"Chris" wrote ...
But the Met has access to a fast line south of Harrow-o-t-Hill for
fast trains to overtake the all-station stoppers, something that
Crossrail certainly won't get is access to the fast lines twixt
Reading & Padd. And terminating platforms at Padd on the up lines,
like there are at Baker Street - every train coming from LHR or
Maidenhead / Reading has to go through the portal, interlinking with
the starters coming from the yard just outside the portal.....skip
stopping is just about the only way you might get a slightly faster
trip - if you were to accept that stations wouldn't get a regular xx
mins past each hour 'Metro' service.

I agree it won't be easy - and the initial service will probaly be closer to
your vision than mine; but with the faster acceleration available, the
reallignment at Reading, the vague possibility of some intelligent design in
signalling and points, Crossrail could be so much more than the 'official'
version.

All it really needs is for DaFT / Network Rail / TfL to realise that a
little extra design and build expense will actually make the line much more
useful (and therefore more likely to repay the investment).

But there, I'm dreaming again ;o)
--

Andrew

"If A is success in life, then A = x + y + z.
Work is x; y is play; and z is keeping your mouth shut." ~ Albert Einstein