Great Western Coffee Shop

This is from the Camberley Society web site (http://www.thecamberleysociety.org.uk/page4.html):

I'm not sure about that long ago, but in the 1950s there were a few circular services from/to Waterloo via Ascot that turned left from Frimley to Brookwood using a chord that no longer exists. This was peak hours only - most of the service was (or was made to appear in the timetable) circular via Ascot and Ash vale. The one morning train stopping only Frimley/Brookwood/Woking/Waterloo took 53 minutes, going the other way and stopping only at Bagshot/Ascot/Waterloo took 68 minutes, which is still quicker than any route today.

This was covered on South Today yesterday (I'm not sure why as I thought Camberley was out of area, but maybe it's an anomaly). That piece said are no direct Waterloo trains via Ascot but there used to be, which is not true. There are now three up and two down in the peaks, but they are not a lot quicker than changing - and the connection time isn't that bad, it's more that the trains are just slow. And of course almost anyone can play at "it's not fair - they've got faster trains than we have".

So what might they get? A rebuilt chord? Unlikely - and in any case I can think of other chords that would be more useful to me. Better connections at Ash Vale, which has some trains taking under 40 minutes to Waterloo? That seems feasible, though the current lousy ones have been there for years. How about a 21st century service from Ascot, where it's currently an hour for the 29 miles to Waterloo? That seems not to be in anyone's plans - despite being slower than in the 1950s, and of course affecting the line out through Wokingham to Reading.

Having checked in the Wessex Route Study, they do explicitly respond to consultation comments asking for the Sturt Lane chord to be rebuilt. They say altering the timetable to give better connections at Ash Vale would be a better idea. And while improved journey times on the Windsor Lines services is mentioned, there is nothing proposed to realise it in general. 

A chord towards the up slow is reasonably practical.   The equivalent down direction is almost certainly out of the question, requiring a new flyover or underpass.

Must have been a slow news day for the BBC.  I saw the piece and wondered why their 'transport expert' could not have highlighted the obvious flaw in the down direction for a Sturt Lane chord.

The Wessex route study does go on to suggest an eventual 2 tph off-peak through service via Ascot as well.  (Fig 5.10 refers - also showing 2tph Reading fasts, and 2 tp Reading stoppers via the Hounslow loop.)

Paul