Reading Station improvements

[whole diary]

[Jeff]

Good stuff Jeff, but what evidence do we have that anyone from NR^» (Network Rail - home page) reads your and others' postings?

Perhaps you should forward your posting to NR or just post them with a request to read this thread, may I suggest? 

Thanks SWR^» (South Western Railway - about),

Yes, I'd already been thinking that the best thing to do would be to direct our concerns to NR, as it's of no help to anyone if I/we just chunter on about them here, but I've been waiting to see whether there were any posters here who are in relevant positions at NR. I'll leave it for a few days to see if anybody picks it up; if not, I'll then call/email NR.

Alternatively, perhaps the the senior managers at FGW^▸ (First Great Western) that Oxman refers to may wish to comment and/or direct their NR colleagues' attention to it. If so, I'd direct them to start reading from either p.95 (paul7755's post #1420 about the confusing signage above the lifts at platform level) or my own post #1435 on p.96 (about the signage on the Deck). Thereafter they'll also see other posters' concerns and pics about weather ingress, buckets, slip-hazard signs etc.     

[Ollie]

Just want to add a quick note about signage.

The station is far from finished, there is still a while to go until it's done, some of the signage is temporary. I am tolld that there is a review of the current signage on 17th April by the project team.

[John R]

I'm sure some of the senior managers who read this website would want to stay anonymous, for very understandable reasons. All we can do on the forum is comment on issues, hope that people in positions of influence read it, and that the points are noted.

[Jeff]

Thanks Ollie and John R,

Both encouraging responses. 

[SandTEngineer]

Hi Ollie/John R,  Perhaps you could point out to them as well the non-compliant mid-platform (rear clear) signs as well (see my post No.1404 on Page 94 of this thread)

[lbraine]

I too visited again for a second time on Saturday. Cleaners with mops in evidence mopping up the water..... but that we have noted before.....

Couple of operational observations:

CC train leaving platform 14b using cross over at country end to navigate to country relief. Train terminating at 13a is held at entrance to platform - it cannot enter until CC is out of section.

Now I know in normal operation clearly standard practise is for a train to be prohibited from entering a section until train before has left , but given the A/B split platforms and presumably signalling on the new platform (platforms which are OK to have trains directly approaching each other from either ends!!) this seemed a very restrictive operation.

Next - someone should tell the CC drivers about the A and B splitting!! And what the upside down white triangles mean!

CC train (sorry - think it was for/from Southampton Central) was shown in P10B. But the 10A was showing the next Paddington fast - due 3 or 4 mins after the CC was due to depart.

Perhaps not an ideal scenario - but now imagine what happened when the CC train pulled into the middle of the platform!

Passengers at both ends joined the train. Station staff swamped by confused passengers as the train was half in and half out. So sad to see it was funny.

Someone mentioned that the new Noth Entrance needs a Next Train departure board - so does the transfer deck. This was the question I saw being asked the most of staff located up on the deck.

Hopefully these are all just teething problems. Now to solve the unweatherproof roof design.......

[Chris from Nailsea]

I know from first hand experience that FGW^▸ (First Great Western) senior management regularly visit this site!

I, too, can assure our readers that senior management at First Great Western do read this forum - as they find it very useful and informative.

Whether they are able to act immediately on any concerns that we may raise here is of course another matter.  But, to be fair, they do at least take notice of them.

[Southern Stag]

CC train leaving platform 14b using cross over at country end to navigate to country relief. Train terminating at 13a is held at entrance to platform - it cannot enter until CC is out of section.

Now I know in normal operation clearly standard practise is for a train to be prohibited from entering a section until train before has left , but given the A/B split platforms and presumably signalling on the new platform (platforms which are OK to have trains directly approaching each other from either ends!!) this seemed a very restrictive operation.

Where platform sharing is permitted trains cannot be routed into a platform if it is occupied and the route set from the other end of the platform. This was the result of an accident, but I can't recall which one.

[The SprinterMeister]

Next - someone should tell the CC drivers about the A and B splitting!! And what the upside down white triangles mean!

The AXC^» (Arriva Cross Country - about) drivers will have had the same Gioconda route books, DVD box sets and NR^» (Network Rail - home page) 'Yellow Perils' as the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) drivers who go through Reading so they should be well aware of the function / meaning of the 'Rear Clear' signs.

