Originally Posted by
bd95
The central section of Crossrail will be handling 24 trains each hour at peak leaving little time to allow turning etc (a bit like LHR's runways!) Apparently there are issues over trying to balance the service across the four arms of Crossrail as some will be busier than others! Also some trains from the East might need to terminate at Paddington to allow the HEX to continue to operate as a Paddington-originating express..
You are correct....
According to Wikipedia ! - Of those 24 trains heading West from Shenfield / Abbey Wood through the City to the West - 14 trains will turn round at Paddington (without going further west) and then head back east...
Leaving just 6 trains per hour to go to Maidenhead and 4 trains to Heathrow.
The stopping patterns of the trains will be varied and not all trains will stop at all the stations west of Paddington - so that may mean a faster journey to Heathrow than currently on Heathrow Connect
It would seem very odd if 2 of those 14 trains turning at Paddington do not head on to Heathrow - possibly in place of at least 2 of the current HEX trains...
I know that some people may still opt for the extra comfort of the HEX trains but I would be really surprised if T5 is never served by Crossrail
We'll see - I guess