And how much work can it take to electrify 41 chains of double track?

I am not going to speculate on the 19:04 dropping off people at Reading on a Friday these days - I do not have the knowledge to inform; I am not a politician so I can say "I don't know" 

The relief train to Plymouth and the resulant superfast run of the regular Penzance train are for the summer only.  The extra train has other things to do come the autumn.  The path IS being kept so that it can be run again when appropriate amd there's a train to do it.  So not really a long term thing for Plymouth.

There is what I read as widespread early concern amongst the informed and interested in the community, and indeed in GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway), at the effect the closures for six years over the Christmas period - ranging from 2 days some years to 18 years in other years - is going to upset passengers, as will extra stops if they are to be aded thereafter at Old Oak.   There is a feeling that the new station will bring very few benefits / new travel opportunities to GWR passengers who are having to "pay" for it with extra disruption and slower journeys.   But I suspect at the end of the day people will just put up with the disruption and slowing, with the wider community getting a bit upset nearer the time it actually happens, but then learning to live with the changes that are permanent.

How much MPs^▸ (Member of Parliament) are briefed, by who, whether they choose to take these briefings / inputs further and what they look to achieve by doing so will vary between them.  It was very interesting to see the different ways our local MPs in Wiltshire and BaNES reacted to the news that well used through services to and from London were to be withdrawn, and the murky and dirty way that had been decided.  Some made very strong and public inputs in support of the services (not that it saved the services), other talked of going in to see the minister and raising it with him - but the way this was reported left it very unclear as to whether the MP in question had made a strong input on our behalf, or had assured the minister that if he stuck to his guns it would blow over.

That assertion will bring a wry smile to the face of anyone who's travelled on the 1904 Plymouth service on a Friday! 

The faster journey time to Plymouth is welcome however likely to be temporary until work starts in earnest at Old Oak Common on the Acton-Solihull express.

My remark was intended to be light-hearted criticism of hitachi and their nasty little trains, there was no intention to mislead and I regret any confusion or offence caused.

Thanks for that. I found that site very difficult as there does not seem to be a search box.  I got Paddington, Liverpool St and a number of other locations but not what I wanted.