I haven't been on the new platforms yet. We can only get onto platforms 7 - 10 from the Westbury line with HST^▸ (High Speed Train)'s as things stand at the moment. Maybe tomorrow as Castle Cary - Cogload Jn is shut.

[MVR S&T]

CC train leaving platform 14b using cross over at country end to navigate to country relief. Train terminating at 13a is held at entrance to platform - it cannot enter until CC is out of section.

Now I know in normal operation clearly standard practise is for a train to be prohibited from entering a section until train before has left , but given the A/B split platforms and presumably signalling on the new platform (platforms which are OK to have trains directly approaching each other from either ends!!) this seemed a very restrictive operation.

Where platform sharing is permitted trains cannot be routed into a platform if it is occupied and the route set from the other end of the platform. This was the result of an accident, but I can't recall which one.

Stafford 1990 I think, the driver could see the proceed aspect for the train in front, and accelerate into the rear of the train in front, one of my freinds was there!
Think the original question relates to the use of P13 and 14, the 'overlap' of the country end starters goes accros the crossovers, so therefore blocks the passage of an approaching train from london direction, if a move is accross the crossovers. Hope that makes some sense.

[John R]

Hi Ollie/John R,  Perhaps you could point out to them as well the non-compliant mid-platform (rear clear) signs as well (see my post No.1404 on Page 94 of this thread)

Just for clarity, in case I have given a mistaken impression, I have no connection with the railway, except for 2 hours a day and ^5k a year that is.

[Chris from Nailsea]

 

[Ollie]

Hi Ollie/John R,  Perhaps you could point out to them as well the non-compliant mid-platform (rear clear) signs as well (see my post No.1404 on Page 94 of this thread)

Just for clarity, in case I have given a mistaken impression, I have no connection with the railway, except for 2 hours a day and ^5k a year that is.

I can't say the same

If someone wants to drop us a message with concerns about signage then I can email it to one of the project managers who can take it into account on 17th when the signage review is done.

[lbraine]

CC train leaving platform 14b using cross over at country end to navigate to country relief. Train terminating at 13a is held at entrance to platform - it cannot enter until CC is out of section.

Now I know in normal operation clearly standard practise is for a train to be prohibited from entering a section until train before has left , but given the A/B split platforms and presumably signalling on the new platform (platforms which are OK to have trains directly approaching each other from either ends!!) this seemed a very restrictive operation.

Where platform sharing is permitted trains cannot be routed into a platform if it is occupied and the route set from the other end of the platform. This was the result of an accident, but I can't recall which one.

Stafford 1990 I think, the driver could see the proceed aspect for the train in front, and accelerate into the rear of the train in front, one of my freinds was there!
Think the original question relates to the use of P13 and 14, the 'overlap' of the country end starters goes accros the crossovers, so therefore blocks the passage of an approaching train from london direction, if a move is accross the crossovers. Hope that makes some sense.

Yes - that was what I was trying to describe !

It just seemed off that two trains approaching (under caution) from opposite ends of a platform is permitted.
But a train entering from one end is held at the entrance to the platform, while a train leaving an adjacent platform, crossing onto the track of the first train (and past the end of platform signal I believe).

(you will notice I am an amateur here - by the language I am using).

Maybe it was a one off. Maybe there was something else going on that I could not see from the deck to cause the entering train to be held. Is was 'odd' behaviour - and that's why I noticed it.

[bobm]

On a similar note, what are the arrangements for splitting trains at the platform.

I was going from Reading to Twyford last week and arrived on platform 9 about three minutes before my train was due to leave.  It was shown on the screens as being on platform 9A with an Oxford train on 9B.  The only train on the platform was a Turbo which was more at the 9B end - but confusingly it had its white marker lights switched on at the London end but the signal at the country end was off.

It turns out it was TWO trains.  The train had come in from Paddington and then split - with one unit going on to Oxford and the other going back to London.

Is there something in the operating instructions which prevents the trains moving more than a few feet apart after splitting? If the rear portion had proceeded back to the London end - the advertised 9A - the confusion would have been reduced.

In this particular case the situation wasn't helped by the Turbo only showing "11" in its destination screen on the front - and throughout my journey to Twyford the internal displays claimed it was a Paddington to Oxford service!