In article ,
Peter Masson wrote:

"AstraVanMan" wrote

Having said that though - what is desperately needed is fast services
from Reading to Hayes + Harlington, as the only services that stop at
H+H from Reading are the slow "stop everywhere" services, which is
madness considering what a crucial link it is.

Reading to Hayes & Harlington is 4tph in 35-36 minutes, which would be
quite good for 25 miles, if it weren't for the trains on the Main Lines
which do it in under 15 minutes pass to stop. With a few exceptions the
Relief Line service is not all stations, trains normally calling at 5 or
6 of the 8 intermediate stations, and the intermediate stations do need
trains to Hayes & H, and to Ealing Broadway and Paddington. There isn't
track capacity to superimpose a fast service, nor for Main Line trains
to call at Hayes & H.

I recall that the original Virgin XC Operation Princess plan had an hourly
Birmingham-Reading-Brighton Voyager service which called at Hayes and
Harlington, Kensington Olympia and Gatwick Airport. I am sure it would
have been well patronised, but it fell by the wayside because of lack of
capacity on the GW fast lines. It was later replaced by the ill-fated
service through Guildford.

David