On Dec 14, 10:51 pm, "Peter Masson" wrote:
"Dan G" wrote

I live in Reading and I don't want Crossrail to come here. Why?
Because Crossrail will be a stopper service. I want to catch an HST to
Paddington, overtaking the slow Crossrail trains past Maidenhead, and
then change for the ride into central London (or beyond). Taking it
all the way to Reading would increase the already sky-high cost and
take away capacity for other, more useful, trains for Reading.

If Crossrail is extended to Reading the Main (Fast) Lines will still be
available for 125 mph trains running non-stop (or possibly calling at
Slough) between Paddington and Reading. But if it terminates at Maidenhead
how are London to Twyford/Henley passengers to be catered for, or passengers
travelling to Reading from intermediate stations? Will there be a
Paddington - Reading stopping service sandwiched between Crossrail trains
(using capacity which really ought to be kept for freight)? Or will
passengers have to use Crossrail, and change at Slough or Maidenhead for a
shuttle service? Or will Main Line capacity be used up with 90 mph trains
calling at Slough, Maidenhead and Twyford (perhaps crossing to the Relief
Lines at Dolphin, Maidenhead East or Ruscombe once the Crossrail service has
thinned out - and the crossing move eats capacity)?

While Crossrail can be justified as a stopping service within Greater
London, as Acton Main Line and Hanwell would undoubtedly get much more use
if they had a decent service) stopping all Maidenhead trains at Iver and
Taplow is daft, as in population terms these two stations at least are in
the middle of nowhere.

The argument that saddling Crossrail with the cost of rebuilding and
resignalling Reading would make Crossrail unaffordable is sound, but the
argument that even if these necessary improvements are funded separately, as
they will be, Crossrail still can't go there is weak. However, it has to be
realised that although Reading is only two stations further than Maidenhead
it is actually half as far again as Paddington to Maidenhead.

Peter

Its called piecemeal enchroachment or piecemeal development. Its what
the Government is good at - as witnessed at Heathrow. Of course
they'll build Crossrail to/from Maidenhead - at first. But then later
they'll extend it to Reading and further to the East and South East.
Like at Heathrow with T4, then widening the M25, then T5, then
Airtrack, then the Third Runway and T6, etc., there would be no way of
getting planning permission for just one really mega-project. So each
project gets planning permission one at a time during which further
development is always denied. Then when that project is up and
running, the next one - even though emphatically denied - is started.
Haven't you heard of the BAA (wholy privately owned by Spanish
property demolition and development company Ferrovial) with its lies,
damned lies, statistics, and emphatic denials? Crossrail is just the
same. CJB.