Each carriage has three double doors, making boarding and alighting easy. Featuring the latest technology to support modern travel and communications, they were designed by TfL, in close partnership with Alstom. Weighing about 20% less than most mainline trains, they feed electricity back into the power supply when braking – using 30% less energy – while still delivering fast journey times.
Elizabeth line trains were manufactured some 10 years after designers started working on Crossrail’s rail systems, stations, depots and tunnels. From 2002 onwards, we worked with Crossrail Ltd on a document describing how the trains should look and operate to inform civil engineering and railway design. Where a range of solutions was feasible, our engineers set flexible targets for weight, power and maintenance, for example, so advances being made by manufacturers in bogie design, regenerative braking and diagnostics could be accommodated.
This ‘reference train’ was updated as more information became known over time, and eventually formed part of Crossrail Ltd’s specification. Tenders returned by train manufacturers responded to this document. We went on to verify the commissioned train’s compliance with the Railways (Interoperability) Regulations 2011.
We worked with Crossrail Ltd to produce a train specification that achieved the right balance of functionality, sustainability and passenger comfort. Flexibility built into it enabled manufacturers to respond with different solutions, such as a nine-carriage train, where each carriage is only slightly longer than more common 10-carriage trains, while still carrying the same number of passengers.