Timetable changes will be a 'nightmare' for commuters

Scores of commuters will have to change their travel routines and could end up ‘packed in like sardines’ following train timetable changes that came in at the weekend.

Concerns have been raised over the scrapping of ‘a hugely popular and well-used’ morning commuter train to Paddington via Slough.

The Great Western Railway (GWR) train, which pulled in to Maidenhead at 7.16am, has been replaced with a slower Elizabeth line (Crossrail) service. This change began on Sunday (May 21).

It is one of two trains on the line during the peak morning hours that will ‘transfer to Crossrail’, with the other being the 8.44am train from Maidenhead.

But there are concerns about the changes to this key-time-slot train.

Taking about 20 minutes, the old train used to get people to Paddington by 7.40am, making plenty of time for onward travel throughout London.

By comparison, the Elizabeth line service leaves 10 minutes later, 7.36am from Slough, and draws into Paddington at 8.08am, taking 32 minutes.

Maidonian Julian Robinson is a daily commuter who is not pleased about the change – largely because he considers the Elizabeth line service to be a worse choice for those coming from Maidenhead and Slough.

“Who honestly wants to sit on the slow Crossrail, with no toilets, hard seats and endless stops, instead [of the GWR train]?” he said.

He felt there would be 'mayhem' with commuters attempting to fit onto the faster GWR services either side of the new Elizabeth line one.

“Just at a time when more and more people are ditching work-from-home and returning to the office, we find crucial services cut at the busiest times,” he said.

“This will be a fresh nightmare for morning commuters, who will now be packed in like sardines with fewer fast services.”

A spokesman for GWR said: “From May, the level of service on the Elizabeth line reaches the maximum planned service level, with up to 10 trains per hour east of Heathrow travelling into London.

“This reduces the amount of paths available to us on these lines, effectively transferring more of our services to the Elizabeth line.”

The company says the change allows it to ‘speed up’ some of its other trains.

For example, London Paddington-Didcot Parkway services ‘will run non-stop from Slough to Paddington on the mainline – saving as much as 10 minutes on journey times.’

The change is to ‘try and meet customer and stakeholder aspirations’.

“We will be reducing journey time for more customers overall, and timetables are of course a balance, which we will continue to keep under review,” said the spokesperson.