Reading Station improvements

[whole diary]

[lbraine]

New mainline viaduct is now covered its entire length with nice clean ballest. Track at country end not progressed further AFAICS^▸ (As Far As I Can See).

[Jason]

Semi off topic but with the festival coming up this weekend, things could get a little congested around the south entrance with only two narrow walkways to get out, one of which only goes to the Brunel Arcade.

[ Assuming the ongoing works don't suddenly burst into life, which hasn't exactly been the case recently ].

[IndustryInsider]

I think the majority of festival goers will be encouraged to head for the north entrance like last year, now with its new public space area.  Obviously the south entrance/exits will be busier than usual, but I doubt it'll be too much of a problem - at least, not when compared with the station pre-rebuilding.

[stuving]

I think the majority of festival goers will be encouraged to head for the north entrance like last year, now with its new public space area.  Obviously the south entrance/exits will be busier than usual, but I doubt it'll be too much of a problem - at least, not when compared with the station pre-rebuilding.

Well, last year the official advice for the Monday was :

Please use signage to get to the North entrance where you will be able to enter and catch your train

But on the day everyone was directed to queue through the tunnel and up the ramp and in via the western gateline. Perhaps that was seen as a way to accommodate a long queue outside the station...

[IndustryInsider]

Yes, that would indeed be a good way of accommodating a large queue in a relatively quiet area.

[lbraine]

Failed freight train blocking relief, Newbury and Basingstoke lines. I'm sure the main is affected too as I've not seen a main train in 15 minutes.

I'm drawn back to a post a few pages back - if a failed freight can have passenger service impact today, and with the expectation that train lengths will only get longer - shouldn't the Reading west line be extended to take a full length freight - to minimise this distruption.

[stuving]

Failed freight train blocking relief, Newbury and Basingstoke lines. I'm sure the main is affected too as I've not seen a main train in 15 minutes.

I'm drawn back to a post a few pages back - if a failed freight can have passenger service impact today, and with the expectation that train lengths will only get longer - shouldn't the Reading west line be extended to take a full length freight - to minimise this distruption.

This looks like a failure at a random position blocking the junction, so the specific answer is no.

Otherwise, the normal waiting position will be on the West Curve, which is nearly 1 km something like 750 m long. This is not expected to carry scheduled passenger services, so is anything more needed?

BTW^▸ (by the way) it looks as if the failed train was 422Q Trafford Park F.L.T. - Southampton M.C.T. , 0624^ at Tilehurst and 0856 at Southcote. 468Q Lawley Street F.L.T. - Southampton M.C.T. was timed 0630^ at Tilehurst and if it was pushing would not register further on.

[stuving]

[Otherwise, the normal waiting position will be on the West Curve, which is nearly 1 km something like 750 m long. This is not expected to carry scheduled passenger services, so is anything more needed?

The new track does run a bit further west before the points, which will be up close to Little John's Lane. So another remeasure gives 1 km for down trains, though less the other way as the Feeder Line joins the West Curve some way north of Oxford Road.

[grahame]

This is not expected to carry scheduled passenger services ...

Silly question that may have been answered earlier. Isn't there any sort of "parliamentary" service on the line - as I recall Reading used to be avoided by some trains and I wasn't aware of any formal withdrawal.

[stuving]

This is not expected to carry scheduled passenger services ...

Silly question that may have been answered earlier. Isn't there any sort of "parliamentary" service on the line - as I recall Reading used to be avoided by some trains and I wasn't aware of any formal withdrawal.

That doesn't affect an argument about whether you can park goods trains there and have them fail without causing chaos.

[Jason]

I think the majority of festival goers will be encouraged to head for the north entrance like last year, now with its new public space area

If there were a number of popup stalls in that area selling lager & cider by the pallet then I imagine the north entrance would become hugely popular

[lbraine]

I understand (I think) about the 750m length standard - yet this morning a freight train blocked (from North to South) reliefs, main, reading west curve, Basingstoke and Newbury line !!!

That has to longer than 750m

On this forum in the thread about this AMs disruption it is suggested that these freight are longer than the standard (and will get longer).

While the new flyover would have prevented the mains being blocked - everything else would still have been shot.

[stuving]

I understand (I think) about the 750m length standard - yet this morning a freight train blocked (from North to South) reliefs, main, reading west curve, Basingstoke and Newbury line !!!

That has to longer than 750m

On this forum in the thread about this AMs disruption it is suggested that these freight are longer than the standard (and will get longer).

While the new flyover would have prevented the mains being blocked - everything else would still have been shot.

Well, do we know that train stopped at a signal and failed to start, or might it have failed while moving and didn't run clear of Reading West Jn?

And how much more length do you want? I said there was less for southbound trains due to the junction with the end of the Feeder Relief Line, but there isn't a very strong reason to leave that clear unless it's going to be used. So there may be the same as for northbound trains, i.e. about 1 km. For reference:

West Curve as it is to the Main Lines at Reading West: 840 m (nominal, so less clearance for each end of block say 650)
Reading West to Little John's Lane: 411 m (most to be added to West Curve length - say 350 m)
Little John's Lane to Wigmore Lane: 460 m
Wigmore Lane to Scours Lane: 490 m.

[TonyK]

If there were a number of popup stalls in that area selling lager & cider by the pallet then I imagine the north entrance would become hugely popular

The only situation in which I am proud to be a Thatcherite!

I went to a few Reading festivals, most of which  involved camping under water, and chemical alteration to my minsdset, an avenue of pleasure long closed off to me (I last smoked tobacco on 12 May 1991,and two weeks later wondered what pleasure I gained from 20-odd years'  use of the fragrant weed.. Several were compered by (the late) John Peel, They featured (the late) Phil Lynott. Also Manfred Mann's Earth Band, Eddie and the Hotrods, the Sensational (Late) Alex Harvey Band (/late]. I got there late.

There were many others, and tales I could tell of times I was not necessarily proud of, but at that time, I would not have been able to tell my kids that I had seen Led Zeppelin, Genesis,, the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Etc.

[patch38]

Eddie and the Hotrods! That must have been 1977? Fantastic.

One of my jobs at Reading for several years was to look after the DJ console between the two stages from which Peel and others linked the various acts. I recall one Saturday afternoon when he announced the football results: Liverpool (his team) had beaten someone like Man U and he gleefully announced the fact, taking the opportunity to rubbish the Man U fans. This was the cue for a stream of mud and plastic bottles full of lukewarm urine to rain down on us. "Was that wise John?," I asked him as we hid under the desk. "Probably not," came the reply, "But f*** 'em." Happy times