Reading railway station
Encyclopedia
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
. Adjacent to the railway station is a bus interchange, served by most of Reading's urban and rural bus services.
Reading is a major junction point on the National Rail
system, and as a consequence the railway station is a major transfer point as well as serving heavy originating and terminating traffic. The station is sponsored by ING Direct and the University of Reading
.
Reading is served by three train operating companies - First Great Western
, South West Trains
and CrossCountry
.
(GWR). At a stroke the time taken to travel from London to Reading was reduced to one hour and five minutes, less than a quarter of the time taken by the fastest stagecoach
. The line was extended to its intended terminus at Bristol
in 1841. As constructed, Reading station was a typical Brunel
designed single-sided intermediate station, with separate up and down platforms situated to the south of the through tracks and arranged so that all up trains calling at Reading had to cross the route of all down through trains.
In 1844 the Great Western Hotel
was opened across the Forbury Road for people visiting the town. It is thought to be the oldest surviving railway hotel in the world.
New routes soon joined the London to Bristol line, with the line from Reading to Newbury
and Hungerford
opening in 1847, and the line to Basingstoke
in 1848.
In 1860 a new station building, in Bath Stone
and incorporating a tower and clock, was constructed for the Great Western Railway. In 1898 the single sided station was replaced by a conventional design with 'up', 'down' and 'relief' platforms linked by a pedestrian subway.
Access to the station from Broad Street
was not direct, until Queen Victoria Street
was built in 1903. This provided a route through to Friar Street
and Station Road.
The station was originally named Reading and became Reading General on 26 September 1949 in order to distinguish it from the ex-South Eastern Railway
station nearby. The "General" suffix was dropped from timetables in 1973, but some of the station nameboards still stated "Reading General" in 1974.
From 6 September 1965, services from the former station were diverted into a newly constructed terminal platform (4A) in the General station. This was long enough for a single eight coach train, which was later found to be inadequate, and so a second terminal platform (4B) serving the same line was opened in 1975 for the commencement of the service from Reading to Gatwick Airport.
In 1989 a brand new station concourse, included a shopping arcade named after Brunel, opened on the western end of the old station site, linked to the platforms of the main station by a new footbridge. At the same time a new multi-level station car park was built on the site of the former goods yard and signal works to the north of the station, and linked to the same footbridge. The station facilities in the 1860 station building were converted into The Three Guineas public house
.
and those to Basingstoke
in 1841. This was enlarged and rebuilt in 1876 and again in 1930. It was closed by British Railways in 1965 and replaced by the current purpose-built Traction Maintenance Depot
.
An accident occurred at Reading on 17 June 1914, and was witnessed by the railway historian O. S. Nock, then a schoolboy. The driver of a train to moved off even though the signal was at 'danger', and into the path of an oncoming train bound for Paddington; the only fatality was the driver of the Paddington train.
T. E. Lawrence
(Lawrence of Arabia) lost the 250,000-word first draft of his Seven Pillars of Wisdom
at the station when he left his briefcase while changing trains in 1919. Working from memory, as he had destroyed his notes after completion of the first draft, he then completed a 400,000-word second draft in three months.
German aircraft tried to bomb the lines into the station during the beginning of World War II
.
On 23 October 1993, an IRA
bomb exploded at a signal post near the station, some hours after 5 lb (2 kg) of Semtex
was found in the toilets of the station. The resulting closure of the railway line and evacuation of the station caused travel chaos for several hours, but no-one was injured.
, which runs west from London's Paddington station
before splitting to the west of Reading station into two lines, one serving , , Exeter
and and the other serving Bristol
, Bath
, and Cardiff
. Services on these lines are operated by First Great Western
, and almost all services stop at Reading.
Other main lines connect Reading with Birmingham
(serving both New Street
and International
stations), northern England and Scotland, and with , and to the south. Through services from north to south on these lines are operated by CrossCountry
, and all services stop in Reading. The main routes offered by CrossCountry
are to and to the North and and in the South. There are extensions to and once daily in each direction.
