"TheOneKEA" wrote in message
oups.com...

It's impratical mainly because of infrastructure constraints - pathing
over the link line from Neasden South Junction to Northolt Junction is
very tight, with the various stoppers/semis and fast trains from
Stratford and Birmingham all competing for track space. A decent
service can only be had by restoring the through lines at at least one
of the original stations along the stretch.

Absolutely. Unfortunately, it isn't just a case of spending money on
restoring the through lines, as it would be at places like Beaconsfield. In
BR days (as at Gerrards Cross) the entire alignment was slewed in places,
meaning that, in addition to the restoration of platform loops, most of the
construction at platform level of Sudbury Hill, Harrow would require
demolition and reconstruction to meet current HSE requirements with regard
to platform widths etc etc. The present costs of such work would be
prohibitive for such a (currently) lightly used station - and accountants
are not renowned for basing their investment on projected figures, which is
why so many far better projects that can be seen to be needed (to anyone
with a basic understanding of railway infrastructure, operation, local
passenger flows etc.) have not been given the go-ahead without the financial
commitment of local and county councils. In almost every case nationally,
where the bean counters have restricted the development of new stations and
routes and have scaled down the expenditure, the coffers have had to be
reopened within a couple of years for infrastructure improvements because
ridership has far exceeded projections and capacity problems have ensued!