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Tfl proposal to extend E8 bus route to West Middlesex Hospital

Tfl has a consulation running for some much-needed changes to the E8 bus route.  The E8 currently runs from Ealing Broadway to Brentford bus depot.  For a variety of reasons, such as increased demand for public transport to West Middlesex Hospital, the proposed new route is from Ealing Broadway to Hounslow taking in the hospital.  All the buses would become double-deckers if this change goes through.

Changes to local bus routes was proposed by WEN some back in 2009 and the need for a direct route to the West Middlesex Hospital was a key factor.  We would still like to see a bus route that crosses north-south over the Lido Junction to link the new Crossrail station at West Ealing with Northfields station and beyond.  Nevertheless, we welcome this proposal and if anyone wants to read more about the E8 and other proposed bus route changes or comment on them the link is here.

 

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West Ealing – New Crossrail Station Revealed

The new glass and steel structure will be located on Manor Road and will include a new footbridge with lifts, a new bay platform for trains on the Greenford  branch line, platform extensions and new lighting, customer information screens, station signage, help points and CCTV. From 2018 the new Crossrail trains will begin serving West Ealing and from 2019 passengers will be able to travel through the new Crossrail tunnels beneath central London.

Work will start in the Spring of 2016 and take about a year to complete.

West-Ealing-Station-architects-impression_200821

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Update on plans for Crossrail on Tuesday 7th July WECNF meeting 7.30pm

The West Ealing Centre Neighbourhood Forum is holding its  2015 Annual General Meeting at the Drayton Court Hotel on Tuesday 7th July 2015 commencing at 7:30pm. All visitors welcome.

The keynote presentation will be ‘The Future for West Ealing Centre’, which will describe the status of WECNF’s Neighbourhood Plan.

There will also be an update on what we know about West Ealing Crossrail. A new WECNF Management Committee will be elected at the meeting.

Full details are here

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Find out latest on plans for West Ealing Crossrail station

I’ve jotted down some bullet point notes from last night’s Crosssrail briefing.  There were two main speakers with Matthew White, Surface Director of Crossrail and Nick O’Donnell, Assistant Director of Strategic Transport for Ealing Council.

1. Matthew White:

Some background on Crossrail:
– Crossrail will have a new fleet of 66 trains
– Crossrail will bring about a 10% increase in London’s rail capacity
– Its trains will have 7 or 9 carriages
– Trains will have a 1500 seated and standing capacity
– The Paddington to Heathrow service should start in May 2018
– Full Crossrail service will run from December 2019
– The new trains will be much quieter than current trains
– The journey to Heathrow will take 11 minutes
West Ealing station
– New station will be in Manor Road about 50 paces from corner with Drayton Green Road. It is to be sited here because it needs to be close to the    middle of the new trains in order to allow passengers to get on and off safely and quickly and avoid walking the length of the platform which would happen if the station remained where it is now.
– The design of the new station has been revised following feedback and is now larger and more modern and spacious looking
– New station will be completed by the end of 2016 and will then be operational and the old ticket office will be closed
– The station will always be staffed when trains are running
– There will be a Sunday service stopping at West Ealing – frequency of trains not yet decided
– Oyster cards can be used and the hope is that the Freedom pass will also be valid for the full length of the service

Later:  I forgot to add that the station will have lifts for DDA compliance to enable step-free access

2. Nick O’Donnell
Ealing Council has secured £7.3m to spend on its five Crossrail station which is the most for any London borough on the routes . West Ealing has a budget of £1.46m.
The Council wants to look at:
– Possible sound barriers/baffling along Manor Road
– Improving pedestrian routes at junction of Alexandria Road and Drayton Green Road
– How to secure an upgrade to the Jacob’s Ladder footbridge
– Talking to developers about how to improve the area around the station
– Talking to TfL about bus stops and routes. Tfl tends to look at changes to bus routes two years ahead ie 2016. There may be scope for a bus pull in on the site of the current station which will be closed late 2016
– Possible plans to add Old Oak Common as an extra stop (after 2019) and make it an interchange with HS2 and other overland services

The meeting at the Drayton Court Hotel was well attended and my impression was that most people definitely welcomed Crossrail. However, those living very close to the station, say on Alexandria Road, Manor Road and in the Draytons have valid concerns about noise, traffic congestion and the nature of any development of the area around the new station.

It’s clear the site of the station is fixed but there will be a formal consultation about the plans around February 2015.  This will be followed by the Council’s own process of consultation/discussion about the issues listed above. The Council won’t itself be devloping the area around the station but is talking to developers about this, so there is a lot to play for over the next few years and Gerald Power of the Draytons Community Assn made a strong plea for more and earlier consultation with residents about all these plans.

