Reading Station improvements

[whole diary]

[bobm]

Just to add another perspective - here is a signaller's eye view of the current station layout



Platform 7 is at the bottom of the screen.  Note platforms 4,5 & 6 are controlled from a different desk and thus not shown here.

[CheekyPaul]

It seems the station is going to be officially opened by the Queen next month:

http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/local-news/queen-officially-open-redeveloped-reading-7203695

[Electric train]

It seems the station is going to be officially opened by the Queen next month:

http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/local-news/queen-officially-open-redeveloped-reading-7203695

Judging by the picture in the article she look so pleased to be going to Reading 

Jesting aside this is great news for the team that have worked on Reading Station to have HM the Queen open the station

[TonyK]

Judging by the picture in the article she look so pleased to be going to Reading 

Jesting aside this is great news for the team that have worked on Reading Station to have HM the Queen open the station

Will she be continuing to dress to a bedding theme? And I look forward to hearing the Duke of Edinburgh's views on work. All the orange jackets might just be a little unsettling, though...

Also jesting aside, it is indeed great news for the team at every level from drawing board to shovel to have their work recognised thus. I think it is also recognition of rail travel's renewed pre-eminence, and of the value of such infrastructure projects to the national good.

[ellendune]

How does the work outside the South entrance look now?

[stuving]

How does the work outside the South entrance look now?

Last week (picture from 28th) they were adding a bit more width to the steps. No sign of any great urgency to finish it ... yet.

[TonyK]

Er, the Queen's coming, guys. ER! If it doesn't smell of fresh paint, she won't know she is at an opening.

[ellendune]

Er, the Queen's coming, guys. ER! If it doesn't smell of fresh paint, she won't know she is at an opening.

What's the betting she will only use the North entrance?  Is that any better?

[ellendune]

Had to change at Reading today. I had not been around the station for some time.  I noticed on P8 the platform edge is propped up by some bodged bits of timber in two places either side of the transfer deck.  I hope this is temporary!

[paul7575]

I think the propping is only precautionary because that is the place where they usually build the bridge of polystyrene blocks to get equipment on and off the island platform.  If they accidentally put a heavy load right at the edge it could theoretically lift the back of the coping stone, so they leave the wooden struts in place.

Paul

[lbraine]

So the conversion of the transfer deck to a shopping mall is will underway.

The size, or the width to be exact, of the units has meant that Network Rail have removed the TV screens showing departure and fastest train information from the side of the lift shafts to the platforms.

There are now two screen back to back suspended over platform 11/12 - one on the country side, one London. Without these transferring passengers have to to one end of the deck to see a screen that shows their connection.

To be honest they look a little feeble - and some drunken oaf is going to jump and smack them 'for a laugh' and I suspect that will be the end of that.

[lbraine]

Another observation of the work to the west of the station:

On the site of the old maintainence depot is a dozen or so 5mx3m concrete box sections. I saw these arriving down the Oxford road and they definitely have a 'lip' - suggesting they all interlock to form a tunnel.

But 5m x 3 m (my estimate) seems tight for a train ?
So what are they for?

The main viaduct build is fast being finished out - with only the complex roof across the Reading west lines /Oxford Rd curve remaining. In some sections to the west railings are fitted and the location bolts for the OLE^▸ (Overhead Line Equipment, more often "OHLE") are visible.

On track for Christmas opening.

The Festival line viaduct has gone no where from a few months ago - still with just the footings either side of Cow Lane still prepared. No sign of height yet. Hard to see this being open by Christmas.

I did try to work out if the box sections could be used for the Festival viaduct - but I don't see how.

[stuving]

Another observation of the work to the west of the station:

On the site of the old maintainence depot is a dozen or so 5mx3m concrete box sections. I saw these arriving down the Oxford road and they definitely have a 'lip' - suggesting they all interlock to form a tunnel.

But 5m x 3 m (my estimate) seems tight for a train ?
So what are they for?

Probably for the culverts under the feeder lines?

[stuving]

So the conversion of the transfer deck to a shopping mall is will underway.

The size, or the width to be exact, of the units has meant that Network Rail have removed the TV screens showing departure and fastest train information from the side of the lift shafts to the platforms.

There are now two screen back to back suspended over platform 11/12 - one on the country side, one London. Without these transferring passengers have to to one end of the deck to see a screen that shows their connection.

To be honest they look a little feeble - and some drunken oaf is going to jump and smack them 'for a laugh' and I suspect that will be the end of that.

I did wonder what they were going to do about that. Presumably the retail units were never part of the original (Grimshaw) design, which included signage and CIS^▸ (Customer Information System) done jointly with NR^» (Network Rail - home page) (though needing some redesign since then). They will have been designed/bought/acquiesced to by a different bit of the organisation, I think - one that's commercial, not technical.

[paul7575]

Another observation of the work to the west of the station:

On the site of the old maintainence depot is a dozen or so 5mx3m concrete box sections. I saw these arriving down the Oxford road and they definitely have a 'lip' - suggesting they all interlock to form a tunnel.

But 5m x 3 m (my estimate) seems tight for a train ?
So what are they for?

Probably for the culverts under the feeder lines?

Almost certainly.  That size estimate by lbraine is pretty accurate too, as they are described thus in the 'viaducts' planning statement:

...The embankments across the railway triangle will contain 8 flood relief culverts each 4.9m by 2.5m with invert levels set at 37.2m AOD. These flood relief culverts pipes are part of the flood mitigation works proposed for the Reading Station Area Redevelopment Project as a whole.

Paul