Reading Station improvements

[whole diary]

[4064ReadingAbbey]

Of course there might be another reason - the span might need some work, for example. But in any case, conflict is not that likely. Up movements from Westbury will not usually go to P7, and if going to P1 or P2 will conflict anyway.So only P3 to Down Westbury would conflict (avoidably) with P7 to or from the Festival Line, I think. However, you may well be right to suspect point-end accountancy.

Returning to the topic of the 'missing' turnouts at the entrance to Platform 3, in spite of your argument, I still maintain that it is short-sighted not to install them. My reasoning is that Reading is a very busy node and any delays which occur there have knock-on effects which can still be felt many hundreds of miles away and several hours later.

As I understand the published information concerning platform allocation, Platforms 3 and 7 are to be the platforms of choice for operation of the Cross-Country (XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise))) services, with 7 also being used for trains from London being routed towards Newbury and the West. If timekeeping is good then there will be no problems, but the layout has to be designed with the capacity to cope with out-of-course running so it must (a) allow flexibility in routing trains to minimise further delays and (b) allow the service to recover as quickly as possible. With the layout as it now is, and assuming out of course running, a XC train arriving from the Didcot direction and scheduled for Platform 7 will hold up another XC train from Bournemouth aiming for Platform 3. So this waits on the curve beside the Top Triangle Yard until it can use the common section of track. In the meantime a Basingstoke stopper is held at Reading West and behind it a mainline train from Plymouth is caught somewhere back towards Southcote Junction until the logjam clears. The new flyunder to the Up Main is now of no immediate help to this train. I'm sure there are other scenarios which will lead to conflicts in this area which could be cleared quicker if these points existed.

The point I am trying to make is that, for all the talk of removing conflicts, the new layout has limitations in places where it easily could be more flexible. In this case we are talking about 2 turnouts and 50 metres of track and a couple of extra route indicators. In a total spend of some ^900 million I think that's penny pinching.

[stuving]

That may be true, in terms of the cost. On the benefit side, are the services (occupied paths) on those lines so densely packed you couldn't afford any waiting? I'd be surprised if they are.

If there enough buttons and washers in the kitty to buy a few more point ends, I'd prefer to see them used to help recovery on the Main Lines. When thing get screwed up here - especially if a train dies in a Reading platform - you need to run more trains than the usual service to catch up. A train held up here delays the one right behind, and the one behind that, and ...

My candidate to help do that would be crossovers from P11 approaches to P12, and maybe from P9 to P10 (if one is missing). The idea is to borrow P12 for main line use, and allow platforming trains to shift up one platform without conflict. As it is, trains have to cross over to the Relief Lines too far out, creating conflicts on the Relief Lines (at least). The design of Reading (and everywhere else) is predicated on there always being spare paths on the Relief Lines - which may be true in general, but would stop being true in such a recovery situation.

[stuving]

Work on the P7 canopy proceeds at a fair old rate. There is now a steel rail right along the face of the Three Guineas and the Brunel Plaza. Now, will that hold the ends of the main canopy sections still, or will there be a bridging strip from those to this rail?

[stuving]

I went along by the viaduct last week, and could see that a lot has now been built. However, you couldn't say that any part of the viaduct, or any of the boxes, is nearly finished yet. Three pictures to illustrate that - sorry about the inevitable window reflections:

• Some impressive shuttering clamped onto the beams - presumably to form the side walls and cantilevered walkways. The deck may be created at the same time, or as a previous step (as it says in the drawings).
• More limited shuttering - to from the crossheads and diaphragms that tie the ends of the beams together.
• At the western end, where the viaduct slopes right down - here the beams have not yet appeared.

[paul7575]

As I understand the published information concerning platform allocation, Platforms 3 and 7 are to be the platforms of choice for operation of the Cross-Country (XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise))) services, with 7 also being used for trains from London being routed towards Newbury and the West.

That's one interpretation of the drawing.  However, as discussed ages ago, I was told by a NR^» (Network Rail - home page) train planner that the colour coding only denotes the 'main or majority use' of a line or platform, it is not intended to show that XC will only use P3 or P7.   There is no fundamental reason why XC cannot use P8 for routine reversals in either direction, or P11 at least for 'west to south' moves, having arrived from Didcot on the up main, and there is also no reason for the Reading terminators to stop using P13 or 14 as they do now.

It seems to me that we need to wait and see what they actually do with the future platform allocations.

Paul

[4064ReadingAbbey]

I very carefully wrote 'platform of choice', not that XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) will only use these platforms.

[paul7575]

I very carefully wrote 'platform of choice', not that XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) will only use these platforms.

Fair enough - but that wording still implies they are the default, and therefore unless not available XC will usually use P3/7 - and I think it might be otherwise.

