Reading Festival - Confused

[whole diary]

[amiddl]

Deterred by traffic from driving into Reading last night because of Festival Traffic so like many others parked at Theale and caught the train in. R

Really confused with increased traffic load why the last train out of Reading to Theale the 20.41. All services after where provided by bus. Presume that this affected all Kennet Line services. Certainly the last Newbury was just after 21.00hrs. 

The first night of the Festival is a strange night to have engineering works - anyone know why and what was happening ?? Or why once again planners seemed oblivious to the extra traffic needs of a major event somewhere.

[eightf48544]

Basically the railways are run for the convinience of Networkrail. Bank holidays are deemed a good time to do major engineering work because the regular commuters won't be travelling.

Hard luck all the non regular travellers that might want a day out, visit relatives or  events like the Reading Festival, they just have to jump in their car and join the jams.

It's called "joined up government".

[amiddl]

Must have been a one off as trains back on for this evening for those on day tickets at the festival today - suppose that yesterday evening was a better time compared with tonight when there will be people on day entry tickets going home.

It does sometimes seem that there are some strange engineering decisions made that don't take traffic patterns into considerations. i know the work needs to be done but do it at quiet times.

[Electric train]

Lead time for engineering possession minimum is 13 weeks can be as short as 6 weeks on a line where there is no overnight or say Sunday service.

Usually though possession planning for a mainline starts at 52 plus weeks, if you want to do disruptive works usually you have to have you bid in by 26 weeks it can be considered at 13 weeks but runs the risk of no being accepted, at 6 weeks the plans are all but set in stone.

Doing work in a possession is a "military operation" the logistics men, machines, material etc all in place ready to start work, leading up to this are all the work package plans and task briefings which will contain environmental information it is surprising how many railway locations are environmental sensitive.

While the planners will take large events into consideration it does take two to tango how man large event organisers contact NR^» (Network Rail - home page) and the TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company)'s about their event they are planning to hold in a years time ...... is Reading Festival happening next year? should NR plan now for Reading Festival on the whim that it might happen, bearing in mind that NR will have dates already set for 2010 possessions but have the organisers put their plans to NR and the TOC's I doubt it

[Tim]

you have to have you bid in by 26 weeks it can be considered at 13 weeks

I am sure that you don't mean that they sit on the bid for 13 weeks before considering it?  If it considered at 13 weeks, then why not have the bid deadline at 13 1/2 weeks?

also, I take your point about event organisers not being good about telling NR^» (Network Rail - home page) about big events (I suspect that most of them will first make contact with NR to complain once the possession is booked - by which time it may be too lake to change), but I would have thought that the railway knows about Reading Festival - they manage to set up an exhibition of caged hippies special quequing system involving lots of hired fencing panels every year

[bemmy]

I believe the Reading festival has been on the August Bank Holiday weekend every year since I was old enough to know what a festival was, so at least 30 odd years. So it really is possible for Network Rail to bear this in mind no matter how far ahead they are planning. Or maybe they expect the festival organisers to plan their festival dates around NR^» (Network Rail - home page)'s engineering possessions? 

[Exeter]

Well, Reading Station (and Town centre) this morning looked like a refugee centre!!!  And BTP^▸ (British Transport Police) with sniffer dogs and revenue protection were in full force!! Quite a few visitors appeared to be involved in deep and meaningful conversation with the aforementioned!!

[Electric train]

you have to have you bid in by 26 weeks it can be considered at 13 weeks

I am sure that you don't mean that they sit on the bid for 13 weeks before considering it?  If it considered at 13 weeks, then why not have the bid deadline at 13 1/2 weeks?

also, I take your point about event organizers not being good about telling NR^» (Network Rail - home page) about big events (I suspect that most of them will first make contact with NR to complain once the possession is booked - by which time it may be too lake to change), but I would have thought that the railway knows about Reading Festival - they manage to set up an exhibition of caged hippies special quequing system involving lots of hired fencing panels every year

I meant that work bids can be submitted up to 13 weeks but for disruptive works (that is major work effecting track, signals electrification) but there is a risk it will not be allowed.

[johoare]

Well, Reading Station (and Town centre) this morning looked like a refugee centre!!!  And BTP^▸ (British Transport Police) with sniffer dogs and revenue protection were in full force!! Quite a few visitors appeared to be involved in deep and meaningful conversation with the aforementioned!!

I must remember not to go anywhere near Reading for the next 3 days 

[Oxman]

As I recall, maintenance work is scheduled on the Newbury line every six weeks on Tuesday thru Thursday from about 9pm onwards - after the last Plymouth has passed.

I can't see how it would have affected festival goers - I think Thursday is an arrival day, not one for day tickets.

If you thought Thursday was interesting, you should see the place on Monday morning! A few hundred early birds arrive back at the station in the early hours. By the time the station opens at about 0400, there is maybe a thousand waiting outside, and by mid morning, the queue to enter the station extends for several hundred yards. Just don't plan to buy a ticket quickly - even with all windows open and half a dozen queue busters, it will take an hour to get served.

Despite all this, everyone is happy and, by 1500, all the queues have gone and all that remains is to pick up the mess and the abandoned wellies!

[amiddl]

I can't see how it would have affected festival goers - I think Thursday is an arrival day, not one for day tickets.

The roads were gummed up with weekend ticket arrivals on Thursday so  people were using train to get into Reading for the eveining rather than drive.