Network Rail’s Western woes: the causes and effects

Philip Haigh lifts the lid on the Office of Rail and Road’s report into poor planning and performance issues on the infrastructure company’s Western and Wales routes.

When overhead wires first appeared above the tracks into Paddington station in the 1990s, they powered Heathrow Express’s 15-minute service, which came to eight trains per hour.

When I checked an hour of June mid-morning services, I found 64 trains passing Ladbroke Grove, part way between Paddington and Heathrow Airport.