Bracknell railway station is a railway station serving the town of Bracknell

Bracknell

Bracknell is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Bracknell Forest in Berkshire, England. It lies to the south-east of Reading, southwest of Windsor and west of central London...

 in Berkshire

Berkshire

Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. The station, and all trains calling there, are operated by South West Trains

South West Trains

South West Trains is a British train operating company providing, under franchise, passenger rail services, mostly out of Waterloo station, to the southwest of London in the suburbs and in the counties of Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset, Devon, Somerset, Berkshire, and Wiltshire and on the Isle of Wight...

. It is on the London Waterloo-Reading line

Waterloo to Reading Line

The Waterloo to Reading Line is a National Rail suburban electric railway line running generally westwards from London, England. It is operated by South West Trains...

.

The station was opened by the Staines and Wokingham Railway in 1856, and was taken over by the London and South Western Railway

London and South Western Railway

The London and South Western Railway was a railway company in England from 1838 to 1922. Its network extended from London to Plymouth via Salisbury and Exeter, with branches to Ilfracombe and Padstow and via Southampton to Bournemouth and Weymouth. It also had many routes connecting towns in...

 in 1878. Following re-development in 1975, the entrance to the station is situated directly underneath the Bracknell Quintiles building. The station's goods sidings closed in 1969.

Services

Trains operate between London Waterloo

Waterloo station

Waterloo station, also known as London Waterloo, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex. The station is owned and operated by Network Rail and is close to the South Bank of the River Thames, and in Travelcard Zone 1....

 and Reading

Reading railway station

Reading railway station is a major rail transport hub in the English town of Reading. It is situated on the northern edge of the town centre, close to the main retail and commercial areas, and also the River Thames...

 every 30 minutes, seven days a week. On weekdays there are extra afternoon peak time trains from Reading which terminate at .

Bracknell bus station

Bracknell bus station

Bracknell bus station serves the town of Bracknell, Berkshire, England. The bus station is located on The Ring in Bracknell Town Centre.The bus station consists of three long shelters each with three stands and is just across the road from Bracknell railway station.Bus services go from Bracknell...

 is adjacent to the railway station.

Improvements

In 2008, enhancements were started to improve access for passengers using wheelchairs and those with baby-vehicles or bicycles. A new covered footbridge, with both staircases and lifts, was completed and opened in 2009. Before this, the only way to reach the down (Reading-bound) platform was over the steps of the original footbridge at the London end of the platforms. This was a classic Southern Railway

Southern Railway (Great Britain)

The Southern Railway was a British railway company established in the 1923 Grouping. It linked London with the Channel ports, South West England, South coast resorts and Kent...

-vintage design with no roof, constructed from pre-cast concrete sections. It had also provided direct access from Crowthorne Road North, but this extra span had for a long time been disconnected. Once the new bridge was opened, the old bridge was taken out of use and fenced off. It was demolished in May 2009.