Reading West railway station
Encyclopedia
Reading West is a railway station in Reading
in England
. It is in West Reading
, west of the town centre, about 1 miles (1.6 km) from the main retail and commercial areas. The station is served by local services operated by First Great Western
.
The line through Reading West station opened on 21 December 1847, as part of the route from Reading to . However the station did not open until 1 July 1906, originally to serve trains between the north of England and the south coast which could thus avoid a reversal at .
and Tilehurst Road.
Immediately north of the platforms is a railway bridge over the Oxford Road, followed by a double track junction (Oxford Road Junction) which is the southern apex of a triangle of tracks. The tracks to the west curve round to join the Great Western Main Line
towards Bristol
at Reading West Junction, and are largely used by freight train
s between Southampton Docks and points to the north. The tracks to the east lead to Reading station and are mostly used by passenger services.
Reading Traction Maintenance Depot
(TMD) is inside the triangle on two levels. The upper level provides stabling for the Class 165
and Class 166
diesel multiple units used on First Great Western's local routes. The lower level originally provided shed space for locomotives, but is now principally used for stabling and maintaining track maintenance equipment.
To the south of the station the line enters a cutting, crossed by high level bridges carrying the Tilehurst Road and, further to the south, the Bath Road. Beyond the cutting is Southcote Junction, where the line to diverges from that to Newbury.
between Reading and Basingstoke or Newbury. During weekday daytime the station is served by two trains an hour on the Basingstoke route, plus one on the Newbury route. Trains are less frequent on Sundays and in the evenings. A single commuter service each weekday morning runs through to , having started its journey at . Trains take some 3 minutes to reach Reading, 20 minutes to reach Basingstoke, 25 minutes to reach Newbury and just over 30 minutes to reach London.
Passenger services on First Great Western's route to the West Country
via , on CrossCountry
services from the North of England to and , and on some local services, pass through the station without stopping.
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
in 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...
. It is in West Reading
West Reading, Berkshire
West Reading is a district of the town of Reading in the English county of Berkshire.-Geography:The district has no formal boundaries, but the name is generally used to refer to the area to the west of Reading's town centre, to the north of the suburbs of Coley and Southcote, to the east of the...
, west of the town centre, about 1 miles (1.6 km) from the main retail and commercial areas. The station is served by local services operated by First Great Western
First Great Western
First Great Western is the operating name of First Greater Western Ltd, a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup that serves Greater London, the South East, South West and West Midlands regions of England, and South Wales....
.
History
Description
The station has two platforms linked by a footbridge. Small canopies provide some shelter on each platform. There is a ticket office on the Reading-bound platform but is open only in the morning. Access to the station is from Oxford RoadOxford Road, Reading
Oxford Road is a major arterial road in Reading, Berkshire, England, near the town centre. The road leads west to Pangbourne, continuing eventually to the city of Oxford. The road was previously known as Pangbourne Lane....
and Tilehurst Road.
Immediately north of the platforms is a railway bridge over the Oxford Road, followed by a double track junction (Oxford Road Junction) which is the southern apex of a triangle of tracks. The tracks to the west curve round to join the Great Western Main Line
Great Western Main Line
The Great Western Main Line is a main line railway in Great Britain that runs westwards from London Paddington station to the west of England and South Wales. The core Great Western Main Line runs from London Paddington to Temple Meads railway station in Bristol. A major branch of the Great...
towards Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
at Reading West Junction, and are largely used by freight train
Freight train
A freight train or goods train is a group of freight cars or goods wagons hauled by one or more locomotives on a railway, ultimately transporting cargo between two points as part of the logistics chain...
s between Southampton Docks and points to the north. The tracks to the east lead to Reading station and are mostly used by passenger services.
Reading Traction Maintenance Depot
Reading TMD
Reading TMD is a railway Traction Maintenance Depot situated in Reading, England, and operated by First Great Western. The depot code is RG.The depot is situated to the west of Reading station and to the north of Reading West station...
(TMD) is inside the triangle on two levels. The upper level provides stabling for the Class 165
British Rail Class 165
The British Rail Class 165 Turbo is a fleet of suburban diesel multiple units , originally specified by and built for British Rail, the then United Kingdom state owned railway operator. They were built by BREL at York Works between 1990 and 1992...
and Class 166
British Rail Class 166
The British Rail Class 166 Turbo Express is a fleet of diesel multiple units , originally specified by and built for British Rail, the then United Kingdom state owned railway operator. They were built by ABB at York Works between 1992 and 1993...
diesel multiple units used on First Great Western's local routes. The lower level originally provided shed space for locomotives, but is now principally used for stabling and maintaining track maintenance equipment.
To the south of the station the line enters a cutting, crossed by high level bridges carrying the Tilehurst Road and, further to the south, the Bath Road. Beyond the cutting is Southcote Junction, where the line to diverges from that to Newbury.
Services
The station is served by local services operated by First Great WesternFirst Great Western
First Great Western is the operating name of First Greater Western Ltd, a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup that serves Greater London, the South East, South West and West Midlands regions of England, and South Wales....
between Reading and Basingstoke or Newbury. During weekday daytime the station is served by two trains an hour on the Basingstoke route, plus one on the Newbury route. Trains are less frequent on Sundays and in the evenings. A single commuter service each weekday morning runs through to , having started its journey at . Trains take some 3 minutes to reach Reading, 20 minutes to reach Basingstoke, 25 minutes to reach Newbury and just over 30 minutes to reach London.
Passenger services on First Great Western's route to the West Country
West Country
The West Country is an informal term for the area of south western England roughly corresponding to the modern South West England government region. It is often defined to encompass the historic counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset and the City of Bristol, while the counties of...
via , on CrossCountry
CrossCountry
CrossCountry is the brand name of XC Trains Ltd., a British train operating company owned by Arriva...
services from the North of England to and , and on some local services, pass through the station without stopping.