Reading Station improvements

[whole diary]

[BerkshireBugsy]

...
I also think it was on a wish list of small improvements, as useful in case of disruption, and could be combined with work to lengthen P2 to take 12-car trains.

At the risk of being picky do you mean P2?

[ChrisB]

At the risk of being picky, aren't P2 and P2 the same?

[BerkshireBugsy]

At the risk of being picky, aren't P2 and P2 the same?

You are 100% correct about P2 being the same as P2...I think I have clarified my own confusion ...am I right in thinking you are talking about P2 at Wokingham?

[stuving]

You are 100% correct about P2 being the same as P2...I think I have clarified my own confusion ...am I right in thinking you are talking about P2 at Wokingham?

Of course: the one with the turnback signal in question sitting on it.

[stuving]

I would guess that once it is down to 8 storeys or so, the big  nipper, such as was used at Bristol's New Bridewell police HQ^▸ (Headquarters), will finish the job off.

Apparently not, in this case. It's down to about six storeys and they are still attacking it from its interim roof. Don't you think that baby elevator/loader looks rather fun as a gardening tool?

A further picture shows they have accumulated a huge heap of hardcore - permissions these days usually insist it is used on site if possible, so I wonder where they have in mind.

Finally, the space next to it has been rather laboriously surfaced, but with what intent is not clear. It has faint lines at the far end suggestive of car spaces, but they could be for raised beds, seating, or almost anything. I can't now find, let alone remember, what that picture of the proposed temporary pedestrian area looked like.

[TonyK]

Apparently not, in this case. It's down to about six storeys and they are still attacking it from its interim roof. Don't you think that baby elevator/loader looks rather fun as a gardening tool?

I agree - it would make short work of my veg patch.

A further picture shows they have accumulated a huge heap of hardcore - permissions these days usually insist it is used on site if possible, so I wonder where they have in mind.

Danish, in my case, although some German in the interests of diversity.

[Adelante_CCT]

Accident on escalator on P14/15 at Reading this morning.

http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/network-rail-launches-investigation-after-10694737

[Tim]

sounds like it was a broken escalator which people were using as a fixed staircase when it started to move downwards presumably under the load of users and/or following a failure of a brake.  Some people fell over onto other people.  Noone was seriously hurt. 

[ChrisB]

But they could easily have done. That's the problem when you don't build fixed stairs into a project - one needs to use broken escalators or a small lift. It'll be interesting to see how they proceed....

[IndustryInsider]

That's the problem when you don't build fixed stairs into a project - one needs to use broken escalators or a small lift.

Stairs are available to all platforms, though on 12/13 and 14/15 they are located at the 'B' end of the platform, and if you arrive at the 'A' end of the platform that seems like an awfully long way away.  I'd rather do that than use one of the two lifts if the escalators are out of action and there's a long queue though.

[paul7575]

But they could easily have done. That's the problem when you don't build fixed stairs into a project - one needs to use broken escalators or a small lift. It'll be interesting to see how they proceed....

There are four main islands, P8/9 has stairs both sides of the transfer deck, the other three narrower platforms only have stairs on the country side.  So five main routes out of eight do have stairs.

Not forgetting serious amounts of stairs on the north and south end of the transfer deck.   

Anyone reading the news article might be forgiven for thinking a lift was the only alternative, but surely you are commenting from the position of having been to the station?

Paul

[Gordon the Blue Engine]

This escalator was still out of action yesterday 2 months on from the runaway incident, which means the only access direct to P15A is one escalator which runs downwards (at least in the mornings).  So the many commuters into Reading off Oxford ^ Padd stoppers have to walk all the way back to P15B to get off the platform. Many of these will be changing to an HST^▸ (High Speed Train) for London ^ passengers see their train sail through P15B and past the escalator, and the extra time involved in getting off P15 can mean missing a train.

I suggested this before, but I^ll suggest it again ^ why can^t trains stop in P15B instead of P15A until the escalator on P15A is fixed? 

[onthecushions]

"Inspector Sands" called to Brunel concourse at 0850 this Thursday am. Passenger evacuation PA^▸ (Public Address) call interrupted in mid sentence.

?

OTC

[Bmblbzzz]

Surely there have to be fixed stairs to all platforms unless there is level access. You can't have access only by means which are power dependent and escalators are not really suitable to use as stairs; even without the possibility of brake failure, the riser height is usually too high for most people to comfortably walk up and down them. It would be a disaster waiting to happen in the event of a big fire.

[paul7575]

Surely there have to be fixed stairs to all platforms unless there is level access. You can't have access only by means which are power dependent and escalators are not really suitable to use as stairs; even without the possibility of brake failure, the riser height is usually too high for most people to comfortably walk up and down them. It would be a disaster waiting to happen in the event of a big fire.

But there are fixed stairs to all the platforms.  The earlier point about the only alternative being lifts was wrong.

Additionally, in the event of a fire the completely new platforms have escape stairs at both ends.

Paul