The Anonymous Widower

A Very Busy Paddington – 4th July 2023

On my trip to Marsh Barton station, Paddington was very busy, as these pictures show.

Note.

1. Trains were leaving to Cheltenham Spa, Great Malvern. Newquay and Paignton, in addition to the more expected destinations of Bristol Temple Meads, Cardiff and Swansea.
2. I took the Elizabeth Line to the station and it was very busy.

I feel, that action needs to be taken to increase the capacity of the station for both passengers and trains.

These are my thoughts.

Catching Trains From Reading

Recently, if I want to go somewhere, that is within an hour West of Reading station, I’ve started taking the Elizabeth Line to Reading using my Freedom Pass and then buying an Off Peak Day Return ticket from Reading.

• It saves a few pounds.
• I can catch the Elizabeth Line train at Moorgate direct to Reading, after having breakfast on Moorgate.
• Moorgate is an easy bus ride from outside my house.

I suspect some other Freedom Pass holders will start to use Reading station to go West.

The only disadvantages are that you miss the Reading train and have to wait half-an-hour for another and that buying tickets at Reading means leaving the station.

Improvements, I would make would include.

• Four trains per hour (tph) between Whitechapel and Reading.
• A ticket machine on the bridge at Reading station, so that those needing a ticket can buy one without leaving the station.

I suspect other improvements could also improve this option.

A Second Concourse At The Western End Of Paddington Station

If you go to Paddington station on the Hammersmith and City Line of the Underground, you can walk across the top of the main station and take stairs down to the platform for your departing train.

There has been talk of improving this area of the station, so that passengers using that route from the Underground have an easier route with more facilities like cafes, shops and toilets.

I’m all for this improvement.

What Is The Point Of Heathrow Express?

On my trip, I watched a Heathrow Express arrive in Paddington and just a few people got off.

I am utterly certain, that the Elizabeth Line is giving Heathrow Express a good kicking, as it is so much better connected to the important destinations within London, like Bond Street, Canary Wharf, Farringdon for Thameslink, Liverpool Street for The City, Stratford for events and Whitechapel for the East London Line.

Discussions of the future of Heathrow Express, must also include the Western Rail Link to Heathrow, which is currently being planned by Network Rail.

This page on the Network Rail web site gives more details, including these benefits for the link.

• Reduce rail journey times between Reading and Heathrow by delivering a new, faster, frequent, more reliable direct train service to Heathrow with four trains per hour in each direction. All trains would call at Reading and Slough and alternate trains at Twyford and Maidenhead. Journey times could be as short as 26 minutes from Reading and 6 to 7 minutes from Slough.
• Significantly improve rail connectivity to Heathrow from the Thames Valley, South Coast, South West, South Wales and West Midlands.
• Provide an alternative form of transport for passengers and the large number of people who work at the airport who are currently travelling by road.
• Ease congestion on some of the UK’s busiest roads, the M4, M3 and M25 resulting in lower CO₂ emissions equivalent to approximately 30 million road miles per year, helping to deliver the UK’s climate change and carbon reduction targets.
• Generate economic growth and new jobs across the Thames Valley and surrounding areas.
• Reduce passenger congestion at London Paddington.

There is then the question of who should run the service; Heathrow Express, the Elizabeth Line or both.

At the present time, trains from London to Heathrow are.

• Elizabeth Line – 2 tph – Shenfield and Terminal 5
• Elizabeth Line – 4 tph – Abbey Wood and Terminal 4
• Heathrow Express – 4 tph  – Paddington and Terminal 5

Note.

1. All trains also serve Heathrow Terminals 2 and 3.
2. The Piccadilly Line also serves all Heathrow Terminals.
3. It appears that Terminal 4 is only served by the Elizabeth Line.
4. Terminal 5 has 6 tph, but the Western Rail Link will be at a frequency of four tph.

Because of the mismatch at Terminal 5 and that two tph will stop at Slough, Maidenhead and Twyford, I suspect we might see the following services on the Western Rail Link

• Elizabeth Line – 2 tph – Terminal 5 and Reading via Slough, Maidenhead and Twyford
• Heathrow Express – 2 tph – Terminal 5 and Reading via Slough.

Note.

1. This would give Reading and Central London, a much-needed four tph on the Elizabeth Line. Two tph would be direct and two tph would be via Heathrow.
2. It would not require any more paths in the Elizabeth Line Central Tunnel, as the 2 tph between Shenfield and Terminal 5 will just be extended to Reading.
3. Heathrow Express has Western access with a connection to Reading.

It looks like this service pattern could be a good compromise.

I also suspect that this would improve passenger numbers for Heathrow Express.

Could Heathrow Express Run Its Service Using One Platform At Paddington?

I am fairly certain that this would be possible, if passenger access to the platforms at Paddington station were to be improved, by the building of a second concourse at the Western end of the station.

