UK: Transport for London placed a notice in the Official Journal of the European Union on March 12 inviting expressions of interest in the concession to operate Crossrail passenger services. Potential operators have until the end of April to respond.The concession would be similar to the existing London Overground inner-suburban contract, with TfL specifying service levels, hours of operation and staffing. TfL expects to appoint an operator by late 2014. In May 2015 this concessionaire would take over the operation of stopping services between London Liverpool Street and Shenfield which are currently operated by Greater Anglia. The existing rolling stock would be 'gradually replaced' by the new Crossrail electric multiple-unit fleet from May 2017. The new Crossrail tunnels through central London would open in late 2018, with the full 118 km cross-London network to be operational in 2019. TfL predicts that Crossrail will transport around 200 million passengers/year when complete. 'We're looking to appoint a world-class operator to run a world-class service that will see Crossrail set the benchmark for railway services in Europe', said Mayor of London Boris Johnson. Current planning assumptions for launch of Crossrail services DateSectionNotes May 2015London Liverpool Street - Shenfield Crossrail concessionaire takes over existing stopping service May 2017 Start of gradual replacement of existing rolling stock with new Crossrail fleet May 2018 Heathrow Airport - London Paddington (mainline platforms)Crossrail concession takes over Heathrow Connect service December 2018 London Paddington (Crossrail platforms) - Abbey Wood May 2019 London Paddington (Crossrail platforms) - Shenfield December 2019 London Paddington - Maidenhead Full Crossrail service More...
