Great Western Coffee Shop

All this week I've received an early morning SMS alert to say that 07.08 Maidenhead to Paddington cancelled due to over running engineering work. No message this morning so thought hurrah! But no. It was cancelled anyway. I have a 1st class season ticket and a perk is the free trolley service and newspaper on 07.08. So I'm unimpressed at this poor service.

All to do with the over-run of engioneering works on the Cotswold Line. Should be ok tomorrow.

On Monday & Wednesday the 03:57 Swansea to Paddington called at MAI (07:12) vice the 05:02 Worcester SH to Paddington Service.

On Tuesday there were "operational reasons" that the Swansea to Paddington didn't call.

Today (Thursday) the 05:02 was meant to run as scheduled. The decision to remove Maidenhead was due to late running (24 mins late Dep Charlbury) and this was posted to JourneyCheck at 06:40 and a text should have followed??

I don't think 'stations removed from stopping pattern' generstes a text. Full cancellations do.

Whilst stopping the 03:57 from Swansea (isn't that the UK's officially most overcrowded train?) at 07:12 is with good intent it doesn't help when the fact doesn't appear on the noticeboard and so if early enough everyone crams on to the 07:03 (which doesn't have sufficient 1st class seats).  Or, with the expectation that the 07:08 is cancelled you take a few more minutes on the journey and arrive in time for the 07:19 - by which time the 07:12 will have gone.

I knew that the 03:57 Swansea - London Paddington service was busy but i didnt think it was that overcrowded, i think it is either the service before it  or the 1 after it from Reading which is the uk's most overcrowded, thruth be told these class 180's which are hoped to be coming to FGW are badly needed heck hopefully if crossrail does come to Reading that might help provide some relief.

Anyway with FGW having some class 319's from around 2016 is it possible to have 3 of these attached together in the peaks forming a 12 carriage train to run between Oxford/Reading  to London Pddington?

_{Edited to fix quote.}

The 07:03 does not have sufficient standard accommodation for its normal loading let alone space if the 07:08 is canned 1st class being least of the 07:03's problems.

Its quite simple Maidenhead does not have adequate provision at that time of the day, there is unlikely to be any easing until Crossrail metro services start and the GWML electrification. 

Amd you'll be lucky to retain any fast trains then! Semi (skip stop maybe) fast maybe...

Maybe even lucky to get semis. If Crossrail does stupidly terminate trains at Maidenhead they'll be all stations Shenfield or Abbey Wood

But surely if Crossrail terminates at Maidenhead, then the next "flight" of trains out will call there for connection purposes?  So you'll have London to Reading trains express to Maidenhead then all stations to Reading.

And the same in treverse - All stations from Reading to Maidenhead in the morning to connect with CrooRail then fast to PAD.

MOre of a problem for MAI if CrossRail starts back from Reading, methinks

I'd advise against falling into the media's 'most overcrowded train in the UK trap' - It's a very dynamic situation and what was hand counted (how accurate will those results be?!) on one day as the busiest train that day, may not be the next.  For example, loadings on the stoppers from Ealing Broadway towards Hayes will swell greatly if a packed District Line train and a couple of Central Line trains have terminated in between trains - often to the extent that plenty are left unable to board.  Now, if a train is so busy that you can't get on then surely it's got to be at least equal to the most overcrowded train of the day?!  This happens day-in, day-out to passengers at Ealing, and, coming the other way, Southall.

Ditto at Reading where if a train is late in the peaks and a fast hasn't left for 10 minutes or so, then huge swathes of people build up and then cram on the first to arrive.  Some wise souls wait for a couple of minutes if one is due behind, but not many.

At present the fast and semis can cross at Rushcombe, Maidenhead East, Slough West and Dolphin JN depending on whether there is Slough stop as well.

Crossrail practically take over the Relief Lines from Maidenhead so that anything from Reading has to cross at Rushcombe unless Maidenhead West Crossovers (left handed are reinstated). Also they are expecting freight to be on the Main Lines otherwise why build the flyunder at Acton?

Crossrail won't work West of Padd.

Quite depressing to see that the Crossrail estimated time calculator (at http://www.crossrail.co.uk/) shows the estimated time from  Maidenhead to Paddington to be 37 minutes.  That's almost double the time taken on the 07:08 (which operated on time today....hurray!) which arrives at Paddington at around 07:28.

Many of the MAI-PAD fast/semi-fast services take more than 40 minutes crawling along being a stopping service.  At the risk of derailing this thread, is there a reason why FGW couldn't run fewer, longer trains?  Wouldn't this provide the same capacity, but prevent the fast and semi-fast services from getting stuck behind stoppers?

It'll be a challenge to make it work, but surely the flyunder at Acton is to remove conflicting moves?  So freight from Acton Yard/Loop to the Down Relief line won't conflict with passenger trains on the Up Relief Line.

I believe it is the up relief that will dive under the connection from the freight yard to the down relief.  There would be no practical way of having a ramp within the area of the freight terminal for westbound trains, so all the freight connections will have to be on the level.

Paul

Yes, Paul - that would indeed make sense.

Found a detailed description in the depths of the Crossrail website, don't think I can provide a direct link unfortunately:

Acton Yard

6.7.9
In order to make train paths available for freight trains going to and from
Acton Yard without disrupting Crossrail and other services, a new rail underpass
will be constructed. This will take the eastbound relief line beneath the
tracks that connect with Acton Yard. The ramp for the under-pass will
commence at a point where the Central Underground line diverges from the
GWML, to the west of Noel Road bridge. Beyond the underpass, a further
ramp will take the relief line back to ground level immediately to the west of
Acton Main Line station. The track remodelling will require some demolitions
within Acton Yard.

6.7.10
In order to accommodate the rail under-pass, the two goods lines and the
three depot reception lines will need to be realigned considerably to the
north of their current location. This in turn will require that other sidings and
facilities (used by EWS or their tenants) be moved northwards. The precise
location of this relocation has not yet been agreed with EWS. Although it is
likely that the recreational land north of Acton Yard will only be used
temporarily, this is not certain. The assessment has therefore assumed that
some permanent landtake will be required

Paul