It depends. The Almond Chord was a very specific solution to a very specific problem; inability to timetable paths efficiently through platforms 3&4 at Haymarket.
There are four recurring paths in each hour from the Slateford direction, and ten recurring paths in each hour from Newbridge Junction, plus extras.* The combination of flat junctions at Haymarket West, Newbridge and Polmont junctions means that the south lines have become very difficult to timetable, and the timetable is different in each hour, which is a symptom of these inefficiencies.
*note that, even though 4tph on the Falkirk High and Bathgate routes isn't in place all day, the paths are still there and the desire to reinstate these is strong. Future projected service increases from the WCML, post HS2, also have to be taken into account.
Also note that there are services with paths threaded around other services, like the LNER Inverness services and the EDB-GLC via Carstairs services, which makes it even more complicated.
Platforms 8-14 at Waverley, and the south lines to Haymarket are stressed and congested, and the timetable prior to the post-Covid reductions was very tenuous.
The Almond Chord was planned in the original iteration of the EGIP, where we aspired for 6tph through Falkirk High doing the shuttles. We needed to balance the load between the north and south lines at Haymarket, and the Almond Chord was out way of doing that. It had beneficial side effects of allowing space in the timetable for calls at Winchburgh station, and allowing trains from the west to serve Edinburgh Gateway.
With post-Covid service level reductions, also in particular due to staff shortages, the imminent need for the Almond Chord has subsided. If and when there are 4tph on both the Falkirk High and Bathgate lines, then the plan will need to be looked at again.
It's likely that the plan will be resurrected at some point, but not for a while. I think the most telling thing is that we never even got to the point of approving a final design, but we did safeguard the alignment, so it's still there on a shelf ready to be dusted off.
