would mean that Crossrail would pass under Fishers Lane rather than over it as per the Crossrail proposal.

Table 1 compares the Crossrail proposals for interchange with those of LB Hounslow.

Table 1: Interchanges for Options 1 and 2

District Line Piccadilly North London Hounslow Line Line Loop Line Surface Crossrail Gunnersbury None Acton Central None Option proposal (Note 1) (Option 1) LB Hounslow Chiswick Chiswick Chiswick None proposal Business Park Business Park Business Park (Note 2) Tunnelled Crossrail Chiswick Park None Gunnersbury None option proposal (Note 3) (Option 2) LB Hounslow Turnham Turnham Gunnersbury, None proposal Green Green (Note 4) Kew Gardens

1. District line Richmond branch only - no interchange with Ealing Broadway branch. 2. Separate platforms on Brentford - South Acton spur, served by Silverlink Metro. Interchange at Acton Central also retained. 3. Poor quality interchange due to distance between two separate stations. 4. Provided Piccadilly line trains also stop at Turnham Green.

Crossrail 1 Corridor 6 (Richmond/Kingston/Norbiton) Proposal: Response by London Borough of Hounslow February 2003

2.3 Level Crossings

• Option 1

In the surface option, both Crossrail and the North London Line (diverted to Hounslow) would use level crossings over Bollo Lane. Each time a train uses one of these level crossings there would be a delay for traffic of some 2 minutes and 30 seconds. With eight Crossrail and four Silverlink trains in each direction, i.e. a total of 24 trains per hour, the total length of time for which the level crossing gates would be closed to road traffic would be approximately 60 minutes per hour. Even though at some times each crossing would be closed for two trains simultaneously rather than consecutively, Bollo Lane would be effectively closed to road traffic. This is clearly unacceptable.

The presence of terraces of houses on both sides of Bollo Lane right up to the level crossing itself means that it would be impossible to construct a road bridge to replace the level crossing. While a road underpass would be more acceptable, this option would probably also be impossible due to the proximity of houses and the lack of space for underpass ramps.

• Option 2

There are no level crossings within LB Hounslow under the tunnelled option.

2.4 Local Environmental Issues

• Option 1

Crossrail’s proposal for the surface option entails no construction within LB Hounslow, except perhaps the extension of platforms at Gunnersbury station. However there would be a very large increase in train frequencies on the North London Line, with consequent train noise and local severance.

• Option 2

Under Crossrail’s proposal for the tunnelled option, the new tracks would emerge from a portal on Chiswick Back Common immediately south of the Piccadilly/District Line embankment west of Turnham Green Terrace, as noted earlier. Besides permanent land take (which could be minimised as already described), the effects of construction would be very disruptive, even though the principal tunnelling worksite would be at Wormwood Scrubs. Construction effects would include noise, dust, the movement of heavy construction vehicles, and the transportation of large quantities of excavation material to a dumpsite via Chiswick High Road. While the very short initial consultation period for this proposal has not permitted discussion with Council members or local residents, considerable local objection would be expected and, even though a new public transport service would be generally welcomed, the conversion of part of Chiswick Common into temporary worksite and permanent railway right of way is most unlikely to gain Council approval.

Crossrail 1 Corridor 6 (Richmond/Kingston/Norbiton) Proposal: Response by London Borough of Hounslow February 2003

3. LB HOUNSLOW’S ADDITIONAL OPTIONS

3.1 Proposed Crossrail Routes, Stations and Interchanges

LB Hounslow proposes that two additional options are considered. These could be seen as Crossrail Corridor 7 or as a variant of Corridor 6.

Options 3 and 4 propose that Crossrail runs to Hounslow/Feltham via the Hounslow Loop, instead of to Norbiton via Richmond. While some trains could terminate at Hounslow, a Crossrail service on the Hounslow Loop could extend as far as Feltham, where there is ample space for sidings as well as interchange potential to Windsor main line services.

The current operation of District Line Richmond Branch and Silverlink Metro North London Line services would be unchanged and the existing level of South West trains on the Hounslow Loop should be able to be maintained. Piccadilly Line services would also stop at Turnham Green under these options, for reasons outlined earlier.

Platforms at the stations on this line are generally about 160 metres in length, and could readily be extended to the proposed length of Crossrail trains of 200 metres.

These options are shown on two separate maps attached to this report.

• Option 3: Surface Route to Hounslow/Feltham

Crossrail would run via the North London Line to South Acton (stopping only at Acton Central) before taking the Brentford – South Acton freight spur to join the Hounslow Loop, stopping at Brentford, Syon Lane and Isleworth through to Hounslow and Feltham. The Chiswick Business Park Interchange suggested by LB Hounslow under Option 1 would provide a convenient and popular interchange between Crossrail, the Silverlink trains and the Piccadilly and District Line (Ealing Broadway Branch) services. South Acton and Chiswick Park stations would be closed, their role being taken by Chiswick Business Park Interchange. There would be no need for the construction of a new Chiswick Park station on the Richmond line as per Option 1, nor to attempt to increase the capacity of Gunnersbury station.

