Reading Station improvements

[whole diary]

[SandTEngineer]

The middle line (actually was the Up Main) is now history and will not be replaced.  The line to the left (Platform No.7) will move closer to the position of the redundant track thus allowing the platform to be (much) wider when its rebuilt later this year.

[paul7575]

Am I seeing it correctly, have the small part of the rails of the middle line been cut out, just to the left of the "20" speed limit sign? If so, I take the line is not being used till the existing platforms are being re-done or what?

That line is permanently out of use pending removal as S&T^▸ (Signalling and Telegraph) points out above.  However as there was no urgency to remove it, in terms of the overall phasing of the work, it was just cut through where it got in the way of any new kit.  There's that signal post as well (not just the 20 mph sign) , and there's also a 'yellow mushroom' (connection box for axle counters) roughly under the new footbridge.  The line now stops short at about the London end of P7, I was told today it'll be gone within a few weeks. Lifting the track is the sort of job they can do overnight at a weekend without a major closure.

As mentioned the line through platform 7 is to be moved further out when that platform is rebuilt later this year - not all the way as far as the middle line because it will still have to align smoothly with the Caversham Rd bridge spans you can see in the distance under the gantry.

Paul

[Super Guard]

As mentioned the line through platform 7 is to be moved further out when that platform is rebuilt later this year - not all the way as far as the middle line because it will still have to align smoothly with the Caversham Rd bridge spans you can see in the distance under the gantry.

Paul

Which also explains why HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) arriving on 7 from London have quite a big bend at present from the last signal out.

[CheekyPaul]

I take it the 'big bend' at present is to stay once the redevelopment is completed?

[paul7575]

I take it the 'big bend' at present is to stay once the redevelopment is completed?

Yes, because the highest speed route will be the new 'down main' through platform 9, hence the platform 8 line diverges off that line, and then the platform 7 line diverges away from the P8 line.

Paul

 

[SandTEngineer]

...cough.  Gentlemen they are CURVES not BENDS....

[paul7575]

...cough.  Gentlemen they are CURVES not BENDS....

I tried to steer round that issue. Or is that a different thread? 

Paul

[bobm]

This shows the bend curve and the old through road which now is no longer connected at either end.  You can also see the last part of the old footbridge on the right hand side next to the original station building.

[lbraine]

First trip through the new station yesterday. Some observations:

In the AM (travelling to London) everything was running 5-10 mins late, but not too horrible. From Scours Lane to Twyford we did see to take things slow/tentatively - which may have been down to drivers taking matters safely.

Transfered onto the Fast service on P10. Couple of country end escalators not working- causing a lot of people to back peddle to alternative set at Londonend rather than use stairs.

P10 is cramped. The hoardings blocking off P11 cut down the available space quite a lot.

Coming back in th PM I had 20 mins on the deck. It's is cold and windy - and I noted that where the platform canopy rises across the deck to flow down the otherwise - there is no glazing in the 1 ft gap! Just a wire grill to deter pidgeons!

There was a solid queue of London bound train lights along the main line at this time (6pm). The root cause was the single use of P10 for London bound fasts. The new platforms were empty! I did note the lack of connections between Fast and Relief lines around Kennet Bridge end on way into station - which restricts the use of the new platforms for the fasts (not sure where the next crossovers are past Kennet? Too far along to prevent delays I assume)

A couple of CC trains transferring from the main through the forementioned tight crossover from Oxford to use P8 as a reverser brought main movements to a stop.

To ease the pressure what is needed:

[1] accelerate the finishing work of P11. Without this P10 is now the bottleneck - for trains and passengers
[2] determine a way for more London bound mains to use the new platforms to relieve pressure on P10

CIS^▸ (Customer Information System) was OK, IMHO^▸ (in my humble opinion), just.

For example the 18:20 stopper to Oxford was leaving P12B and was shown/displayed at escalator CIS at 18:05. But on P13B the 19:27 stopper was also displayed - a full 80 minutes before departure ! Will unfamiliar travellers see P13B first and think that was the next stopper service.....

