Reading January-April 2015

[whole diary]

[a-driver]

Bit of a early warning for anyone travelling through Reading from January to April 2015. 

We've been told the first blockade over Christmas to open the new viaduct at Reading will see all through trains via Reading West only able to access platforms 7 & 8 between January to April.  Trains to London arriving via Reading West will not have access to platforms 9, 10 and 11 as they currently do. This will invariably cause a few delays.

The Easter blockade will see completion of all works and fully unlock the additional capacity at Reading.

[paul7575]

I posted about this in the main Reading thread back in June, possibly too early though:

http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=6405.msg156500#msg156500

Trains heading UP from the Westbury line already have to cross the down main at the moment, although they can currently do it either west of the station, or east of the station. So the same number of moves will all have to be done east of the station - so surely it shouldn't cause a massive amount of extra disruption, it'll just all be in one place?

Paul

[TaplowGreen]

Bit of a early warning for anyone travelling through Reading from January to April 2015. 

We've been told the first blockade over Christmas to open the new viaduct at Reading will see all through trains via Reading West only able to access platforms 7 & 8 between January to April.  Trains to London arriving via Reading West will not have access to platforms 9, 10 and 11 as they currently do. This will invariably cause a few delays.

The Easter blockade will see completion of all works and fully unlock the additional capacity at Reading.

Oh joy - I'm not expecting anything better than the usual chaos based on the last few years, but what sort of local service Reading-Paddington can be expected 29 December - 2 January when a lot of people have to go to work (a fact which is generally overlooked by FGW^▸ (First Great Western) etc), or is it too early to say?

[grahame]

Bit of a early warning for anyone travelling through Reading from January to April 2015. 

Much appreciate the early warning, thanks!

[paul7575]

Oh joy - I'm not expecting anything better than the usual chaos based on the last few years, but what sort of local service Reading-Paddington can be expected 29 December - 2 January when a lot of people have to go to work (a fact which is generally overlooked by FGW^▸ (First Great Western) etc), or is it too early to say?

The relief side is open to trains from the 28th, but with only a limited service through platforms 13/14/15.  On line journey planners should have the details within a couple of weeks.  Likewise the Waterloo route will be open, so SWT^▸ (South West Trains) might be running a decent timetable.

The next and last major all line blockade involving diversions via Banbury and Greenford, and into Waterloo for west of England services. will be next Easter.

Paul

[4064ReadingAbbey]

I posted about this in the main Reading thread back in June, possibly too early though:

http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=6405.msg156500#msg156500

Trains heading UP from the Westbury line already have to cross the down main at the moment, although they can currently do it either west of the station, or east of the station. So the same number of moves will all have to be done east of the station - so surely it shouldn't cause a massive amount of extra disruption, it'll just all be in one place?

Paul

I think that some operations might be a bit more tricky because the reversing XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) trains will not be able to use the higher number platforms. This means they will occupy Platforms 7 or 8 while reversing and potentially there could be conflicts with Down trains from Paddington on the Mains. However, according to the track plans previously published, even when the layout is complete, XC will continue to use 7 and 8 (and 3) to reverse (although not exclusively) so this is a taste of Things To Come!

According to the Network Change notice (which I downloaded in June having read your message!) the bay Platform 3 will be returned to use at Christmas so XC will also be able to reverse there, clear of the running lines, as long as there are paths for them to use the Mains (from the new Reading High Level Junction) going to and from Didcot. This may mean some timing changes at Didcot East Junction as they cross from the Reliefs to the Mains and vice versa. It is possible that such paths will be more easily available as the conflict between trains on the Mains and those taking the the West Curve from the Reliefs will no longer exist with the commissioning of the flyover.

Some terminating XC trains using the Reliefs run to the Down Goods Loop on the Down Relief just east of Kennet Bridge Junction if they don't stay in the station. I assume that these will continue to do so and still use the Reliefs between Didcot and Reading, so no change there.

So although there might be some glitches in the first few days, overall I don't think this change will be very noticeable - apart from some XC passengers having to use different platforms at Reading. Ever the optimist, it might even get better!

[IndustryInsider]

So although there might be some glitches in the first few days, overall I don't think this change will be very noticeable - apart from some XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) passengers having to use different platforms at Reading. Ever the optimist, it might even get better!

Yes, I'm pretty sure that will be the case, and as this is the last stage before the whole station gets unlocked, it really is just around the corner when we can look forward to a massively improved layout.

[paul7575]

The way I was thinking about XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) is that there are a significant number (mainly Bournemouth bound trains) that already reverse in P8, having crossed the down main to get there, and they'll be able to continue doing that, potentially with a neutral effect.   Let's assume that the XC trains that can no longer reverse in P11 are mostly transferred over to P3 - that just means the Southampton bound trains cross the down main on the way into the station, rather than on the way out.  Northbound through trains using P3 shouldn't conflict with the mains at all; and P3 dealt with over 50% of the XC service when it was last open if I recall.

The Reading terminators will be able to carry on as now, using P13 or P14, so shouldn't really be an issue, as said in 4064's earlier post.

