Peter Masson wrote:

I can understand HEx staying a separate service, though the arguments are
similar to incorporating GatEx into other Brighton line services, with GatEx
running through to Brighton, Worthing, etc. But I would have thought a good
case could be made for incorporating Airtrack into Crossrail, with Crossrail
adding destinations such as Guildford, and Reading via Bracknell. This would
go some way to balancing out the eastern and western ends of Crossrail, and
avoid the need for so many Crossrail trains to terminate at Paddington.

An eminently sensible suggestion that in effect blends the Airtrack and
Crossrail proposals. It will no doubt be resisted by the flat earth
promoters of Crossrail who are fixated by "May be it's because I'm a
Londoner thinking" and who appear to regard the M25 as a latter day
Offa's Dyke.
However in view of the fact that Crossrail has received a large number
of objections -
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspap...938998,00.html
- the promoters might come to the realisation that a project that
sensibly maximises the hinterland of rail access to Heathrow might be
integral to getting the broader parliamentary support necessary to get
the Crossrail bill on the statute book. In fact it might be sensible to
suggest that as Phase 1 of Crossrail that they build Airtrack which
requires by comparison less new infrastructure - the Staines chord and
the relatively short Terminal Five link.
I also believe the idea of running HEx Paddington-Heathrow-Waterloo has
merit - If the recent "Open Skies". agreement concluded with the United
States is ratified there will be a significant increase in the number
of US carriers seeking to fly to Heathrow - so choice of fast routes
to central London makes sense.



Peter