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Have your say on where to site the new West Ealing Crossrail station

 

WECNF Station Options JUNE 2014

Crossrail is likely to help transform West Ealing for decades to come. One key decision yet to be taken is where on Manor Road to site the new station. If this matters to you then you can hear the arguments and have your say at the West Ealing Centre Neighbourhood Forum meeting at the Drayton Court Hotel on 17th June at 7.30pm. WECNF wants to hear from as many people as possible to help decide on its recommendations to Crossrail for siting the new station.
Three main possibilities have been discussed as to where on Manor Road the station could go:
1. Near to the junction of Manor Road and Drayton Green Road.
Pros:
• Most important and visible location
• Least impact on Manor Road and the Draytons
Cons:
• Difficulty in providing drop-off/pick-up area
• May cause increased traffic congestion
• Loss of existing businesses on site
• Difficulty in providing step free access

2. 150 metres along Manor Road with pedestrian bridge to Waitrose car park
Pros:
• Facilitates drop-off/pick-up area in Manor Road
• Access to Broadway via Green Man Lane Passage
• Height difference between platform and station
• Retail/residential opportunities in Manor Road
Cons:
• Increased impact on Manor Road and the Draytons
• Disadvantages shops in The Avenue
• Requires changes to Waitrose car park
3. At western end of Manor Road with access to Jacob’s Ladder footbridge
Pros:
• Minimal impact on existing businesses
• Facilitates drop-off/pick-up area in Manor Road
• Supports major refurbishment of Jacob’s Ladder
• Good pedestrian access to Broadway shops
• Retail/residential opportunities in Manor Road
Cons:
• Poor access to existing bus routes
• Least prominent and visible location
• Increased impact on Manor Road and the Draytons
• Disadvantages shops in The Avenue
You can contact WECNF via their website www,wecnf.org

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Crossrail at West Ealing: highlights of last week’s public meeting

The full report of last week’s public meeting about Crossrail, attended by some 200 people,  is on the West Ealing Centre Neighbourhood Forum site.   Here’s a brief summary of the key points:

  • No detailed plan yet for the new station at West Ealing and some questions raised on its exact location in Manor Road
  • Ealing Council is not happy with the initial design for Ealing Broadway station so has appointed architects to help on designs for all five Crossrail stations in the borough
  • A strong desire at the meeting for step-free access to the new station  from the south/high street side
  • A strong desire at the meeting to see the area surrounding the station redeveloped
  • Can something be done to make Jacob’s Ladder better and accessible to wheelchair users and parents with buggies?  This will cost a lot of money. How can it be raised?
  • No detail yet on car parking, dropping off or cycle bays

Seems almost everything is still to play for and WECNF will organise another meeting when there is definite information available.

 

 

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Meeting tonight about plans for Crossrail at West Ealing

Public Meeting at the Drayton Court Hotel on Tuesday 22nd April at 7.30pm.

  • Trains 200 metres long
  • Carrying up to 1500 passengers
  • New station in Manor Road
  • Up and running by 2019
  • 14 minutes to Bond Street, 21 minutes to Liverpool Street, 28 minutes to Canary Wharf

 

  • What are the plans for the new station and its surrounding area?
  • What arrangements for taxis, cyclists and to  drop-off?
  • What are the plans for buses?

 

Come along and find out more from representtaives of Crossrail, Ealing Council, West Ealing Centre Neighbourhood Forum and the newly created West Ealing Business Improvement District.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Book swapping is going London wide

Last May West Ealing Neighbours started a book swap in West Ealing station, and we have given away several thousand books since then. The success of this book swap has inspired Chris Gilson of West Ealing neighbours to start a campaign to get a London-wide book sharing scheme in operation by the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympics.

We’re also hoping to tie our West Ealing book swap with the Guardian newspaper’s campaign and the Bookcrossing movement.

If you’re keen to get involved, then check out the new blog: http://londonbookswap.wordpress.com/

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Book swapping in West Ealing

Are you bored of the Metro? Or, do you rush out the door and forget to take a book with you on your morning commute? Well, WEN has something that might help you, at least at West Ealing Station.

Several weeks ago, we installed a Book Swap in West Ealing Station – and it’s had a great response since. We’ve been inspired by other successful schemes, such as the one in Wimbledon. The idea is to offer commuters the opportunity to read a good book travelling to and from work.

Where is it, and how does it work?

It’s just inside the ticket office at West Ealing Station, on your right, as you enter from the street.

It’s very, very simple. Just have a look at our shelf, if you see a book you like, grab it!

Do I have to return my book?

If you like, yes, but you don’t have to. There are over 60 books on the shelves and we hope some books get returned for other travellers to read but we’ll also keep an eye out and stock up as and when needed.

If you do have any spare books that you think others might want to read, leave those instead.

Any comments and ideas on the WEN Forum about how we could develop Book Swap in West Ealing are very welcome.