Paul

[gpn01]

Bit of a early warning for anyone travelling through Reading from January to April 2015. 

We've been told the first blockade over Christmas to open the new viaduct at Reading will see all through trains via Reading West only able to access platforms 7 & 8 between January to April.  Trains to London arriving via Reading West will not have access to platforms 9, 10 and 11 as they currently do. This will invariably cause a few delays.

The Easter blockade will see completion of all works and fully unlock the additional capacity at Reading.

Being a simple commuter who knows nothing about such things....will this lead to consequential delays/service degradation further along the line?  Putting my completely myopic goggles on in fact....will it affect services between Maidenhead and Paddington?

[4064ReadingAbbey]

Bit of a early warning for anyone travelling through Reading from January to April 2015. 

We've been told the first blockade over Christmas to open the new viaduct at Reading will see all through trains via Reading West only able to access platforms 7 & 8 between January to April.  Trains to London arriving via Reading West will not have access to platforms 9, 10 and 11 as they currently do. This will invariably cause a few delays.

The Easter blockade will see completion of all works and fully unlock the additional capacity at Reading.

Being a simple commuter who knows nothing about such things....will this lead to consequential delays/service degradation further along the line?  Putting my completely myopic goggles on in fact....will it affect services between Maidenhead and Paddington?

How long is a piece of string? See my post of the 20th September, but to reiterate. From Christmas the conflicts between the, roughly hourly, freight trains crossing the Up and Down Main Lines west of Reading station will be removed as the flyover comes into operation. One significant source of delay caused by these long trains crossing the Mains at 20mph or so on their way to and from Southampton will be removed. Platform 3 will become available again and be used for reversing XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) trains - this means that some of them won't have to occupy a through platform whilst doing so, removing another source of congestion.

On the other hand, Up trains from the Newbury direction will only be able to use platforms numbers 7 and 8 at Reading, rather than the ones they use at the moment but using the current platforms involve potential conflicts on the flat junction at the west end of the station. From Christmas trains to London will have to join the Up Main east of the station.

After Christmas numbers 7 and 8 will also be the only two available for use by trains from Paddington towards Reading West and Newbury, so no change there.

For Relief line trains to and from Didcot, there will be little or no change, but some XC trains may now use the Mains from Didcot.

Which of these pros and cons will win? I'm guessing it will be slightly better, but are you a betting man...?

And don't forget the impact of the work going on between Maidenhead and London for Crossrail...

[TaplowGreen]

Being a simple commuter who knows nothing about such things....will this lead to consequential delays/service degradation further along the line?  Putting my completely myopic goggles on in fact....will it affect services between Maidenhead and Paddington?
[/quote]

-if recent years are anything to go by, the service between Christmas and New Year is hit and miss at best, or more usually chaotic, so it may well be that no-one notices any difference!!!

[Oxonhutch]

The next and last major all line blockade involving diversions via Banbury and Greenford, and into Waterloo for west of England services. will be next Easter.

Ah! a final chance to be signalled by the new semaphore up starters at Banbury, plus check out Princes Risborough and Greenford boxes all for the price of a cheap day return Oxford-Cholsey ! ... plus my season ticket, of course - and a spot of parking at OXF^» (Oxford - next trains).

[paul7575]

-if recent years are anything to go by, the service between Christmas and New Year is hit and miss at best, or more usually chaotic, so it may well be that no-one notices any difference!!!

I wasn't really sure if the question from gpn01 was just about the Christmas period, or more likely the whole Jan to April period.  As we've been discussing earlier in the thread, looked at in comparison to today I think the first post is possibly a bit too pessimistic.   There should be little to directly affect relief line services anyway.

Paul

[hertzsprung]

Bit of a early warning for anyone travelling through Reading from January to April 2015. 

We've been told the first blockade over Christmas to open the new viaduct at Reading will see all through trains via Reading West only able to access platforms 7 & 8 between January to April.  Trains to London arriving via Reading West will not have access to platforms 9, 10 and 11 as they currently do. This will invariably cause a few delays.

Is this expected to impact services to the West Country?  Journey Planner currently says, "It is not yet known how First Great Western services will be affected by engineering work from Saturday 20 to Friday 26 December 2014."

[paul7575]

Bit of a early warning for anyone travelling through Reading from January to April 2015. 

We've been told the first blockade over Christmas to open the new viaduct at Reading will see all through trains via Reading West only able to access platforms 7 & 8 between January to April.  Trains to London arriving via Reading West will not have access to platforms 9, 10 and 11 as they currently do. This will invariably cause a few delays.

Is this expected to impact services to the West Country?  Journey Planner currently says, "It is not yet known how First Great Western services will be affected by engineering work from Saturday 20 to Friday 26 December 2014."

Definitely will affect the service as only platforms 12,13 and 14 and the relief lines are open at Reading after the normal 2 day Christmas break, with the Westbury line junction closed.   Whatever limited timetable runs it will be on reliefs only, and presumably diverted via Swindon.

Paul