Theale station - services, facilities / improvements, incidents (merged posts)

[whole diary]

[stuving]

The image they've used is of Thatcham level crossing, but never mind ... 

Perhaps you might mind about it, at least as an irrelevant stock photo, given that there is no level crossing at Theale (or, strictly, no public crossing and none with wigwags).

[Chris from Nailsea]

I stand, suitably admonished, stuving. 

Meanwhile ... from the Reading Chronicle:

Theale station upgrades face delay

Long-awaited work to upgrade Theale railway station has been delayed by nearly a year.



The ^1.25m project to install a footbridge and lifts to both platforms was due to be completed by the autumn, but First Great Western revealed this week that work will not be finished until July.

Solicitor Tony Roe, whose office is based in Brewery Court, said: ^Theale is a very vibrant community with local national and international businesses using the station, so it is a shame that this delay has happened.^

The project also includes a new ticket office and retail unit, more cycle parking, clearly marked walkways, a new pedestrian entrance and crossing point across Brunel Road and clear signs to key destinations like the village centre and Arlington Business Park.

It is being led by First Great Western and Network Rail, but work was halted when contractors discovered a large waste water pipe around the new station building which needed relocating.

West Berkshire councillor Alan Macro, who represents the Theale ward, described the delay as a ^great shame.^ He said: ^There has been a long-running issue over the lifts and whether people could use them when the station is unmanned, as it is only staffed up until lunchtime through the week and on Saturdays. But we have been assured that the rules are being changed. We very much welcome this news because there were concerns people could become stranded on the platform with no-one there to manage the lifts. But I think First Great Western could have done more to inform people of the delay and the reasons for it, as they have not really communicated with the community.^

First Great Western spokesman James Davis stressed work to the ticket office and retail centre is complete and confirmed the lifts will be available outside of station hours. He added: ^Further plans to enable provision of the lift and bridge, originally due at the same time, were ongoing as we make sure the design delivers value for money.^

[ChrisB]

According to the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Work is due to commence in October, with the project scheduled for completion by February 2014.

Hmmm - WAs this a very old report :-) Complete 8 months ago?.....

[bobm]

Returning to an old thread - seems the scheme has been delayed for at least another two years.

From Newbury Weekly News

A MULTI-million pound scheme to upgrade Theale railway station has been delayed by at least another two years. 

The busy station, which handles more than 400,000 passengers a year, was to have received a new footbridge and lifts as part of £2.9m work to improve accessibility.

The improvements, paid for by a Department for Transport fund to Network Rail, will also provide a new ticket office, development of a park-and-rail facility and a new pedestrian entrance from Brunel Road. 

Work was meant to be completed in February 2014, but Network Rail and First Great Western, now known as Great Western Railway, were unable to agree on the design.

Now the project has suffered another blow as the Government has said that funding has been deferred for at least two years.

In a letter to the MP^▸ (Member of Parliament) for Reading West, Alok Sharma, rail minister Paul Maynard said that a number of projects were to be deferred following a review.

This, he said, would enable high priority schemes to be delivered as planned.  

“Unfortunately, Theale was one of the 26 stations chosen to be deferred because the project was not as advanced as many of the other projects,” Mr Maynard said. 
“I know this will be disappointing, but I am afraid Theale is not in a unique position.” 

Mr Maynard did say he was committed to delivering the scheme as soon as possible after April 2019. The project is likely to consist of a new bridge and three lifts and believed to now cost between £3m and £4m. 

Theale district councillor Alan Macro (Lib Dem) said: “I am very disappointed about the extremely long delay.

“Theale is a busy station and passengers have to climb up over 20 steps and descend over another 20 to get from the booking office or car park to the platforms. This makes it impossible for disabled people to use the station and very difficult for anyone with walking difficulties.

“The new ticket office is likely to be brought into use soon, so passengers using it will have to walk halfway across the car park before negotiating the stairs to the platforms.
“Given the long history of this project, I have little confidence that work will begin in 2019.”

After the new ticket office was completed, Great Western Railway announced that unexpected work to divert a sewer pipe had delayed the construction of the lifts and footbridge.

Contracts then had to be renegotiated after Network Rail became a public sector body and the work was transferred to it.

Network Rail then said that it had inherited a three-year-old design, which needed to be compatible with the electrification upgrade to the line through West Berkshire.

[ChrisB]

This must be old news - the Access for All fund that would have paid for this was kiboshed until CP6^▸ (Control Period 6 - The five year period between 2019 and 2024) at the last NR^» (Network Rail - home page) review stage.

