On Thu, 27 Mar 2008, lonelytraveller wrote:

But Crossrail includes 8 underground stations, most with two entrances
(doubling many of the costs), the rebuilding of several miles of Great
Western Main Line including two grade-separated junctions (Heathrow and
Acton Yard), the electrification of 11 miles of GWML (requiring the
rebuilding of about ten bridges in Slough), rebuilding a of a fair bit
of GEML, rebuilding of ca. 30 stations (about half will be completely
demolished) and so on. It's a much larger project.

Yes, so they could reduce the costs by doing it at tube guage,

AIUI, doesn't make as big a difference as you think these days.

and having single entrances for the stations,

Which would then be bottlenecks.

and raising the level it runs at through farringdon so that they can
re-use the tracks for the moorgate branch of thameslink.

Which would involve two more phenomenally expensive portals.

tom

--
Change happens with ball-flattening speed. -- Thomas Edison