Reading Station improvements

[whole diary]

[ellendune]

The new platforms yesterday. No escalators in situ yet (note the lack of stair access to the new platforms.

If you look on the webcams on the other side the escalator for Platforms 14/15 was lifted in last night. The others are also just visible on that side.

Platform 11 isn't opening at Easter so no problem with it not being completed.  The old bay Platform 11 closes at the start of the blockade so (with the footbridge span going four weeks before) that gives time to demolish the existing Platform 10/11 access and lay the new track through Platform 12.

But surely access is still needed to Platform 10 from the new bridge transfer deck.

[paul7575]

The part of the platform 11 surface under the transfer deck is completed though - and that's where the access to platform 10 will have to be. There has been far more progress behind the hoardings at the west end of the P10/11 island - it's clearly the main reason P10 was built out temporarily in the first place.

Regarding the perceived lack of stair access though, mentioned earlier by lbraine, islands 10/11, 12/13 and 14/15 only get a single staircase on the west (country) side of the transfer deck, (each island except 8/9 having 3 escalators of which 2 are on the London side), and all these stairs are in position already - P14/15 was only installed recently but the other two were much earlier.  So even in the unlikely event of all the escalators not being ready, they'll have stairs available - and although we have no idea how they are doing with the lifts either, why is there so much doubt that they can get the escalators installed anyway?  As we discussed a few months back, just because London Underground take months (if not years) to replace escalators has no relevance to a clean installation of a new escalator...

Paul

[lbraine]

Thanks for the information about the escalators.

I was not aware that only the London side of the transfer deck was getting escalators. My concern was based on the observation that to get 2 escalators in place on the London side of P8/9 has taken nearly 4 weeks - and I extrapolated that metric for all the others.

I wasn't try to voice a concern - just an observation.

I did notice that the width of the opening for P8/9 was wider than P10/11. I thought it was strange that the platforms handling the bulk of the fast trains to London seemed to have no more (or less) capacity to move people up and down to the transfer lines than the new relief platforms.

[Jonty]

Had a look in to the boarded up bits in 8/9 on Thursday and engineers were busy installing the escalator treads on the eastern side of the deck.

On an unrelated subject does anyone know why the embankment wall on the Northern side of the lines, just before the Vastern Road Bridge, 'juts' out.

Previously the old wall ran straight until it reached the old pumping(?) building, which of course has now been demolished.

[ellendune]

Thanks for the information about the escalators.

I was not aware that only the London side of the transfer deck was getting escalators. My concern was based on the observation that to get 2 escalators in place on the London side of P8/9 has taken nearly 4 weeks - and I extrapolated that metric for all the others.

I wasn't try to voice a concern - just an observation.

I did notice that the width of the opening for P8/9 was wider than P10/11. I thought it was strange that the platforms handling the bulk of the fast trains to London seemed to have no more (or less) capacity to move people up and down to the transfer lines than the new relief platforms.

I think you may have misunderstood.

On the London side there will be two escalators
On the country side there will one escalator (presumably up) and one set of stairs

On the Country side where the roof has not previously been fitted the escalator has been dropped in in what looks like a single unit before the roof was put on.

[paul7575]

I did notice that the width of the opening for P8/9 was wider than P10/11. I thought it was strange that the platforms handling the bulk of the fast trains to London seemed to have no more (or less) capacity to move people up and down to the transfer lines than the new relief platforms.

ellendune has reiterated what I posted that there are three escalators on the three islands, thanks.

P8/P9 is effectively larger than needed by accident, because it was sized to include the two bays, the old 6&7.  But that doesn't necessarily mean P10/11 is too narrow.  In any case the maximum flow on a platform will be that following a westbound arrival - and P8/9 will be able to deal with trains emptying out on both sides at once.  People arriving at the station to get on an up departure on P10/11 do not arrive in whole trainloads, but at random intervals.  That is probably the reason why P8/9 is getting four escalators and two stairs.

Paul

[paul7575]

On an unrelated subject does anyone know why the embankment wall on the Northern side of the lines, just before the Vastern Road Bridge, 'juts' out.

Previously the old wall ran straight until it reached the old pumping(?) building, which of course has now been demolished.

I don't think everything was demolished - the last time I looked (before it became hidden) I'm fairly sure that some of the brickwork that formed various accesses under the embankment was still in place.  I assumed they left it because they didn't want to excavate under the operational railway, but that's just thinking aloud really...

Paul

[lbraine]

Lights on at country end of new platform gantry.

[paul7575]

A number of posts over the recent weeks have suggested that the track through P12 under the existing footbridge cannot be installed until the first weekend of the blockade, but I now have some doubt about whether this is correct, as sleepers are being laid today through the space between the existing P10 lift shaft brickwork, and the face of P12.

(I did think earlier that as viewed from the end of P11 there doesn't seem much of a width problem.  What is known to be a conflict is the old footbridge's mid point supporting legs - these have to go in order to complete the platform surface.)

http://www.lobstervision.tv/nrreading01#   webcam 1/1

By the way that link should take you straight to the webcam site without having to enter the double password, I don't know if anyone else has discovered this?

Paul

[IndustryInsider]

http://www.lobstervision.tv/nrreading01#   webcam 1/1

By the way that link should take you straight to the webcam site without having to enter the double password, I don't know if anyone else has discovered this?

I have now! Thanks.  And, I agree with your comments regarding P12.

[paul7575]

Rails installed overnight alongside P12, at least west of the existing footbridge - be interesting to hear how far towards the London end they go if anyone is passing through the station later?

Another webcam observation (from cam 01/3) is that there appears to be metalwork being fastened to the bare concrete face of the west side stairs and escalator housing on P14/15.  Likewise around the lift shafts under the transfer deck.  Hopefully this means there'll be some sort of architectural cladding over the bare concrete, which I hadn't expected before now. Should improve the finished product though...

Paul

[Jason]

There was a large amount of digging going on at the far western end of P8/P9 yesterday evening, quite why I could not tell.

[lbraine]

Cladding rails are certainly present on lift shafts on P8/7 and new platforms. Not 10/11 due to lack of space.

Some bricks for new platform surface laid by new escalator shaft on P8/9

Some platform roof frames now started on country end of P10/11

[Timmer]

Timetables for the Easter period are now available on the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) website Reading Station Improvements page:
http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/Your-journey/Rail-improvements/Reading-station-improvements

[ellendune]

Rails installed overnight alongside P12, at least west of the existing footbridge - be interesting to hear how far towards the London end they go if anyone is passing through the station later?

I changed trains there yesterday morning and did have time for a quick look. As far as I could see (it was raining hard at the time) it is connected in at the London end.

Another webcam observation (from cam 01/3) is that there appears to be metalwork being fastened to the bare concrete face of the west side stairs and escalator housing on P14/15.  Likewise around the lift shafts under the transfer deck.  Hopefully this means there'll be some sort of architectural cladding over the bare concrete, which I hadn't expected before now. Should improve the finished product though...

Saw at close quarters - the metalwork is indeed fixings for some sort of cladding.