Thinking about it though, this could form part of a new main line linking Southampton and Aberystwyth via Newbury, Didcot, Cirencester, Monmouth, and Carmarthen.  Yours for under the cost of the current HS2^▸ (The next High Speed line(s)) proposals.  Just.   

True.   

Things do change though, and I was a little surprised to see Network SouthEast hadn't mentioned it in his reply to the OP^▸ (Original Poster / topic starter), given that he's obviously pretty well up-to-speed on the situation, so I just thought I'd ask...

Sadly, some of the staff take a more Stalinist approach and I've seen unsuspecting smokers having a cheeky one at the end of a desolate platform get pursued with vigour and given a right verbal lecture!  I've said before that allowing smokers to smoke at station entrances, but not on the end of a quiet platform makes a mockery of the reason the ban was introduced.

You mean bi-directional passenger loop?  It would be useful in the peaks in the up direction in the morning and down direction in the evening, and useful for freights and as an overtaking section when there's late running in between - though I await with interest how that all fits in with the revised layout at West Drayton and the connection to the Colnbrook freight branch.

There are two different types of 'Next fastest train to' at Paddington.  One with longer distance destinations generally by the lower numbered platforms, and one with more local destinations generally by the higher numbered platforms.  Maidenhead appears on the latter, but not the former.

Originally the Crossrail works included a fifth passenger track between just east of Langley and just east of West Drayton, (achievable with an upgrade and extension to the current up goods line) which would be reversible and allow stopping trains to be overtaken by faster trains on the relief in the peak hours.  Has that plan now been removed from the Crossrail works?

Here's your answer:


And perhaps others look at the next fastest train boards at Paddington for 'Maidenhead'?  No mention of the eventual destination on those. 


Through searching the online timetables.  Had I not been prompted by Jo's post of yesterday though, I wouldn't have had a clue!

Like NickB, I fear there will be many passengers caught out.  Commuters don't necessarily know where their train is going (and over what route as most Worcester trains don't go via Swindon!) when they have, say, a dozen different train home possibilities every night many going to different destinations.  Unless I'm missing something, the replacement timetable on the website makes no mention of Maidenhead at all.  The website alterations summary makes no mention of Maidenhead and that specific train at all.  And finally, the online .pdf timetable for London to Maidenhead services makes no mention of changes to this train at all, or that services may be altered due to the works (as the London to Cheltenham timetable does).

For those reasons I think, at the very least, Maidenhead should be covered in posters now.  And serious considerations should be given to a special stop on the 19:45 or 20:00 departures instead as 'gpn01' has suggested would be the customer friendly approach.

Why not suggest to FGW^▸ (First Great Western) a temporary extra stop at Maidenhead on the 19:45 to Plymouth or the 20:00 to Bristol?  The 19:50 to Banbury could even stop there, but that's only a 3-car Turbo so might not be the best solution!

Either way, this is just the sort of change of service that should be plastered all over Maidenhead station on posters.

Doesn't look like it.

The changes are long overdue since the arrival of the advance purchase ticket has made restrictions so much more complicated, and will hopefully remove some of the confusion over when and where a ticket is valid.

They're all 'one-off' counts though, aren't they?

That's why they shouldn't be treated particularly seriously - but the 'busiest train in the Country' headlines will still be published.  No doubt all those top ten trains are exceptionally busy though, it's just that others might be just as busy on days when the count doesn't take place.

Yes, an extra service at the intermediate stops on the mainline rather than an extra service from Henley itself.  Those two Henley trains remain principal commuter services from Twyford and Maidenhead too and that's where the problem lies.  Though if you stop another long distance HST^▸ (High Speed Train) at either then that causes its own problems!

I travelled on a unit that was the same yesterday.  Could have been the same unit I suppose, but the middle carriage seems to be your best bet for some reason!

The borders route will go to Edinburgh which is a massive centre of employment and should enable commuting to work within an hour for all the stations on the route.  Are Aberystwyth or Carmarthen a similar draw for the commuting population?  No.  And Swansea/Cardiff would be too far away to commute to.  So, if you don't have a large commuter base you're relying on tourists and day trippers to make up the numbers.  I don't see enough principal settlements or places of interest on the route to provide either in the numbers that would be required.  Are there really enough people out there that would use such a link to justify finding half-a-billion pounds (using Red Squirrel's estimate) to build it and then find more money to subsidise operating it?