Reading Station improvements

[whole diary]

[Gordon the Blue Engine]

Mrs GTBE complained to me that there are no down esclators on 12/13B (and presumably 14/15B as well), so when she arrived for the train to Pangbourne (shown as 12B) she had to walk down a million steps.  I told her she could have gone down the escalator on the A side and walked down the platform (OK it may have added about 100 yards to her journey to the train).  I won't repeat Mrs GTBE's reply.

So with platform sharing we will have all westbound turbos and XCs^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) shown on the B platform.  The passengers go to the exit from the transfer deck labelled xxB and are confronted by no down escalator and steps. Now us regulars know you can go down the A esclators or get a lift, but how many will.  I envisage lots of people with luggage struggling down the stairs to their XC on 12B, muttering how silly it is not to have a down escalator, not to mention hoards of westbound commuters every evening who haven't got the time or inclination to take the scenic route to their train home.

PLEASE will someone in the know reassure me that platform sharing is only a temporay arrangement!

[ellendune]

The large crane has reappeared this morning, which I guess is the preparation for work to start on the rest of the old footbridge. I assume they will be making a start overnight tonight.   

[paul7575]

PLEASE will someone in the know reassure me that platform sharing is only a temporay arrangement!

Is that a serious question?  You seem to be very much against platform sharing, and I don't see why this is, the 'problem' with one way escalators is trivial - and anyway I've seen the B end escalators running downwards.  How did people manage with the old platform 10 with luggage?

I suggest the reason they've fitted all the axle counter sections, and all the signage etc is that it is permanent - at least until short DMUs^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit) are no longer used on the route at all.  The NR^» (Network Rail - home page) Network Change notice I quoted way back makes no mention of it being temporary.

Paul

[onthecushions]

I paid my first visit to the new South (West) entrance/gateline today, not train-travelling till Monday.

I was amazed to find the gateline barely 3m inside the doors, no concourse, ticket office, coffee shops, WHSmiths etc, being directed by the friendly CSM^▸ (Customer Satisfaction Monitor (FGW^▸ (First Great Western) Survey every quarter)) on the line to the old (1991) concourse.

The transfer bridge is wonderfully airy and spacious and reminds one of European Gares and Bahnhofs - but is it just a posh footbridge?

Can anyone explain it to me?

OTC

[TonyK]

Mrs GTBE complained to me that there are no down esclators on 12/13B (and presumably 14/15B as well), so when she arrived for the train to Pangbourne (shown as 12B) she had to walk down a million steps. 

She exaggerates. I have told her a million times.

[ellendune]

As far as I can see from Camera 2 Tab 2, demolition of the rest of the footbridge started around midnight last night. This morning the top is no longer visible.

[swrural]

Yes, It's a pity the camera that was on an east building that pointed west disappeared.  Perhaps it was on the footbridge!

Actually I had assumed it was on an office building near the southern station.

[Adrian the Rock]

Slightly tongue-in-cheek video of last weekend's HST^▸ (High Speed Train) diversions via Banbury:

http://youtu.be/XF1HVDDKJz0

Enjoy!

[BerkshireBugsy]

Slightly tongue-in-cheek video of last weekend's HST^▸ (High Speed Train) diversions via Banbury:

http://youtu.be/XF1HVDDKJz0

Enjoy!

many thanks for sharing. Having spent many years living in the Banbury area it was good to be reminded of the lovely design of the station!

[paul7575]

As far as I can see from Camera 2 Tab 2, demolition of the rest of the footbridge started around midnight last night. This morning the top is no longer visible.

Here's a couple of pictures (attachments below) taken early this afternoon.  I'd be expecting now that the lift, escalators and stairs will be dealt with gradually.  As discussed earlier there's no real urgency for those bits is there - although we could be surprised again.  All the bits of footbridge were piled on the P8/9 island, which makes me think they'll be craned off starting later tonight once normal services have ceased.

Perhaps it was on the footbridge!

Yes it was definitely on the footbridge, only a few feet onto the first linkspan from the station end, the camera housing was on the inside of the glass attached by heavy duty suction cups.

Paul

[paul7575]

I paid my first visit to the new South (West) entrance/gateline today, not train-travelling till Monday.

I was amazed to find the gateline barely 3m inside the doors, no concourse, ticket office, coffee shops, WHSmiths etc, being directed by the friendly CSM^▸ (Customer Satisfaction Monitor (FGW^▸ (First Great Western) Survey every quarter)) on the line to the old (1991) concourse.

OTC

In the design and access statement (which records the alternative options and design decisions as a part of the planning application), it is basically described as an additional entrance, and is not intended to replace the existing 'main entrance'.  There was a plan to reduce the older entrance to what would have effectively been a dedicated entrance for the 'Southern' lines, but this was discounted. 

I also recall (without looking this up) that Reading BC actually wanted a massive 'grand design' type entrance from the transfer deck with the escalators and stairs aligned towards the town, including the ticket office, but this wasn't possible in the constraints of the site, unless the properties on the other side of station hill disappeared. They go into great lengths about the areas required at top and bottom of the escalators for what is called 'run off',  these are safety features to prevent accidents on both escalators and staircases - hence all the staircases have so many intermediate landings.  (This is also why the northern stair is so convoluted - the building isn't long enough to stretch out the stair case with that amount of 'rise'.

To cut a long story short though, I think that moving the ticket office was abandoned as it would have been an unnecessary cost, for no operational benefit.  The layout they've ended up with might even have advantages in separating those with tickets already from those without, and of course on the paid side of the barriers the two main line island platforms will still have coffee shops etc, as will P7 as it is now...

As I've suggested in an earlier post, I think the Three Guineas 'heritage building' should have been turned back into a central ticket office with routes through to it's left and right.

Paul

[JayMac]

The old footbridge has been completely destroyed then? Not dismantled piece by piece?

Surely such a wonderful example of late 1980s design and architecture should have been preserved for the nation. Wasn't there any interest from a heritage railway in relocating it?   

[IndustryInsider]

One thing I've noticed is that there's a tendency for people arriving at the top of the escalators to clash as they round the corner with those coming the other way.  Possibly solved with some strategic barriers?

I've also noticed that the stairs are eerily quiet most of the time as us lazy citizens cram on the escalators - which, incidentally, are fitted with an energy saving 'slow mode' when they detect nobody is on them. 

[paul7575]

I've also noticed that the stairs are eerily quiet most of the time as us lazy citizens cram on the escalators - which, incidentally, are fitted with an energy saving 'slow mode' when they detect nobody is on them. 

I wonder if the sets of four (such as on the south side) reduce to just two overnight as well, and that accounts for some of the supposed faults?  Obviously if there are barriers up that's a definite snag, but perhaps they also stop sometimes if not actually needed?

Paul

[paul7575]

Surely such a wonderful example of late 1980s design and architecture should have been preserved for the nation. Wasn't there any interest from a heritage railway in relocating it?   

I think that 'joke' counts as a repeat - too like mine at #1309...   

Paul