Commercial Fixed Wing
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 188
Communication Breakdown; Confusion
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Ground Incursion Runway
Air Traffic Control Issued Advisory / Alert
Procedure; Airport; Human Factors
On taxi out from gate in ELP; Ground Control told us to taxi to Runway 8R via Romeo. I took that to mean I was cleared to taxi to the end of Runway 8R; which is over 1;000 FT down from Taxiway R. Normally the clearances in El Paso tell you to hold short of the 8R approach end and this clearance didn't state that. The new ATC phraseology in crossing runways is inconsistent. Under the new phraseology; the clearance I would expect to hear is taxi to Runway 8R via Romeo and hold short of the 8R approach end. The clearance I received led me to think I was cleared to the beginning of Runway 8R without holding short of the approach end. When the Controller notified us what had happened; I told him what I was thinking based on the clearance received. I apologized for the misunderstanding and I wanted to clarify for the future. He said no problem on this end and that they clear you from Romeo so you don't have to taxi Romeo and Mike to 8R and then back taxi on 8R. That whole area is confusing because part of that approach end is also labeled Taxiway Echo.The new ATC phraseology is arduous. The old phraseology was shorter; more direct; easier to understand; and most of all consistent across the country. Taxiing to a runway mentions taxi to that runway and cleared to cross everything to get to that runway. The new phraseology is inconsistent and adds many more instructions to an already busy and communication overloaded environment. At some airports; the taxi instructions are already very long and now they have to add hold short of all the possible runways and then be cleared across one at a time. It is too much communication. In this situation; the clearance was misunderstood because the Controller did not say hold short of the 8R approach and because that is what I am used to hearing. I assumed it meant I was cleared to the end of 8R. I even told my First Officer when I repeated the clearance that I thought we were cleared to the end of the runway and he thought the same. Confusing; non-standard; communication errors are probably the biggest threat in our environment and clarification is a must. Unfortunately; the clarification adds to more people talking on the radio; more people getting stepped on; and more confusion. Brevity and simplicity in communication is always the best but that is not the way the industry has headed. The other thing that would help is this particular situation is to paint chevrons where the 8R approach is. It would let you know that this area is part of a runway and not a taxiway.
Air Carrier Captain attributed a runway incursion on ELP Runway 8 to a confusing taxi clearance.