It is also likely, that full digital signalling will be applied between Paddington and Reading and this will surely improve the ease of running four tph into one platform at London Paddington for Heathrow Express.

I can see, that a reorganisation of Heathrow Express after the building of a second Western concourse at Paddington and the Western Rail Link to Heathrow, that Heathrow Express could be able to release a platform.

Could Great Western Railway Reorganise Suburban Services?

These are Great Western Railway’s suburban services, that terminate at Paddington.

• 1 tph – London Paddington and Oxford via Reading and Didcot Parkway
• 2 tph – London Paddington and Didcot Parkway via Slough, Maidenhead, Twyford, Reading, Tilehurst, Pangbourne, Goring & Streatley and Cholsey
• 1 tph – London Paddington and Newbury via Reading, Theale and Thatcham

Note.

1. The Oxford services, are run by Class 800 trains, running as either five-car, nine-car or ten-car trains.
2. Oxford is also served by the hourly Paddington and Great Malvern service.
3. All of the other services, are run by Class 387 trains, running as either four-car or eight-car trains.
4. There doesn’t seem to be any pattern to the platforms used by these services.

I find the last point very surprising, as my extensive scheduling experience says that it is easier to schedule several similar processes, rather than a number of different ones.

This OpenRailwayMap shows the platforms at Paddington station.

Note.

1. The platforms are numbered 1 to 14 from South-West to North-East.
2. Platforms 1 to 12 all appear to long platforms about the same length.
3. As some platforms can take ten-car Class 800 trains, I wouldn’t be surprised to find out all platforms 1-12 can.
4. The only short platform is platform 14, which can accommodate an eight-car Class 387 train, which is 163 metres long.

It looks to me, with twelve long similar platforms, they can schedule the platforms on the fly, so perhaps this explains, the randomness of platform allocations.

I think in an ideal world, I would try and organise these services as follows.

• The Oxford and Great Malvern services could share a platform at Paddington, which would help passengers to find the next Oxford train.
• The Didcot Parkway and Newbury services could also share a platform at Paddington, for the same reason.
• Unless Didcot Parkway and Newbury services are occasionally run by a twelve-car train, they could even use the short platform 14.

This would surely be a more efficient use of the platforms at Paddington station.

Could Didcot Parkway Services Become Another Elizabeth Line Destination?

Consider.

• Didcot Parkway to London Paddington services appear to use the same tracks as Elizabeth Line services between Reading and Southall West Junction, where they change to the main line for Paddington.
• London Paddington to Didcot Parkway services appear to use the main line from Paddington to Dolphin Junction, which is just to the East of Slough station, where it joins the same tracks as Elizabeth Line services to Reading.
• Nine-car Class 345 trains are forty metres longer than an eight-car Class 387 train.
• Class 345 trains are 90 mph trains.
• Class 387 trains are 110 mph trains.
• Class 387 trains wouldn’t fit the platform edge doors in the Elizabeth Line Central Tunnel.

It would appear that the Didcot Parkway and London Paddington services could be moved to the Elizabeth Line, by doing the following.

• The Class 387 trains would be replaced by Class 345 trains.
• Trains to London would go straight on at Southall West Junction and through the Elizabeth Line Central Tunnel.
• Trains from London would emerge from the Elizabeth Line Central Tunnel on the right track for Reading.
• There might be a need to lengthen a few platforms.

Note.

1. The Didcot Parkway to London Paddington services would not need to use the main line.
2. 2 tph would be removed from Paddington station.

As one electric train is being replaced by another, there would probably be no need for more electrification.

Could Newbury Services Become Another Elizabeth Line Destination?

Consider.

Freight trains appear to be able to go from Theale station to Platform 5 at Slough station, through Platform 15 at Reading station, which is a possible route that a Newbury to the Elizabeth Line Central Tunnel train would take.

Freight trains appear to be able to go from Platform 4 at Slough station to Theale station, through Platform 15 at Reading station, which is a possible route that an Elizabeth Line Central Tunnel to Newbury train would take.

It would appear that the Newbury and London Paddington services could be moved to the Elizabeth Line, by doing the following.

• The Class 387 trains would be replaced by Class 345 trains.
• Trains through Reading would follow the freight route.
• There might be a need to lengthen a few platforms.

Note.

1. The Newbury to London Paddington services would not need to use the main line.
2. 1 tph would be removed from Paddington station.

As one electric train is being replaced by another, there would probably be no need for more electrification.

Conclusion

It looks like the capacity of Paddington station can be increased by the following.

• Building a new second concourse at the Western end of the station.
• Heathrow Express releasing a platform.
• Oxford and Great Malvern services could share a platform at Paddington
• Moving Didcot Parkway and Newbury services to the Elizabeth Line.

No new electrification would be required.

July 8, 2023 - Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | Class 387 Train, Class 800 Train, Elizabeth Line, Great Western Railway, Heathrow Express, Marsh Barton Station, Paddington Station, Reading Station, Western Rail Approach to Heathrow