The CIS displays in the centre of the deck need another screen. I dislike the rolling page approach - and with a busy station like Reading seem only able to show 10 mins in advance. So people walk up and down the deck looking for their platform.

I think the CIS will need some tweaking

[paul7575]

...[1] accelerate the finishing work of P11. Without this P10 is now the bottleneck - for trains and passengers
[2] determine a way for more London bound mains to use the new platforms to relieve pressure on P10

Once P11 is opened (planned for August bank holiday but even if it was speeded up) clearly P10 will then have to close for quite a long period of time to be rebuilt in its final position.  So there'll still be a bit of a bottleneck until both platforms are available together. 

However they already do have a method of running High Speed services round an obstructing service in P10, they'll cross to the up relief at Tilehurst and use P15; then back over to the up main at Kennet Bridge Jn.  This can be seen happening in the realtimetrains advanced service listings, and I also saw it yesterday during the afternoon when a XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) Newcastle - Southampton service was reversing in P10.

BTW^▸ (by the way) the interim layout Industry Insider posted (on page55) shows all movements possible at Kennet Bridge Jn - but it's well out of sight of the station...

Today's timetable shows a number of Bristol - Paddington trains using P15, and early on there were trains that originated in Hereford and Cheltenham that used P15 - presumably they'd be HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) too?

...For example the 18:20 stopper to Oxford was leaving P12B and was shown/displayed at escalator CIS^▸ (Customer Information System) at 18:05. But on P13B the 19:27 stopper was also displayed - a full 80 minutes before departure ! Will unfamiliar travellers see P13B first and think that was the next stopper service....

The chap on the mobile information desk noted this down for me on his comments sheet, and I've also sent them a feedback form about this, but based on similar observations about the XC Newcastle service.  In this case the 1340 was waiting in 14B, and the 1540 was also showing on the 'escalator display' of 13B.  They just need to suppress the later display until the previous train has left.   This is really only a disadvantage of the additional 'escalator display' because of course displaying trains in a few hours time was fairly common on the old  '3 line displays' hanging above the platforms, but in that case the later trains come up in the third line of three and are quite obviously in the future.

Paul

[IndustryInsider]

The chap on the mobile information desk noted this down for me on his comments sheet, and I've also sent them a feedback form about this, but based on similar observations about the XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) Newcastle service.  In this case the 1340 was waiting in 14B, and the 1540 was also showing on the 'escalator display' of 13B.  They just need to suppress the later display until the previous train has left.   This is really only a disadvantage of the additional 'escalator display' because of course displaying trains in a few hours time was fairly common on the old  '3 line displays' hanging above the platforms, but in that case the later trains come up in the third line of three and are quite obviously in the future.

Even with the old station layout, this sort of thing was a common problem, usually involving stopping trains to London and Platforms 11 and 16 which would list the next departure from that platform which would often be several trains after the next actual departure to, for example, Maidenhead.  Even when a departure wasn't listed on the screens, the very presence of a train sat in the platform seemed to attract people to go and sit on it, even if it wasn't moving for hours!

[paul7575]

Yes, that's true and it's not really a specific problem to Reading anyway, but I think the entry displays at the top of the stairs do sort of exaggerate the problem.

What they could also probably do with is a couple of sets of those alphabetic 'next fastest train to' listing displays, with almost all the through destinations shown.  Even straightforward Winchester has got those...

Paul

[bobm]

I am pretty sure I saw of those "next fastest train to" displays by the new southern gateline.

[paul7575]

Ah,  I hadn't noticed one on my last visit, but then I spent most of the time on the transfer deck or the new platforms.  I suppose given the size of the place having such displays on the transfer deck as well as at the entrances would probably be a good idea. Once interchanging passengers realise where their expected service is likely to run from they too may not venture far from the middle of the transfer deck...

Paul

[TonyK]

...cough.  Gentlemen they are CURVES not BENDS....

I know, I know. It drives me round the curve.