However, the surface option would again raise the issue of the level crossings on Bollo Lane.

• Option 4: Tunnelled Route to Hounslow/Feltham

Under this option, the Crossrail tunnel would be extended an additional 1.5 km (approximately), running more or less under the Piccadilly Line from Turnham Green through to Chiswick Business Park where trains would emerge at the northwest side of the Park and join the Brentford – South Acton spur to run through to the Hounslow Loop as per Option 3. The proposed Chiswick Business Park Interchange would provide the same interchange facilities as in Options 1 and 3, however the Crossrail platforms would be underground, more or less below proposed Buildings 7 and very close to the surface and elevated platforms for the other lines and the proposed on-site bus terminus point.

The present state of development of Chiswick Business Park would provide a unique opportunity to establish a tunnel worksite at the back of the Park, allowing excavation material to be removed by rail via the Brentford – South Acton Spur and Hounslow Loop.

Crossrail 1 Corridor 6 (Richmond/Kingston/Norbiton) Proposal: Response by London Borough of Hounslow February 2003

A shallow underground (cut and cover) Crossrail station at Turnham Green would have the same interchange advantage as in Option 2 but with far less construction nuisance and permanent land take. Besides interchanges with Crossrail, this station would allow Richmond passengers (District Line) to access the Piccadilly Line to Heathrow – a substantial improvement on current arrangements.

Table 2: Interchanges - Options 3 and 4

District Line Piccadilly North London Hounslow Line Line Loop Line Surface LB Hounslow Chiswick Chiswick Chiswick Hounslow – Option proposal Business Park Business Park Business Park Brentford (Option 3) (Note 1) (Note 2) stations Tunnelled LB Hounslow Chiswick Chiswick Chiswick Hounslow – option proposal Business Park Business Park Business Park Brentford (Option 4) & Turnham & Turnham (Note 3) stations Green (Note 3) Green (Note 3,4)

1. District Line Ealing Broadway branch only. No interchange with Richmond branch. 2. Separate platforms on Brentford - South Acton spur, served by Crossrail. Interchange at Acton Central also retained. 3. Crossrail platforms would be underground at Chiswick Business Park and Turnham Green 4. Provided Piccadilly line trains also stop at Turnham Green.

Besides the proposed new Chiswick Business Park Interchange station, another new station could also be provided, on the Brentford – South Acton Spur adjacent to the triangle of railway land known generally as Lionel Road. The Brentford Football Club and supporters are attempting to obtain this triangle to create a new football stadium and enabling development including hotel, office and residential accommodation. Should this development be built, there would be significant demand for rail transport to and from central London and locations throughout the west London.

This proposed station is referred to in the maps as New Brentford Stadium.

3.2 Time Savings

A rudimentary analysis employing generalised time savings suggests that the overall benefit of taking Crossrail to Hounslow/Feltham is significantly greater than serving Richmond/Kingston/Norbiton.

Clearly, there are a large number of destinations to which people would wish to travel using Crossrail, however a predominance of these are in central London. Table 3 (next page) shows the estimated generalised journey times from Kingston, Richmond and Hounslow stations to the existing underground and proposed Crossrail stations at Tottenham Court Road and Bank, being typical of journeys to the West End and City of London respectively.

Crossrail 1 Corridor 6 (Richmond/Kingston/Norbiton) Proposal: Response by London Borough of Hounslow February 2003

While the advantage of Crossrail compared with existing services varies according to the precise passenger destination, it is clear that the benefits are relatively small for journeys from either Kingston or Richmond to Tottenham Court Road, and negative for trips from Kingston or Richmond to Bank. This is because there are more direct routes from both of these to central London than would be available by Crossrail and there is already a frequent service from each station. By contrast, the journey time savings to passengers from Hounslow as a result of Crossrail would be much greater.

Table 3: Estimated Generalised Times for Sample Journeys (Minutes)

Kingston - Kingston - Richmond - Richmond - Hounslow - Hounslow - Tottenham Bank Tottenham Bank Tottenham Bank Court Rd Court Rd Court Rd Current

Wait time 10 10 7 7 15 15 1st leg to Waterloo Waterloo Waterloo Waterloo Waterloo Waterloo Travel time 31 31 24 24 31 31 Walk time 7 6 7 6 7 6 Interchange time 4 6 4 6 4 6 2nd leg to Tottenham Bank Tottenham Bank Tottenham Bank Court Rd Court Rd Court Rd Travel time 8 5 8 5 8 5 Walk time 4 4 4 4 4 4 Total time 64 62 54 52 69 67

With Crossrail

Wait time 7 7 7 7 7 7 1st leg to Tottenham Liverpool Tottenham Liverpool Tottenham Liverpool Court Rd Street Court Rd Street Court Rd Street Travel time 45 51 29 35 33 39 Walk time 6 15 6 15 6 15 Interchange time ------2nd leg to ------Travel time ------Walk time ------Total time 58 73 42 57 46 61

Gain by 6 -11 12 -5 23 6 Crossrail

Note: “Generalised time” includes time spent waiting for the train to arrive, interchanging, and walking to the final destination. All these elements are shown in the table as double the actual time spent, because that is how walking and waiting are perceived.

