Publication date 26 October 2020
Major revision 08 March 2021

All services outlined in this article are circular. We will commence by describing two possible Crossrail circular services via Reading. Then we will describe a possible Crossrail 2 circular service via Reading.

All of these can be followed on our summary diagrammatic map :

Summary diagrammatic map : our projects in relation to one another (opens in new window or tab, click with magnifying glass).

We suggest that any circular service described here would contribute to a reduction in car dependency and of congestion on the M25 motorway, that is, significant modal shift to rail.

All three circular services described here depend on our project : East west rail - Oxford to Cambridge. Referenced projects are listed later in this article.

Firstly, a Crossrail circular service via Reading and Woking. With reference to our project : ECML two track section between Knebworth and Welwyn, we are proposing Crossrail services on to the East Coast Main Line (ECML). The Heathrow Southern Railway proposal connects Heathrow terminal 5 to Woking. Our project : Camberley connects Woking to Reading. These proposals, if brought to fruition, provide a route for a Crossrail circular service. The service would operate clockwise and anti-clockwise on the following route :

Broxbourne, Tottenham Hale, (Stratford West), Liverpool Street, Paddington, Heathrow terminal 5, Woking, Brookwood, Camberley, Wokingham, Reading, Oxford, Aylesbury, Rickmansworth, Watford Junction, Stevenage, Ware and Broxbourne.

Secondly, a Crossrail circular service via Reading not via Woking. The service would operate clockwise and anti-clockwise on the following route :

Broxbourne, Tottenham Hale, (Stratford West), Liverpool Street, Paddington, Reading, Oxford, Aylesbury, Rickmansworth, Watford Junction, Stevenage, Ware and Broxbourne.

Thirdly, a Crossrail 2 circular service via Reading and Woking. The service would operate clockwise and anti-clockwise on the following route :

Broxbourne, Tottenham Hale, St Pancras, Victoria, Clapham Junction, Wimbledon, Surbiton, Weybridge, Woking, Brookwood, Camberley, Wokingham, Reading, Oxford, Aylesbury, Rickmansworth, Watford Junction, Stevenage, Ware and Broxbourne.

Without Crossrail 2, a modified version of such a service might operate from London Waterloo to either Kings Cross or Moorgate or Liverpool Street.

Referenced projects :

We propose east west rail in Hertfordshire with a new rail corridor Rickmansworth, Watford Junction, St Albans Abbey, London Colney, Hatfield, Welwyn, Stevenage, Ware, Harlow Town.

As part of this proposal, we propose an extension of the Abbey line from St Albans Abbey via London Colney to Hatfield.

 

We are proposing Crossrail services to the West Anglia Main Line (WAML) and via Ware, Stevenage on to the ECML. This enables capacity release on the ECML two track section between Knebworth and Welwyn.

 

We are proposing a direct London commuter service via Camberley.

 

We are proposing a station stop Aylesbury Interchange (AI) on High Speed 2 in the vicinity of Aylesbury.

 

We will now list the dependencies of specific circular services on specific projects.

A Crossrail circular service via Reading and Woking is dependent on these projects :

Project : East west rail - Oxford to Cambridge
Project : ECML two track section between Knebworth and Welwyn
Project : Camberley
Heathrow Southern Railway or equivalent.

A Crossrail circular service via Reading, not via Woking, is dependent on these projects :

Project : East west rail - Oxford to Cambridge
Project : ECML two track section between Knebworth and Welwyn.

A Crossrail 2 circular service via Reading, and which is necessarily also via Woking, is dependent on these projects :

Project : East west rail - Oxford to Cambridge
Project : Camberley
Heathrow Southern Railway or equivalent.

In all three cases, our project : Domestic and international high speed rail proposes a station stop Aylesbury Interchange (AI) on High Speed 2 in the vicinity of Aylesbury and, in this case, any or all circular services would be routed via the Swindon express link and Aylesbury Interchange rather than via Oxford, Bicester and Aylesbury.

Our project : East west rail - Oxford to Cambridge proposes the creation of an Outer London rail consortium specifically for the purpose of defining and progressing a Crossrail, or Crossrail 2, circular service.

 

Our current proposals, projects and articles are listed here : List of articles