[Noggin]

At a guess,

1) New regs relating to electrification mean that clearances have to be greater than previously and possibly the old design is non-compliant
2) NR^» (Network Rail - home page) has run out of money for anything other than the essentials in CP5^▸ (Control Period 5 - the five year period between 2014 and 2019), particularly when it comes to the GWML^▸ (Great Western Main Line)
3) NR is probably hoping that by delaying it, the LEP^» (Local Enterprise Partnership - about), a property developer or the next GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) franchisee will pay for it
 

[TonyK]

One thing is for sure. It won't be a £2.9 million project when it actually goes ahead, unless the specification is drastically reduced.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Indeed. 

Mr Maynard did say he was committed to delivering the scheme as soon as possible after April 2019. The project is likely to consist of a new bridge and three lifts and believed to now cost between £3m and £4m.

They want £1million for just a ramp - no lifts, mind you! - up to platform 1 at Nailsea & Backwell. 

[CyclingSid]

Does that mean another two years with the "sewer" in the road/path on the road bridge?

[stuving]

There was a letter, from Paul Maynard at the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) to the local MP^▸ (Member of Parliament), Alok Sharma, which the Theale village people have scanned and put on their website. This makes it clear that it was a DfT decision based on the Hendy review's proposals for savings to offset the cost overruns of electrification.

It was also reported by Newbury Today thus:

In a letter to the MP for Reading West, Alok Sharma, rail minister Paul Maynard said that a number of projects were to be deferred following a review.

This, he said, would enable high priority schemes to be delivered as planned. 

“Unfortunately, Theale was one of the 26 stations chosen to be deferred because the project was not as advanced as many of the other projects,” Mr Maynard said.

“I know this will be disappointing, but I am afraid Theale is not in a unique position.”

Mr Maynard did say he was committed to delivering the scheme as soon as possible after April 2019. The project is likely to consist of a new bridge and three lifts and believed to now cost between £3m and £4m.

[Thatcham Crossing]

Presumably this doesn't affect the platform extensions which have been mentioned for Theale (and Thatcham) in order to accommodate semi-fast Class 800's and 8-coach 387's?

[ellendune]

It also says that ORR^» (Office of Rail and Road formerly Office of Rail Regulation - about) are reviewing electrification clearances and will issue new guidance shortly.  That could be very significant in keeping costs down, not just in Theale.  Some have suggested that increased clearances were a large part of the cost overrun on electrification.

[Noggin]

It also says that ORR^» (Office of Rail and Road formerly Office of Rail Regulation - about) are reviewing electrification clearances and will issue new guidance shortly.  That could be very significant in keeping costs down, not just in Theale.  Some have suggested that increased clearances were a large part of the cost overrun on electrification.

I think the GWML^▸ (Great Western Main Line) overruns were more a question of quite what a poor state the infrastructure was in and how it cost NR^» (Network Rail - home page) much more to build new structures and plant the ironmongery than it thought.

Having said that, I suspect that it plays a large part in Bristol TM^‡(resolve)'s electrification being deferred and the general suspension of electrification. http://www.railengineer.uk/2017/02/24/egip-electrification-clearance-woes/ makes an interesting read if you are interested.

[TonyK]

There was a letter, from Paul Maynard at the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) to the local MP^▸ (Member of Parliament), Alok Sharma, which the

In a letter to the MP for Reading West, Alok Sharma, rail minister Paul Maynard said that a number of projects were to be deferred following a review.

This, he said, would enable high priority schemes to be delivered as planned. 

“Unfortunately, Theale was one of the 26 stations chosen to be deferred because the project was not as advanced as many of the other projects,” Mr Maynard said.

“I know this will be disappointing, but I am afraid Theale is not in a unique position.”

Theale is not in a unique position. Mr Maynard has disappointed many people.

[BerkshireBugsy]

During the line closures through Thatcham I have been driving to Theale and catching the train there. An added bonus that because the services are starting from there you can normally be guaranteed a seat. But I digress.

There are lots of helpful staff there - don't get me wrong - but there doesn't seem to be anybody with overall responsibility which I don't think helps matters. Some passengers were confused by the service arrangements this morning and when they excoriated staff  they got replies such as "I don't know I'm just here to <insert job function here>"

As a relatively frequent passenger I tend to know where I am going but not sure how clear things are for the more ad-hoc travellers.