The secondary North Downs Line
connects Reading with Guildford
and . Services on this line, together with local stopping services to , , , and London Paddington, are also operated by First Great Western
. An electric suburban line operated by South West Trains
links Reading to London Waterloo station
. An express bus service operated by First Great Western links Reading with Heathrow Airport
.
The station currently has the following layout:
Plans were produced by Railtrack
for a major redevelopment of the station, with rail track on two levels. Since the demise of Railtrack and its replacement by Network Rail
, the status of these plans is unclear. There is sufficient space for extra through platforms on the north side of the station, and even a disused rail underpass at the junction to the east, and there have been suggestions in the press to use these for a quicker and cheaper solution. The local Unitary Council announced a scheme projected to cost £78 million early in 2006. Meanwhile the problems were mitigated by the introduction by Virgin Trains
of more frequent but shorter trains (now operated by CrossCountry
), which are able to use the shorter terminal platforms for reversing instead of needing to occupy one of the through platforms.
Irrespective of railway developments, but likely to be accelerated by them, local authority plans show a comprehensive redevelopment of the area between the town centre and the river, including the station, by 2020.
In July 2007, in its white paper
Delivering a Sustainable Railway, the government announced plans to improve traffic flow at Reading, specifically mentioned along with Birmingham New Street station
as "key congestion
pinch-points" which would share investment worth £600 million.
The current plans indicate the final layout of the station will have eight through platforms on four islands: one each for 'down fast', 'up fast', 'down slow' and 'up slow'. The current platform 4 will be used by CrossCountry
services in all directions. The disused underpass east of the station will link the electrified Wokingham line to the 'slow' lines at the north of the station complex, allowing for Heathrow Airtrack
services. Crossrail
could also be accommodated at the new station with little work beyond electrification, as new sidings have been planned to the west of the station.
On September 10, 2008 Network Rail
unveiled a £400 million regeneration and reconfiguration of the station and surrounding track, including an overpass system to the West of the station; with freight and passenger trains able to transit from the Reading to Taunton Line
and Reading to Basingstoke Line
to the 'slow' lines without crossing the 'fast' lines via an underpass beneath the 'fast' lines, rather than the current flat junction. This is planned to help alleviate current delays, due to slow moving freight trains passing through the station. As well as the reconfiguration of the track, five additional platforms are planned; the terminus for London Waterloo will be altered, and the Cow Lane bridge under the tracks will be made two-way and include a cycle path. There will be improvements that will allow the capacity for at least 4 extra trains in each direction every hour.
The station will receive:
As of May 2011, the cost of the project has risen to £850m, but it will be completed earlier than previously scheduled in 2015. These plans provide for possible future Crossrail and Airtrack services at Reading station, building a railway that will be fit for at least the next thirty years. Network Rail are also examining options to:
Also the improvements will allow 6 new freight trains each day — this could take around 200 lorries a day off the roads. Rail freight has only a quarter of the carbon footprint of moving freight by truck, meaning this project will contribute to reductions in carbon and congestion.
rail service. This project, promoted by BAA, envisaged the construction of a spur from the Waterloo to Reading Line
to Heathrow Airport, creating direct rail links from the airport to Reading, , and Guildford
. Airtrack was cancelled by BAA in April 2011
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...
town of Reading
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....
. It is situated on the northern edge of the town centre, close to the main retail and commercial areas, and also the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
. Adjacent to the railway station is a bus interchange, served by most of Reading's urban and rural bus services.
Reading is a major junction point on the National Rail
National Rail
National Rail is a title used by the Association of Train Operating Companies as a generic term to define the passenger rail services operated in Great Britain...
system, and as a consequence the railway station is a major transfer point as well as serving heavy originating and terminating traffic. The station is sponsored by ING Direct and the University of Reading
University of Reading
The University of Reading is a university in the English town of Reading, Berkshire. The University was established in 1892 as University College, Reading and received its Royal Charter in 1926. It is based on several campuses in, and around, the town of Reading.The University has a long tradition...
