Examination of Witnesses (Questions 12580
- 12599)
12580. It is indeed. That will get somebody
from Marlow to Paddington in 46 minutes, compared with the through
service on the current timetable of 62 minutes and 65 minutes.
A considerably quicker journey.
(Mr Reed) Yes, sir.
12581. Given that if we compare these timetables
we can see that currently the Marlow branch has five trains in
the peak period, two through to Paddington and with Crossrail
there are five trains in the peak period with one through to Paddington.
Yes
(Mr Reed) Yes.
12582. The journey times will obviously change,
but I understood your evidence to be that journey times would
change only marginally. Indeed, if we look at these tables, I
would suggest there is generally a one or two minute increase
in the trip from Marlow to Maidenhead.
(Mr Reed) Yes.
12583. In terms of people interchanging from
the Marlow branch at Maidenhead, the only material change is the
loss of one through service to London.
(Mr Reed) There is a loss of one service but,
also, currently trains that come into Maidenhead from Bourne End
and Marlow come into platform 5A and 5B which is immediately adjacent
to the London-bound platform 4. Under the Crossrail proposals
the trains from the branch line will come into a separate platform
and there rail passengers from the branch line will have to go
underneath and change, physically come off the platforms, go under
the subway and come back up again, to get to platform 4. So there
is an increased interchange time at Maidenhead station itself.
12584. Sir Peter Soulsby: Mr Taylor,
fascinating though these timetables are, I think we are beginning
to lose sight of the bigger picture.
12585. Mr Taylor: I am intending to come
back to the bigger picture in submissions.
12586. Sir Peter Soulsby: I hope you
will soon come back to the bigger picture.
12587. Mr Taylor: If rail heading is
to occur, Mr Reed, people have to have somewhere to park at Maidenhead.
(Mr Reed) Yes, they do.
12588. If a parking constraint is imposed in
and around the station and the number of parking spaces limited,
they will not be able to railhead because there will be nowhere
for them to park.
(Mr Reed) That is not necessarily correct,
sir. What we have found is that commuters who would choose to
railhead can travel earlier to the station and, therefore, use
the car parking earlier, and then they can overspill into on-street
parking or other long-term parking.
12589. In terms of on-street parking, that can
be controlled by the introduction of a controlled parking zone.
(Mr Reed) It could be, sir, but then you would
have to find car parking available for those people to go into,
if you displace them from on-street.
12590. So you have to meet the demand for car
parking wherever it arises, do you?
(Mr Reed) I think the regional transport strategy
recognises that there is a benefit in providing car parking at
stations.
12591. Is not the benefit of providing car parking
at stations to ensure that people take the train for long distance
travel and commuting rather than driving their cars?
(Mr Reed) That is correct.
12592. You have already accepted in cross-examination,
Mr Reed, that people currently are unlikely to be driving from
Maidenhead into London because the train service is so much better.
(Mr Reed) I have, but I think what I indicated
was that that will not stop people driving to Maidenhead station
to access the rail services, and that would increase with Crossrail.
12593. Mr Taylor: Thank you very much.
Re-examined by Mr Stoker
12594. Mr Stoker: Just very briefly if
I may. Slides 10 and 11. There was agreement with my learned friend
on a span of examples of general growth of 1.4 to 4.5 per cent.
Why should Crossrail not enjoy similar growth? Why should it be
a special case and not see any growth?
(Mr Reed) We do not believe it will not get
any growth. We believe that, from what we have seen, there will
be real growth, but what we have seen is that it will open up
a number of opportunities that people will start to take advantage
of and, therefore, we will see growth.
12595. Slide 11, on the short point of the understanding
of journey opportunities, just to take stock with Crossrail. New
stations, new services. The underlying concept of Crossrail. What
about that?
(Mr Reed) The underlying concept is, obviously,
to provide for additional growth in that area. If you would not
mind bringing up policy paper A6, and if we could go, initially,
to bullet point 2.1, obviously, part of the underlying promotion
of Crossrail is the third bullet point in 2.1 which is providing
capacity for growth outside London.[84]
Halfway through that paragraph it says: "Crossrail is identified
in the strategy as a priority for achieving this continued economic
growth by providing additional capacity on the Great Western Main
Line and by improving connections between London and the important
regional centre of Slough."
12596. Mr Binley: May I ask a question,
Mr Chairman? I think there is a general view that, of course,
there will be a need for more car parking. Very crudely and very
generally that seems to be agreed. Can I therefore ask, if you
were in a position, whether you could advise the Royal Borough
and the Promoters to get together on this issue?
(Mr Reed) I think we have several times discussed
this with the Promoters and I think there is a continued need
for these negotiations on car parking demand at Maidenhead.
12597. Mr Binley: Given that situation,
are we not premature with regard to the evidence we are now putting
forward? Why can there not be some sort of agreement on that basis?
Can I ask both of you?
12598. Mr Stoker: I am certainly in a
position to answer on our side, which is that we have come up
with a figure and we see a need which should be met. It has been
rejected.
12599. Sir Peter Soulsby: I think, perhaps,
looking at the time, if you just finish with re-examination and
then, clearly, we are going to come back to this and make some
remarks before we finish this afternoon.
84 Crossrail Information Paper A6-Selection Of Western
Termini, billdocuments.crossrail.co.uk Back
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