Reading Green Park

[whole diary]

[Timmer]

Makes me all misty eyed for another 'Green Park' that will never again see a train.

Makes me sad everytime I walk through it.

[stuving]

There was also talk of opening a station at Suttons Industrial Park to the east of Reading but I think that has died a death.

I've always wondered why I've not seen a station at Woodley suggested: i.e. at the west end of "Suttons' Seeds", or a bit further out. True, being in Sonning cutting adds to the cost, especially if you need to provide the Crossrail standard of 4 platforms, but ten years or more ago that wouldn't have been needed.

That would be closer to the spacing out from Reading of the first station on other lines - Earley, Tilehurst, and the proposed Green Park (ignoring Reading West) are all just under 3 miles. What should determine the spacing of stations like this?

I guess that, apart from operational matters, the main issue is how big a catchment a station can serve. Is there a standard figure for how far people will walk from work or home?

[4064ReadingAbbey]

This proposal seems to have come back to life again. See

http://www.readingchronicle.co.uk/news/roundup/articles/2014/07/08/101760-plans-for-green-park-station-serving-reading-fcs-madejski-stadium-on-track-after-government-pledges-32m-for-transport-projects-across-reading/

All I can say is that it will be a long walk to the stadium. As the crow flies the shortest distance is about 3/4 mile.

[paul7575]

There seems (nationally) to be a strange idea that you can justify a station opening (or re-openings) by its proximity to a football stadium.  Whereas in the reality, although a stadium would be of some marginal interest to the business case, it will never be a prime justification, as headline writers seem to think...

Paul

[stuving]

Well, once more Network rail are right about a project they put in their plans - funding this has now been signed off, according to the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page)

20 November 2014 Last updated at 20:06
Green Park train station funding approved for Reading


The new station at Green Park is near the Madejski Stadium, a new housing development and a business park

Funding for a new train station in Reading has been approved as part of a multimillion-pound spend on improving transport networks across Berkshire.

The ^6.4m Green Park station will be built on the Reading to Basingstoke line near the Madejski Stadium, with construction planned in October 2016.

It is part of a ^21.4m batch of schemes agreed by the Berkshire Local Transport Body, and funded by the government.

Newbury, Bracknell and Slough councils have had road upgrades approved.

Plans for the station include a bus interchange, park and ride, a short stay car park and taxi drop-off.

Reading Borough's transport chief Tony Page, who also chairs the Berkshire Local Transport Body, said: "It will be instrumental in unlocking the much needed housing and other facilities that are encompassed in the Green Park Village development."

Newbury is to get a direct link between the Hambridge Road industrial area and the A339 - costing ^2.34m, and a new ^1.9m junction to improve access to London Road Industrial Estate, a regeneration site.

Slough will receive a total of ^7.1m to improve the A332 Windsor Road as well as a scheme to improve traffic flow on the A355 between the M4, Slough Trading Estate and the M40.

Bracknell is to build a ^3.5m Warfield link road to facilitate plans for a 2,200-home development in the area.

[Jason]

The long-awaited Green Park railway station is back on the agenda after plans were submitted to Reading Borough Council...
http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/local-news/green-park-train-station-plans-8865748

[TonyK]

Any chance of one of these at Bath?

[Chris from Nailsea]

From GetReading:

First Great Western suggest Green Park station won't be open until late 2018

There is confusion as to when the ^8 million development will be ready for public use


Planners are due to discuss the future of the Green Park railway station tonight

There is much speculation surrounding the completion of the planned Green Park railway station.

Original plans submitted to Reading Borough Council by agents Peter Brett Associates estimate completion by the end of 2017, if all goes well.

Councillor Tony Page, Deputy Leader of the Council and Lead Councillor for Strategic Environment, Planning and Transport confirmed this.

However James Davis, Media Relations Manager for First Great Western believes the ^8 million station will not be ready until December 2018, in time for the electrification of the railway line.

This is a separate project aiming to bring out a fleet of new electric trains across the Thames Valley and South Wales, replacing some of the old diesel engines.

Tony Page said First Great Western were being "pessimistic in their expectations.

"They're erring on the side of caution here," he said.

The 25,600 sq m station would be unmanned and would be part-funded by the Local Enterprise Partnership, receiving a grant of ^6.4 million.

Reading Borough Council would cover the remaining ^1.6 million.

Proposals for the station date back to 2007, with the original Green Park business park.

After being dropped in 2011, the project was resurrected in December 2013 when the council announced it would re-submit plans for the station.

In July 2014 it was announced the station would feature in a ^17 million Government investment in road and rail projects.

[TonyK]

Confusion? In a railway project? Whatever next!

[4064ReadingAbbey]

I would expect that the station opens with the electric service to Basingstoke. The reason is that the current 30 minute interval service can be maintained by 2 units with a journey time of 25 minutes. Lengthening the end-to-end journey time by 3 or 4 minutes will mean there is insufficient turnround time at each end of the journey for a reliable service to be run.

[Adelante_CCT]

I agree with ReadingAbbeys comment, especially with the 150s the turnaround time is tight enough as it is, the stop at Green Park would be to much for 2 units. However if the turbos are being cascaded by then perhaps 3 units could be used until the line has been fully electrified.

[stuving]

I would expect that the station opens with the electric service to Basingstoke.

But when will that be? Remember this bit of electrification was an afterthought, is not due to complete GRIP^▸ (Guide to Railway Investment Projects) 3 until December 2015, and all later milestone dates are TBA.

[4064ReadingAbbey]

But when will that be? Remember this bit of electrification was an afterthought, is not due to complete GRIP^▸ (Guide to Railway Investment Projects) 3 until December 2015, and all later milestone dates are TBA.

Sorreee...! I should have made it clear that I was commenting on the difference in completion dates of the electrification given by Tony Page of the RBC^‡(resolve) (December 2017) and James Davis of fGW who quoted December 2018.

I quite believe the official documents only give TBA - but these documents are written for civil servants by civil servants and none of them will want to be definite if they don't have to be and the approved documents are not to hand. The operator needs to have something more concrete for their planning so I expect they are basing their working on some reasonable assumptions. The RBC politicians, on the other hand, want to have something in their hands so that they can later berate the railways so they pluck a number out of the air or, to be charitable, a date quoted in an earlier iteration of the planning...

[Jason]

Updated plans have been submitted as the original consents have expired as reported in
http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/local-news/green-park-station-expired-plan-9139923

[Chris from Nailsea]

From Railnews:

Go-ahead for station at Reading Green Park



Planning permission has been granted for a new park-and-ride station in the southern outskirts of Reading, eight years after plans for the station were first unveiled.

The ^6.4 million station ^ part funded by the Berkshire Local Transport Body and nearby property developers ^ will include a multi-storey car park and bus interchange, and be served by First Great Western trains on the Reading-Basingstoke line.

Plans now also include provision for the planned electrification of the Basingstoke line as part of the North-South Spine project.

The new station will serve a fast-growing high-tech and residential area on the south side of Reading, near Junction 11 of the M4.  Tesco already has a substantial distribution centre nearby, employing around 1,000 people, and Huawei, the Chinese telecoms giants, has recently relocated to Green Park.

The Berkshire Local Transport Body says the Reading-Basingstoke corridor provides access to over 50,000 jobs in central Reading and 10,000 jobs and 1,500 homes in South Reading. There is also planned growth of 7,500 jobs and 1,500 more homes along the corridor, and another 2,500 homes near M4 junction 11.

First Great Western said the station is expected to be completed by December 2018.