Paul

[lordgoata]

Anyone know what plans there are to stop the new blank canvas they are building (aka the viaduct) from becoming graffiti heaven ? Already looks like some tags have been painted out I noticed the other day. It never ceases to amaze me how much stuff gets tagged so close the the stations, so I doubt the fact the depot is opposite for a large part of it will make any difference

[paul7575]

Couple of shots showing the detail of how the roof is going up adjacent to P4/5/6.   

First picture shows how, as expected based on the planning drawings, the higher roof 'overlaps' the P4/5 canopy.

Then, as stuving has suggested in his earlier post, the roof cassettes are bolted to a steel channel section running along the back.  In this particular area though the channel is secured directly to the old building's concrete framework, rather than being attached to separate upright steelwork, as is the case alongside the Three Guineas. 

Paul

[paul7575]

Another pic showing the wide open space available at the London end of the P8/P9 island.   Slightly surprising that there's no evidence of any provision for any seating so far, perhaps some might be fitted later - gives them another chance to re-arrange the block paving...

Paul

[stuving]

Latest info I had (from discussion with a member of the workforce yesterday) was that the deadline for most 'daytime' platform building work to be complete is in about 3 weeks, with overnight snagging and detailing continuing for some weeks afterwards.

Meanwhile P10 shows up as being in use (according to realtime trains data) from Monday March 10th.  The previous day, Sunday, P11 is also out off use - so that will potentially be a busy weekend on that island.

The specific area where I have some doubts over sudden rapid progress occurring is the refurbishment of the existing concourse area at the head of P4-6, and the interface with the new canopy.  Installing the remaining canopy along P7 shouldn't take too long though - and I noticed yesterday they are working on the brickwork of the heritage building on the P7 side, at the height where I think they'll have to insert flashing to join to the new roof.

Paul

Did that date (the end of this week) apply to all platforms, or just P10? Well, there are certainly a lot of very busy little Bobs all over the station every night now. Can't you just feel the hot breath of that dead lion on the back of their necks?

The canopy on P7 sits, as you can see, with its weight on the main support rail, and the smaller rail by the Three Guineas just holding its edge still. And the delivery is via a (not very big) Ainscough crane - though not, if you think about it, straight over the roof. It will have to be slewed round, and lowered into place blind.

[Jason]

The P7 canopy along much of the length of the pub was installed overnight. It's rather more bespoke than the drop in sections that have been installed elsewhere so it's more kit than a modular build.
[ Too bad they can't also install a few tables and a serving hatch, it would make delays much more tenable ]

The ground is being scraped out under the P2/3 bubble roof, no doubt for formal surfacing. There is a still a lot of trimming work going on around the roof itself.

All the hoardings are now down on P8/9 with just 'CLOSED' signs on all the buildings.

There is still canopy trimming incomplete on P10 and the P11 side remains fenced off making for a continued cosy experience on PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) bound services.

[paul7575]

Latest info I had (from discussion with a member of the workforce yesterday) was that the deadline for most 'daytime' platform building work to be complete is in about 3 weeks, with overnight snagging and detailing continuing for some weeks afterwards...

Did that date (the end of this week) apply to all platforms, or just P10? Well, there are certainly a lot of very busy little Bobs all over the station every night now...

I assumed in context he meant at least both of the main islands.  Just to emphasise he didn't say they'd be 100% complete, just that there'd be no significant daytime activity.   That suggests to me mostly complete, with all hoardings removed, possibly with certain areas being progressed by a night shift while services run through other platforms.  Thinking back to stuff like the retrospective fitting of manhole covers into block paved areas, where the service accesses had previously been buried - they did a lot of that on P9 during weekend closures of the platform surface at the 'B end' when it was already notionally complete.

And of course something like 'shop fitting' in the latest buildings on P8/9 and P10 could be taking place behind closed doors, well into next week, or even the end of this month...

Paul

[Southern Stag]

Anyone know what plans there are to stop the new blank canvas they are building (aka the viaduct) from becoming graffiti heaven ? Already looks like some tags have been painted out I noticed the other day. It never ceases to amaze me how much stuff gets tagged so close the the stations, so I doubt the fact the depot is opposite for a large part of it will make any difference

Passing Hitchin at the weekend I was disappointed to find that the new flyover viaduct there is already looking rather tatty with graffiti having sprung up along it.

[stuving]

Another pic showing the wide open space available at the London end of the P8/P9 island.   Slightly surprising that there's no evidence of any provision for any seating so far, perhaps some might be fitted later - gives them another chance to re-arrange the block paving...
Paul

They were assembling the tops of seats at the west end of P10/11 today. I didn't see the support pillars being fixed, but it you look at the other seats they are fixed through the block paving. You'll have to guess how - I'd say drill into the concrete underneath, and fix a stud with resin or cement. The blocks presumably need to be cut, or maybe core drilled, not percussion drilled.

If you look, there are several sets of white marks where seats will go at the west end of P8/9, and some (but not enough) at the east end of P8/9.