Reading Station improvements

[whole diary]

[ellendune]

Cam 01/1 is now back in action and shows the three new canopy panels in place on P8/9.  They must have been lifted with the spider crane, but surprised it could lift that load at the reach that would be required.

You spoke too soon it failed again almost as soon as you posted

[paul7575]

Yes, I also noticed that - it must be rigged up for 'edited highlights only'...   

On a side issue though, has anyone else thought that the progress on the council's work site out the front is amazingly slow?  There's rarely more than a few chaps working, so I'm wondering now if there's some sort of planning delay while they decide what's going on with the demolition of the shops etc.

Nothing to do with the station really, but it would look a lot better with the eventual access stairs to the subway in use...

Paul 

[stuving]

I think when I looked last weekend there was a gap in the horizontal girders about half way along the steelwork, possibly where the platform buildings are going to be.  Difficult to describe in writing, but suppose the sections would be delivered into that gap orientated across the island, then lifted just above girder height, then some mobile device (and you'd really only need a high reach fork-lift) could then move along the centre of the platform and carry them into position.  The way they are manhandled about on those trollies suggests there's not a huge weight to deal with.

Yes, that's basically correct. The dollies must go through what was the public footbridge access, to the right of the gateline. The stairs have gone (though the escalators are still there) but I'm not sure if they go that way - maybe they have to spin round and come round behind the escalators and onto the platform opposite the gap in the canopy support beams. Either way it's a tight fit for these long sections.

From there they must go across on an expanded polystyrene bridge, and are picked up by the crane and positioned. It's not a spider crane - if you peer closely you can just see the caterpillar tracks. Whether it uses its jib length or keeps that short and carries the sections would I guess depend on their weight and its stability.

That procedure could put most of the sections there - but what about the ones on top of the missing beams? (I think these beams just bolt in like the rest: the bolts have enough extra length for that.) I think those mysterious rectangles are part of the base of a walkway - which will be continuous when more are attached later; they cross the joins where there is a strip of cladding to be added first.

PS: These picture come to you courtesy of the TM^‡(resolve) of the train I dropped my camera on on the way home - he spotted it soon after, and I was able to reclaim it as he came back through Wokingham from Gatwick. Now that is customer service.

[ellendune]

On a side issue though, has anyone else thought that the progress on the council's work site out the front is amazingly slow? 

Yes I have.  I watched them build that manhole and thought how primitive their methods were. especially compared to the speed at which the ramps and steps were built between Christmas and Easter.  It must be costing the contractor an absolute fortune - unless they are paying their (few) workers no more than minimum wage.  Even then the longer you are on site the more the fixed costs mount up. So unless there is a huge amount of activity elsewhere on the site that I cannot see, it would appear that either the contractor is loosing a fortune or Reading BC are being charged over the odds.   

[ironstone11]

Cam 01/1 is now back in action and shows the three new canopy panels in place on P8/9.  They must have been lifted with the spider crane, but surprised it could lift that load at the reach that would be required.

You spoke too soon it failed again almost as soon as you posted

Also on Cam 01/1, the safety fence on the edge of P11 has been removed and the station name boards (labels) are up (I think). So ready for business.

Another three panels delivered this evening between 2100 and 2200 and placed on the stands. Last train on P8 is about 2150 so I suppose they wheel them across after 2200.

[ironstone11]

On a side issue though, has anyone else thought that the progress on the council's work site out the front is amazingly slow?  There's rarely more than a few chaps working, so I'm wondering now if there's some sort of planning delay while they decide what's going on with the demolition of the shops etc.

Paul 

Yes, it's pathetic, they look like a real (small) bunch of amateurs. Suspect tho that the design has not yet been finalised and/or there is no planning approval. On a Reading forum it is suggests that the steps are on a curve, amphitheatre style, but the only plans I can find show the steps as straight. 

[bobm]

Something struck me, metaphorically, as I was coming into Reading from the Berks & Hants line today. There is a signal (I didn't spot the signal number) with four directional route indicators (feathers). Two of them are covered over by what looks like bin liners.

Why have they gone to the bother of doing that? If the routes they indicate are out of use presumably the signaller cannot call them so the feathers will never be lit?

[IndustryInsider]

Why have they gone to the bother of doing that? If the routes they indicate are out of use presumably the signaller cannot call them so the feathers will never be lit?

There are several signals which have yet to have all the routes they will eventually be able to route to commissioned, both outside and within the station area.  They will all be available once the final track layout is finished in 2015.  So, in the meantime, they are bagged over.

Noted that the new northern exit and bus stops were proving very useful today in ferrying the early arrivals for Reading festival onto the shuttle bus service.  Much better separating them from the usual throng of regular passengers.

