On 03/06/2019 04:10, Basil Jet wrote:

I saw one in Platform 1 at Paddington at around midnight. The
destination indicator on the side said "Shenfield via Stratford". After
a couple of minutes it changed to "Hayes & Harlington".

I wonder why the "Via Stratford" is felt necessary.

Only locals and rail enthusiasts have heard of Shenfield. This way,
tourists will know that it's somewhere near Stratford-on-Shakespeare.