.
Reading is served by three train operating companies - 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....
, 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...
and CrossCountry
CrossCountry
CrossCountry is the brand name of XC Trains Ltd., a British train operating company owned by Arriva...
.
History
The first Reading station was opened on the 30 March 1840 as the temporary western terminus of the original line of the Great Western RailwayGreat Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
(GWR). At a stroke the time taken to travel from London to Reading was reduced to one hour and five minutes, less than a quarter of the time taken by the fastest stagecoach
Stagecoach
A stagecoach is a type of covered wagon for passengers and goods, strongly sprung and drawn by four horses, usually four-in-hand. Widely used before the introduction of railway transport, it made regular trips between stages or stations, which were places of rest provided for stagecoach travelers...
. The line was extended to its intended terminus at 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...
in 1841. As constructed, Reading station was a typical Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel, FRS , was a British civil engineer who built bridges and dockyards including the construction of the first major British railway, the Great Western Railway; a series of steamships, including the first propeller-driven transatlantic steamship; and numerous important bridges...
designed single-sided intermediate station, with separate up and down platforms situated to the south of the through tracks and arranged so that all up trains calling at Reading had to cross the route of all down through trains.
In 1844 the Great Western Hotel
Malmaison Hotel, Reading
Malmaison Hotel is a grade II listed hotel in the town of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. It is situated opposite Reading railway station across Forbury Road...
was opened across the Forbury Road for people visiting the town. It is thought to be the oldest surviving railway hotel in the world.
New routes soon joined the London to Bristol line, with the line from Reading to Newbury
Newbury, Berkshire
Newbury is a civil parish and the principal town in the west of the county of Berkshire in England. It is situated on the River Kennet and the Kennet and Avon Canal, and has a town centre containing many 17th century buildings. Newbury is best known for its racecourse and the adjoining former USAF...
and Hungerford
Hungerford
Hungerford is a market town and civil parish in Berkshire, England, 9 miles west of Newbury. It covers an area of and, according to the 2001 census, has a population of 5,559 .- Geography :...
opening in 1847, and the line to Basingstoke
Reading to Basingstoke Line
The Reading to Basingstoke Line is a short railway link between the South Western Main Line and the Great Western Main Line, constructed by the Great Western Railway between 1846 and 1848. The line is served by First Great Western local services between Reading and Basingstoke, which stop at the...
in 1848.
In 1860 a new station building, in Bath Stone
Bath Stone
Bath Stone is an Oolitic Limestone comprising granular fragments of calcium carbonate. Originally obtained from the Combe Down and Bathampton Down Mines under Combe Down, Somerset, England, its warm, honey colouring gives the World Heritage City of Bath, England its distinctive appearance...
and incorporating a tower and clock, was constructed for the Great Western Railway. In 1898 the single sided station was replaced by a conventional design with 'up', 'down' and 'relief' platforms linked by a pedestrian subway.
Access to the station from Broad Street
Broad Street, Reading
Broad Street is a main pedestrianised thoroughfare and the primary high street in the English town of Reading. The street is situated in the town centre, running for approximately , from west to east. The western end of the road lies at the crossroads with Oxford Road, West Street and St Mary's...
was not direct, until Queen Victoria Street
Queen Victoria Street, Reading
Queen Victoria Street is a pedestrianised thoroughfare in the English town of Reading, Berkshire. It connects Broad Street with Friar Street and Station Road.- History :...
was built in 1903. This provided a route through to Friar Street
Friar Street, Reading
Friar Street is a thoroughfare in the English town of Reading. It runs parallel to Broad Street, connected by Union Street, Queen Victoria Street and Cross Street...
and Station Road.
The station was originally named Reading and became Reading General on 26 September 1949 in order to distinguish it from the ex-South Eastern Railway
South Eastern Railway (UK)
The South Eastern Railway was a railway company in south-eastern England from 1836 until 1922. The company was formed to construct a route from London to Dover. Branch lines were later opened to Tunbridge Wells, Hastings, Canterbury and other places in Kent...
station nearby. The "General" suffix was dropped from timetables in 1973, but some of the station nameboards still stated "Reading General" in 1974.
