Reading Station improvements

[whole diary]

[paul7575]

FGW^▸ (First Great Western) providing two mobile help desks, each equipped with PC and printer for journey planning.

Putting them out on the transfer deck might be a good idea - during disruption they could easily check where everyone was stood ranting and raving, and move somewhere else... 

Paul

[ellendune]

I picked up the March 2013 edition of the Reading Station News today, at the station. Can't find it on a web site yet.

Its on the Network Rail site www.networkrail.co.uk/reading

[Angle42]

One thing that keeps escaping me, and the diagram in the March Newsletter does not help...

Where do you buy a ticket so that you can pass through the gateline on the south side of the station? The gate line seems to be at the entrance to the new section and from the Web cams I can see no evidence of ticket machines, or a ticket office.

[Oxman]

Where do you buy a ticket so that you can pass through the gateline on the south side of the station? The gate line seems to be at the entrance to the new section and from the Web cams I can see no evidence of ticket machines, or a ticket office.

Three TVMs^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) are to be placed there, otherwise you use the existing ticket office.

[Network SouthEast]

One thing that keeps escaping me, and the diagram in the March Newsletter does not help...

Where do you buy a ticket so that you can pass through the gateline on the south side of the station? The gate line seems to be at the entrance to the new section and from the Web cams I can see no evidence of ticket machines, or a ticket office.

It IS shown on one of the maps - image 17 (click here) shows a Northern side ticket office near the multi-story car park on the right of the map. The Southern side ticket office is located next to the arcade, again on the right hand side of the map.

[Oxman]

Took some pics yesterday:


This is the gateline of the new North entrance, taken though glass, so please forgive the reflections. Ticket windows in the background and lots of advertising banners for NR^» (Network Rail - home page) and construction companys. Also some hoardins hiding part of the building - possibly for installation of retail outlets?


View of the East end of the new platforms. Shows one of the signals that give entry to the platforms, as discussed earlier in the thread.


Another of the East end, OHLE^▸ (Over-Head Line Equipment (electrification via catenary)) stanchions in place.


The signal gantry at the East end.


The end of the old bridge! And a pile of timber, presumably to be used during the Easter block?


Shot of the Western stairs/escalators from platforms 10/11 to bridge. The walls are being capped with a substantial bit of metal, presumably the base for the glass screens discussed earlier. There is gap visible between the ceiling of the bridge and the flying canopy. It doesn't look as though these are to be filled in - they have a mesh grill in them, presumably to keep pigeons out. It will be interesting to see how well the bridge is protected from the elements.


Stairs and escalators from platforms 8/9 to bridge.


Lots of work going on at the Western approaches to the new platforms, and OHLE visible in the new depot.


The knitting going up in the eastern depot sidings.

[paul7575]

The first of Oxman's pictures shows that the ticket gates do have the circular area (behind which the smart card electronics can be fitted) - as discussed a couple of days ago...

Based on the latest basement level plan on RBC^▸ (Reading Borough Council, or Radio Block Centre, depending on context)'s website, that NR^» (Network Rail - home page) banner is over a recess where some TVMs^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) will be fitted.

Paul

[swrural]

In the second photo, the old office block looks like a hollow shell with no glass in the window spaces - is that right?  I wonder when it will come down?
Thanks very much for these images; actually better than the web cams for detail.

[paul7575]

Where do you buy a ticket so that you can pass through the gateline on the south side of the station? The gate line seems to be at the entrance to the new section and from the Web cams I can see no evidence of ticket machines, or a ticket office.

Three TVMs^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) are to be placed there, otherwise you use the existing ticket office.

Again, there's been some disinformation knocking around about the entrance use.  One of the articles I read a few weeks ago stated fairly categorically that the 'old entrance' was going to be for P7 and the Southern (SWT^▸ (South West Trains)) platforms only - but the same interchange along P7 will still be there - and anyone coming from the ticket desk will be able to use either route.

There might have been a time when the new entrance was to get a manned ticket office, but it'd been removed by the time of the planning application for what's actually being built.   Earlier development plans did give the new entrance all the facilities, and reduce the Brunel Arcade's status, but that was too expensive IIRC^▸ ('if I recall/remember/read correctly').

(It's always possible that temporary closures of P7 will occur, perhaps over weekends while it is being widened of course.)

Paul

[Oxman]

But isn't that the north entrance?  Webcam 2/1 suggests the south entrance barrier line is not that complete yet.  If I'm right, then based on the latest basement level plan on RBC^▸ (Reading Borough Council, or Radio Block Centre, depending on context)'s website, that NR^» (Network Rail - home page) banner is over a recess where some TVMs^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) will be fitted.

Paul

Apologies, yes it is the North entrance. Edited to correct.

[Jason]

There has been a lot of work going on out of sight of camera 2, stripping off the upper layers of the road surface on station hill. You can just see part of the mounds of rubble on the left of tab #1

A large section of this had been demolished as of yesterday evening, in a line running across most of the road width on Station Hill. You can see how far out this extends in the very lower section of camera #2, 2

[paul7575]

A large section of this had been demolished as of yesterday evening, in a line running across most of the road width on Station Hill. You can see how far out this extends in the very lower section of camera #2, 2

Significant progress being made this afternoon, as of 1645 they are level with the end of the new ramps - the space under the road looks about 2 or even 3 metres in height?

Paul

[Oxman]

A large section of this had been demolished as of yesterday evening, in a line running across most of the road width on Station Hill. You can see how far out this extends in the very lower section of camera #2, 2

Significant progress being made this afternoon, as of 1645 they are level with the end of the new ramps - the space under the road looks about 2 or even 3 metres in height?

Paul

It was an underground car park I believe. There was a door from the old subway that lead through to it.

[SandTEngineer]

Cameras 4/1 and 4/4 at the new depot reactivated in a slightly different position at 1645 today (19 March 2013).

[ellendune]

Ended up coming back from Reading rather than London on the train today.  Used the underpass for the first time.  Much activity.  Saw much of the stuff shown on Oxman's photographs.

Noticed that on the country end canopies, the mountings for the supports for the overhead wires has been fitted to exted the gantry that already spans from 12/13 to 14/15.