Elizabeth line set for full weekend closure
The Elizabeth line will close for four days over the Easter weekend due to engineering work.
No services will operate between Abbey Wood and Paddington due signalling upgrades and software on rolling stock.
With the Liz line closed, Southeastern will expect a bumper increase in passengers and rail services through Abbey Wood and Woolwich Arsenal will operate.
It is however a window back into the slower journeys offered before the new line commenced. Abbey Wood to Paddington for example will take 1 hour and 10 mins on Saturday according to the Transport for London journey planner.
On the Elizabeth line that’s normally 29 minutes. Using Southeastern then the tube also sees a substantially higher fare (which some national rail users such as c2c do not pay as they use the TfL fare scale).
Higher fares in SE London can be avoided by using the DLR then tube. Bear in mind however that the DLR will only be running to Stratford International and not Bank. New trains are due ton the DLR soon and testing is underway.
Train issues
Elizabeth line trains have had software issues for some years now alongside their sister stock from the Aventra class.
Formerly a Bombardier product constructed in Derby, Alstom purchased Bombardier in recent years.
While Elizabeth line trains have seen issues it’s nowhere near as bad as trains on South Western Railway. More than four years after introduction was due there’s still no more than a token service.
Their Aventra-class trains – branded Arterio – have seen numerous issues with no end in sight.
Class 345 trains on the Elizabeth line are at least in service (we’d be in a tad of bother if they weren’t) though issues have persisted. Last spring a TfL meeting stated:
“A small number of performance affecting regressions (“bugs”) were found following the release of ELR400 and are being addressed by a series of “patch” releases due from Siemens over the coming weeks.”
Like previous updates it didn’t fix all issues. Software issues coupled with Network Rail infrastructure issues west of Paddington are the main cause of delays along the line.
Engineering works or saving overtime pay?
As you mentioned about South Western Railway Class 701 Arterios that have had lots of problems and some of them are now in service.
I think that it will take some time to see the rest of the Class 701 fleet in service. I do believe that SWR will eventually introduce the rest of the Class 701 Arterio fleet in late Spring/Summer (May) this year. Or later this year.