Reading Station improvements

[whole diary]

[Southern Stag]

It's not great at the moment because the platforms are very narrow because of the hoarding up, 12 minutes should still be enough though.

[bobm]

Should be able to do it in 5 mins - the service from Swansea is booked into platform 8 and the 0712 to Newbury from platform 1.  Up the escalator/lift at the London end of 8 - over the footbridge.  Battle your way down the hoards on platform 7   and Platform 1 is at the country end.  Getting out of coach E or F should save you a little on getting off platform 8.

[anthony215]

It's not great at the moment because the platforms are very narrow because of the hoarding up, 12 minutes should still be enough though.

Ok thank you for the warning hopefully I will be able to find my way to get the 07:12 departure to Newbury otheriwse I will get the next one.

[johoare]

I got totally caught out by the changes at Reading today.. I was changing on to the stopping Service back to Maidenhead and I'm sure I always used to get on on the right hand side platform as there is a platform both sides of that particular. Platform 16 however is to the left of the train now.. I made myself look a bit silly I think as I walked quite a way up the train before trying the door button and then realising the doors were open on the other side.. I must remember to pay attention in future.. Hopefully it made some of the other passengers chuckle though..

[bobm]

I was lucky the other Sunday - my train from Swindon came in on platform 7 - making it the shortest of walks to the Waterloo line services!  Saved me a half hour wait too.

[paul7575]

I got totally caught out by the changes at Reading today.. I was changing on to the stopping Service back to Maidenhead and I'm sure I always used to get on on the right hand side platform as there is a platform both sides of that particular. Platform 16 however is to the left of the train now...

Possibly clutching at straws here, I think!     Wasn't the operational side of P6 always on the north side for the last few years?  Which makes perfect sense for DMU^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit) dispatch, because the driver is on the left of the train? IIRC^▸ (if I recall/remember/read correctly) the former P7 was also opened on the left side (from the perspective of a departing train)?

However you'd be right for P11, the old P10, on the north side of the up relief platform...

Paul

[Oxman]

Was always left hand side, as long as I can remember!

[Ollie]

Platform 16 (Old Platform 6) - has had doors released on the old Platform 8 side (now Platform 9) for as long as I can remember.

[bobm]

Possibly clutching at straws here, I think!     Wasn't the operational side of P6 always on the north side for the last few years?  Which makes perfect sense for DMU^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit) dispatch, because the driver is on the left of the train?

Also the platform edge the other side doesn't run the full length like the left hand side.

[Electric train]

I got totally caught out by the changes at Reading today.. I was changing on to the stopping Service back to Maidenhead and I'm sure I always used to get on on the right hand side platform as there is a platform both sides of that particular. Platform 16 however is to the left of the train now.. I made myself look a bit silly I think as I walked quite a way up the train before trying the door button and then realising the doors were open on the other side.. I must remember to pay attention in future.. Hopefully it made some of the other passengers chuckle though..

Was always left hand side, as long as I can remember!

If I recall correctly the north side only was introduced just before Turboisation around about 1990, there had been attempts before that on both on 6 and on 7 to limit board to the northside only but it was impossible with slam door stock when passenger wanted to disembark from the south side on arrival

[IndustryInsider]

It's a shame that for arrivals both sides of the doors can't be opened to speed up the flow of passengers a little.  What happens now is that whenever a full train arrives on Platform 16 everybody getting off bunches up by the narrow part of the platform alongside the escalator steps on Platform 9.  Any train then coming in behind from the London direction onto Platform 9 then has to face people jostling for position right to the edge of the platform - a clear safety risk.  Still, with Platform 16 not long for this world the problem will solve itself soon.

[BerkshireBugsy]

I am due to have a job interview with FGW^▸ (First Great Western) at Newbury this Friday traveling there from south wales changing trains at Reading so I will be very interested in seing what the station looks like when I am there in person rather than just looking at pics on the internet.

Antony215 - first of all good luck with the interview.

If you havent been to Reading station for two years I am guessing you havent been there since the subway has been closed. So if you are coming up from the West you will need to go over the cross bridge at the Eastern end of the station and then make your way to the relevant platform which would be either P7 or P1 (but can be others).

I reckon 12 minutes would be more than enough but as others have said space is limited on P7 and I would think about moving up towards the first class coaches as your service approaches Reading. That way you will be nearer the stairs for crossing over to P7/p1 etc.

[johoare]

Platform 16 (Old Platform 6) - has had doors released on the old Platform 8 side (now Platform 9) for as long as I can remember.

Yeah.. I wonder if it's a different platform I was thinking of as I was embarrassing myself yesterday... oh well... I didn't make the same mistake today 

[anthony215]

Antony215 - first of all good luck with the interview.

If you havent been to Reading station for two years I am guessing you havent been there since the subway has been closed. So if you are coming up from the West you will need to go over the cross bridge at the Eastern end of the station and then make your way to the relevant platform which would be either P7 or P1 (but can be others).

I reckon 12 minutes would be more than enough but as others have said space is limited on P7 and I would think about moving up towards the first class coaches as your service approaches Reading. That way you will be nearer the stairs for crossing over to P7/p1 etc.
[/quote]

Funny enough I never used the subway least time I was there when it was still open I am planning on getting the carriage next to the buffet car.
 I did originally plan on getting to Newbury by going via Westbury but the number of changes put me off especially since it would only take one of those connections to be late etc and my plans would be blown out of the water.

Thank you for the best wishes as well and I hope my luck is with me on friday especially since this would be my 1st job in the railway industry and not something I had originally planned on doing.

Hopefully all going well I should be in Newbury for 07:45 before getting a taxi to the Hilton Newbury centre,  where FGW^▸ (First Great Western) are carrying out the interviews that said if I can get a bus  to somewhere close to the centre rather than a taxi I will do so. Does  anyone know the area?

[paul7575]

I've attached a couple of pictures snapped with the phone yesterday.

One is taken through the hoarding on P8/P9 looking west, showing the London end concrete pedestal for the transfer deck.  As far as I can work out the footings must be at the side of the old subway?  I'm also assuming the section immediately in the foreground is the future well for the escalator machinery, which will need to be a couple of metres below platform surface level.

The second shot is of the transfer deck steelwork, and shows the various steel brackets associated with sliding it into place across the station as i mentioned a few posts back.  You'll notice (much easier on the real thing of course!) that the support pads above the concrete 'arms' don't actually match up with the steelwork - this is also seen above the concrete block in the middle, which forms the lift shafts.

Also noticeable between the tracks is a concrete section which was put in over Christmas/New Year, which forms part of the rebuilt subway roof.  It is effectively a short section of slab track, with the rail chairs cast into the deck.  Was this done in order to gain headroom below?

Hope this is of interest.

Paul