Crossrail 1 Corridor 6 (Richmond/Kingston/Norbiton) Proposal: Response by London Borough of Hounslow February 2003

3.3 Potential Demand

The number of passengers using stations on the Hounslow loop is currently very low. This is a classic case of passengers voting with their feet to use a more frequent service nearby (the Piccadilly Line) because the Hounslow Loop line service is both slow and infrequent (half-hourly from most stations, quarter hourly from Hounslow and Brentford).

A Crossrail service would transform the attractiveness of services on the Hounslow Loop and, equally importantly, would relieve overcrowding on the Piccadilly Line, permitting additional stops at Chiswick Business Park and Turnham Green. Faster travel between Heathrow and central London would be available through Crossrail’s core route via the Great Western Line.

While current patronage on the Hounslow Loop is low, the Loop passes near most of the key employment locations specified in LB Hounslow’s Unitary Development Plan: Brentford, Great West Road, Feltham and Bedfont Lakes. Table 4 shows the current and anticipated numbers of employees in these areas. A map attached to this report shows Crossrail Option 4 within the context of the entire Hounslow Borough. These key employment locations are shown on this map.

Table 4: Current and Committed Employment Levels at Key Employment Locations

Location Station Existing Employment With Committed Employment Chiswick Business Gunnersbury 5,565 8,882 Park, Power Road, BSI Great West Road Brentford 21,334 26,125 Kew Bridge Syon Lane Hounslow town centre Hounslow 4,616 6,637 Feltham town centre Feltham 739 1,286

Table 5 (next page) shows the number of passengers boarding trains per day at the various stations in the Hounslow area. This data relates to 1991 (National Rail) and 2002 (London Underground).

Crossrail 1 Corridor 6 (Richmond/Kingston/Norbiton) Proposal: Response by London Borough of Hounslow February 2003

Table 5: Daily Passenger Boarding Data – Selected Stations (National Rail and Underground Combined) in Descending Order

Station Line Boardings Station Line Boardings

Hammersmith Piccadilly/District 37401 Chiswick Park District 2202 Ealing Broadway District /Central/T 23956 Mortlake SWT 2174 Clapham Junction SWT 17630 Barnes SWT 1813 Richmond District /Silverlink 10846 Feltham SWT 1778 Heathrow T1,2,3 Piccadilly 9197 Norbiton SWT 1426 Acton Town Piccadilly/District 8340 Teddington SWT 1176 Turnham Green District 7491 St Margarets SWT 1140 Richmond SWT 5336 Whitton SWT 1063 Hounslow East Piccadilly 4867 Heathrow T4 Piccadilly 909 Gunnersbury District /Silverlink 4807 Acton Central Silverlink 787 South Ealing Piccadilly 4668 Strawberry Hill SWT 737 Northfields Piccadilly 4639 Hampton Wick SWT 715 Kew Gardens District /Silverlink 4429 Wandsworth Town SWT 704 Kingston SWT 4040 Hounslow SWT 456 Ealing Common District 3823 Chiswick SWT 418 Ravenscourt Park District 3650 Isleworth SWT 391 Putney SWT 3601 Barnes Bridge SWT 355 Hounslow West Piccadilly 3314 Brentford SWT 337 Stamford Brook District 2965 Syon Lane SWT 291 Hatton Cross Piccadilly 2856 North Sheen SWT 282 Twickenham SWT 2720 Kew Bridge SWT 217 Osterley Piccadilly 2611 South Acton Silverlink 217 Boston Manor Piccadilly 2268

Crossrail 1 Corridor 6 (Richmond/Kingston/Norbiton) Proposal: Response by London Borough of Hounslow February 2003

4. SUMMARY

LB Hounslow supports the concept of Crossrail serving the Borough.

However, serious problems have been identified with both Options 1 and 2:-

• Option 1 has poor interchange facilities and major problems with level crossings, particularly at Bollo Lane.

• Option 2 would provide a better level of service but at the expense of part of Chiswick Common.

• Both options 1 and 2 result in changes to other services - some of which may be unacceptable.

LB Hounslow proposes that consideration be given to the alternative of a Crossrail corridor serving the Hounslow Loop line to Hounslow and Feltham, as there would be significant time savings and considerable potential demand when compared with proposed services to Richmond and Kingston.

Of the Hounslow/Feltham options, Option 4, although likely to be the most expensive, is preferred as it would provide a greater level of service to Hounslow Borough without the problems of level crossings inherent in Option 3.

Serious consideration should be given to providing a new Chiswick Business Park Interchange station, an underground Crossrail station at Turnham Green, and a new Crossrail station at New Brentford Stadium (Lionel Road triangle).

Chris Calvi-Freeman, Head of Transport, Chief Executive’s Directorate, London Borough of Hounslow, 14 February 2003