From 6 September 1965, services from the former station were diverted into a newly constructed terminal platform (4A) in the General station. This was long enough for a single eight coach train, which was later found to be inadequate, and so a second terminal platform (4B) serving the same line was opened in 1975 for the commencement of the service from Reading to Gatwick Airport.
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
.
Reading Signal Works
At some time between 1859 and 1865, the Great Western Signal Works were constructed on lower ground to the north of the station. These works grew until by 1872 they were employing 500 men and producing most of the signalling equipment used by the Great Western Railway. The signal works continued in existence until 1984.Motive power depot
The GWR built a small engine shed in the junction of the lines to DidcotDidcot
Didcot is a town and civil parish in Oxfordshire about south of Oxford. Until 1974 it was in Berkshire, but was transferred to Oxfordshire in that year, and from Wallingford Rural District to the district of South Oxfordshire...
and those to Basingstoke
Basingstoke
Basingstoke is a town in northeast Hampshire, in south central England. It lies across a valley at the source of the River Loddon. It is southwest of London, northeast of Southampton, southwest of Reading and northeast of the county town, Winchester. In 2008 it had an estimated population of...
in 1841. This was enlarged and rebuilt in 1876 and again in 1930. It was closed by British Railways in 1965 and replaced by the current purpose-built 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...
.
Accidents and incidents
Extreme weather was the cause of an early casualty in the station's history. On 24 March 1840, whilst the station was nearing completion, a 24-year old man by the name of Henry West was working on the station roof, when a freak wind (described at the time as a tornado) lifted that section of the roof, carrying it and West around 200 feet (61 m) away; West was killed. On the wall of main station building may be seen a brass plaque, commemorating the event.An accident occurred at Reading on 17 June 1914, and was witnessed by the railway historian O. S. Nock, then a schoolboy. The driver of a train to moved off even though the signal was at 'danger', and into the path of an oncoming train bound for Paddington; the only fatality was the driver of the Paddington train.
T. E. Lawrence
T. E. Lawrence
Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Edward Lawrence, CB, DSO , known professionally as T. E. Lawrence, was a British Army officer renowned especially for his liaison role during the Arab Revolt against Ottoman Turkish rule of 1916–18...
(Lawrence of Arabia) lost the 250,000-word first draft of his Seven Pillars of Wisdom
Seven Pillars of Wisdom
Seven Pillars of Wisdom is the autobiographical account of the experiences of British soldier T. E. Lawrence , while serving as a liaison officer with rebel forces during the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Turks of 1916 to 1918....
at the station when he left his briefcase while changing trains in 1919. Working from memory, as he had destroyed his notes after completion of the first draft, he then completed a 400,000-word second draft in three months.
German aircraft tried to bomb the lines into the station during the beginning of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
On 23 October 1993, an IRA
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
bomb exploded at a signal post near the station, some hours after 5 lb (2 kg) of Semtex
Semtex
Semtex is a general-purpose plastic explosive containing RDX and PETN. It is used in commercial blasting, demolition, and in certain military applications. Semtex became notoriously popular with terrorists because it was, until recently, extremely difficult to detect, as in the case of Pan Am...
was found in the toilets of the station. The resulting closure of the railway line and evacuation of the station caused travel chaos for several hours, but no-one was injured.
Services
The main rail route served by the station is the Great Western Main LineGreat 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...
, which runs west from London's Paddington station
Paddington station
Paddington railway station, also known as London Paddington, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex.The site is a historic one, having served as the London terminus of the Great Western Railway and its successors since 1838. Much of the current mainline station dates...
before splitting to the west of Reading station into two lines, one serving , , Exeter
Exeter St Davids railway station
Exeter St Davids station is the most important of seven National Rail stations in the city of Exeter in southwest England. Today the station is owned by Network Rail and operated by First Great Western.-History:...
and and the other serving Bristol
Bristol Temple Meads railway station
Bristol Temple Meads railway station is the oldest and largest railway station in Bristol, England. It is an important transport hub for public transport in Bristol, with bus services to various parts of the city and surrounding districts, and a ferry service to the city centre in addition to the...
