Mizter T wrote:
On May 5, 4:05 pm, Barry Salter wrote:


NEW CROSSRAIL ROUTE SAFEGUARDED


It's only safeguarding of course, which doesn't mean it's actually
going to happen, just that if it ever does it'll be a bit easier.

There have been plenty of comments on these newsgroups in the past
that getting Crossrail to Reading might not be all that it's cracked
up to be in certain quarters, what with a Crossrail train from Reading
into central London being slower that a fast non-stop service to
Paddington (where interchange with Crossrail would of course be
available).

I don't hold any particularly strong opinions on this issue (not that
my opinions on such things really matter!), but I'd be interested if
anyone could explain why extending Crossrail to Reading is widely held
to be so important.

I'm one of those that doesn't think Reading will be that useful a Crossrail
terminus IF all the proposed Crossrail services remain as all station
stoppers. However, if there is a way of having a Crossrail fast service -
perhaps as far as Ealing for instance it could be a useful way of freeing up
capacity on longer distance services.

However there is a similar debate about whether or not it should be Heathrow
Express or Connect that runs through onto Crossrail - it seems to hinge on
the lack of capacity and conflicting moves required on the crossovers from
main to relief running lines?

What I suspect is more significant [than the safeguarding] is that NR are to
run Crossrail [their wider network changes] and Reading remodelling as a
combined project under one manager...

Paul S