[bobm]

Why have they gone to the bother of doing that? If the routes they indicate are out of use presumably the signaller cannot call them so the feathers will never be lit?

There are several signals which have yet to have all the routes they will eventually be able to route to commissioned, both outside and within the station area.  They will all be available once the final track layout is finished in 2015.  So, in the meantime, they are bagged over.

I appreciate that, my point was more WHY are they bagged over when presumably the signalling system prevents them being lit until the route they indicate is installed and available.

[mjones]

Noted that the new northern exit and bus stops were proving very useful today in ferrying the early arrivals for Reading festival onto the shuttle bus service.  Much better separating them from the usual throng of regular passengers.

Oddly, when I passed through this morning there were signs on the transfer deck directing Reading Festival goers to the Southern exit and the underpass... I wondered why they would this rather than send them directly via the Northern entrance?

[eightf48544]

Bobm
I appreciate that, my point was more WHY are they bagged over when presumably the signalling system prevents them being lit until the route they indicate is installed and available.
[/quote]

It's belt and braces, by bagging them it makes it fully obvious to the driver that those routes are not yet in use, rather than having to remember from  a special notice. So in the extremely unlikely event one does becomes illuminated the driver should stop and query with the signalman.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the First Great Western press release:

Additional trains to take Reading Festival goers home

First Great Western is to run three additional trains to help weary Reading Festival goers return home when the music stops on Sunday night [August 25].

Reading Festival ticket holders are being advised to allow plenty of time for their journey and a queuing system will be in place to help passengers board trains in safety.

Two additional early morning trains will take passengers to London Paddington and leave Reading at 01.37 (non-stop) and 03.10 (calling at Slough and Ealing Broadway).

A third service will run from Reading to Redhill at 05.04 (calling at: Wokingham, Blackwater, North Camp, Guildford, Dorking and Reigate).

Advice for travellers going to Reading Festival:

^        Leave Reading Station via the North exit (the exit nearest to the multi-storey car park), which will be signposted

^        This takes you to where you can catch the shuttle bus, or a taxi, or walk to the festival site via Vastern and then Caversham Roads

^        Please use the pedestrian crossings as advertised

And when heading home:

^        Walk down Richfield Avenue, Caversham Road, then take Vastern Road (the road to the left of TGI Fridays) to the station North entrance

^        Shuttle buses take you from Caversham Road to the North entrance

^        The old route via Station Hill has been closed

^        Please use signage to get to the North entrance where you will be able to enter and catch your train

^        All taxis and private hire vehicles have been informed to drop off at the North entrance

With planned Network Rail engineering work due to take place until midday on the Bank Holiday Monday a replacement bus service will operate on certain routes.

Monday travel advice:

^        Train services to Reading West, Newbury, Basingstoke and Southampton are affected by maintenance works on Monday morning

^        Until normal services resume at midday, a rail replacement bus service will collect affected passengers from Reading station and take them to Reading West station festival-goers should join the queuing system which is in place at Reading station and they will be directed to the correct part of the station to board the rail replacement bus service

^        Reading Festival goers should allow at least two hours from the festival venue to get their train if they have booked a ticket on a specific service. If they miss their booked train due to arriving too late they may have to purchase a further ticket to board a different service

[Jason]

So it sounds as if the temporary P7 will be mostly past the end of the present one. How else will both it and the length of P7 rebuilt in the first step be as long as 6 cars**?

I see in the Reading Station Improvement works: Summary of Changes link posted elsewhere:

Monday 23 September to Thursday 2 January 2014    
On London Paddington to west of England trains, the rear two First class coaches (G-H) will not be available to board/alight at platform 7, at Reading station . Customers are advised to listen to announcements.

That could be interesting on busier trains!

[mjones]

From the First Great Western press release:

[...

Advice for travellers going to Reading Festival:

^        Leave Reading Station via the North exit (the exit nearest to the multi-storey car park), which will be signposted

...

Which makes it even more strange that the signposts up this morning directed festival goers to the southern entrance!

Note: edited to fix quotes

[bobm]

So it sounds as if the temporary P7 will be mostly past the end of the present one. How else will both it and the length of P7 rebuilt in the first step be as long as 6 cars**?

I see in the Reading Station Improvement works: Summary of Changes link posted elsewhere:

Monday 23 September to Thursday 2 January 2014    
On London Paddington to west of England trains, the rear two First class coaches (G-H) will not be available to board/alight at platform 7, at Reading station . Customers are advised to listen to announcements.

That could be interesting on busier trains!

In theory a lot of the West of England services which use Platform 7 are pick up only at Reading although as we have discussed before how much that is enforced is a matter for debate.