, Bath
Bath Spa railway station
Bath Spa railway station is the principal railway station in the city of Bath, in South West England.-Architecture:Bath Spa station was built in 1840 for the Great Western Railway by Brunel and is a grade II* listed building...
, and Cardiff
Cardiff Central railway station
Cardiff Central railway station is a major railway station on the South Wales Main Line in Cardiff, Wales.It is the largest and busiest station in Wales and one of the major stations of the British rail network, the tenth busiest station in the United Kingdom outside of London , based on 2007/08...
. Services on these lines are 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....
, and almost all services stop at Reading.
Other main lines connect Reading with Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
(serving both New Street
Birmingham New Street Station
Birmingham New Street is the main railway station serving Birmingham, England, located in the city centre. It is an important hub for the British railway system, being served by a number of important long-distance and cross-country lines, including the Birmingham loop of the West Coast Main Line,...
and International
Birmingham International railway station
Birmingham International railway station is located in the borough of Solihull, just east of the city of Birmingham in England.The station is on the Rugby-Birmingham-Stafford Line 14 km east of Birmingham New Street and serves both Birmingham International Airport and the National Exhibition...
stations), northern England and Scotland, and with , and to the south. Through services from north to south on these lines are operated by CrossCountry
CrossCountry
CrossCountry is the brand name of XC Trains Ltd., a British train operating company owned by Arriva...
, and all services stop in Reading. The main routes offered by CrossCountry
CrossCountry
CrossCountry is the brand name of XC Trains Ltd., a British train operating company owned by Arriva...
are to and to the North and and in the South. There are extensions to and once daily in each direction.
The secondary North Downs Line
North Downs Line
The North Downs Line is the name of the passenger train service connecting Reading, on the Great Western Main Line, to Gatwick Airport, on the Brighton Main Line...
connects Reading with Guildford
Guildford (Surrey) railway station
Guildford railway station is an important railway junction on the Portsmouth Direct Line serving the town of Guildford in Surrey, England. It is 30.3 miles from London Waterloo....
and . Services on this line, together with local stopping services to , , , and London Paddington, are also 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....
. An electric suburban line 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...
links Reading to London Waterloo station
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....
. An express bus service operated by First Great Western links Reading with Heathrow Airport
London Heathrow Airport
London Heathrow Airport or Heathrow , in the London Borough of Hillingdon, is the busiest airport in the United Kingdom and the third busiest airport in the world in terms of total passenger traffic, handling more international passengers than any other airport around the globe...
.
Layout
- Platform 1, 2, 3 - West facing bay platforms. Used for local services to Basingstoke, Newbury and Bedwyn. CrossCountry services from Bournemouth to Birmingham
- Platform 4 - Fast services from Paddington to the West
- Platform 4a, 4b — East facing bay platforms. Used for services on the North Downs line and to London Waterloo
- Platform 5 - Fast services to Paddington
- Platform 6 - East facing bay platform. Used for terminating local services to and from London Paddington
- Platform 7 - West facing bay platform. Used for terminating CrossCountry services to and from Newcastle
- Platform 8 - Local services from Paddington to Oxford. Also used for CrossCountry services from Birmingham to Bournemouth. Fast services to Paddington, when platform 5 is occupied.
- Platform 9 - Local services from Oxford to Paddington and fast services to Paddington and Ealing Broadway.
- Platform 10 - East facing bay platform. Local stopping services to Paddington calling at most stations.Also local stopping services to Henley on Thames
Station layout
To serve the traffic described above, Reading Station currently has four through-platforms and eight terminal platforms. The limited number of through-platforms, together with flat junctions immediately east and west of the station, and the fact that north-south trains need to reverse direction in the station, render the station an acknowledged bottleneck with passenger trains often needing to wait outside the station for a platform to become available.Plans were produced by Railtrack
Railtrack
Railtrack was a group of companies that owned the track, signalling, tunnels, bridges, level crossings and all but a handful of the stations of the British railway system from its formation in April 1994 until 2002...
for a major redevelopment of the station, with rail track on two levels. Since the demise of Railtrack and its replacement by Network Rail
Network Rail
Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
, the status of these plans is unclear. There is sufficient space for extra through platforms on the north side of the station, and even a disused rail underpass at the junction to the east, and there have been suggestions in the press to use these for a quicker and cheaper solution. The local Unitary Council announced a scheme projected to cost £78 million early in 2006. Meanwhile the problems were mitigated by the introduction by Virgin Trains
Virgin Trains
Virgin Trains is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. It operates long-distance passenger services on the West Coast Main Line between London, the West Midlands, North West England, North Wales and Scotland...
of more frequent but shorter trains (now operated by CrossCountry
CrossCountry
CrossCountry is the brand name of XC Trains Ltd., a British train operating company owned by Arriva...
), which are able to use the shorter terminal platforms for reversing instead of needing to occupy one of the through platforms.
Irrespective of railway developments, but likely to be accelerated by them, local authority plans show a comprehensive redevelopment of the area between the town centre and the river, including the station, by 2020.
In July 2007, in its white paper
White paper
A white paper is an authoritative report or guide that helps solve a problem. White papers are used to educate readers and help people make decisions, and are often requested and used in politics, policy, business, and technical fields. In commercial use, the term has also come to refer to...
Delivering a Sustainable Railway, the government announced plans to improve traffic flow at Reading, specifically mentioned along with Birmingham New Street station
Birmingham New Street Station
Birmingham New Street is the main railway station serving Birmingham, England, located in the city centre. It is an important hub for the British railway system, being served by a number of important long-distance and cross-country lines, including the Birmingham loop of the West Coast Main Line,...
as "key congestion
Traffic congestion
Traffic congestion is a condition on road networks that occurs as use increases, and is characterized by slower speeds, longer trip times, and increased vehicular queueing. The most common example is the physical use of roads by vehicles. When traffic demand is great enough that the interaction...
pinch-points" which would share investment worth £600 million.
The current plans indicate the final layout of the station will have eight through platforms on four islands: one each for 'down fast', 'up fast', 'down slow' and 'up slow'. The current platform 4 will be used by CrossCountry
CrossCountry
CrossCountry is the brand name of XC Trains Ltd., a British train operating company owned by Arriva...
services in all directions. The disused underpass east of the station will link the electrified Wokingham line to the 'slow' lines at the north of the station complex, allowing for Heathrow Airtrack
Heathrow Airtrack
Heathrow Airtrack is a proposed railway link in west London, England, UK. The line as proposed by BAA, would have run from into central London and across the suburbs of south-west London. BAA announced that it was abandoning the project in April 2011...
services. Crossrail
Crossrail
Crossrail is a project to build a major new railway link under central London. The name refers to the first of two routes which are the responsibility of Crossrail Ltd. It is based on an entirely new east-west tunnel with a central section from to Liverpool Street station...
could also be accommodated at the new station with little work beyond electrification, as new sidings have been planned to the west of the station.
On September 10, 2008 Network Rail
Network Rail
Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
unveiled a £400 million regeneration and reconfiguration of the station and surrounding track, including an overpass system to the West of the station; with freight and passenger trains able to transit from the Reading to Taunton Line
Reading to Taunton line
The Reading to Taunton line also known as the Berks and Hants is a major branch of the Great Western Main Line that diverges at Reading, running to Cogload Junction near Taunton, where it joins the Bristol to Exeter line....
and Reading to Basingstoke Line
Reading to Basingstoke Line
The Reading to Basingstoke Line is a short railway link between the South Western Main Line and the Great Western Main Line, constructed by the Great Western Railway between 1846 and 1848. The line is served by First Great Western local services between Reading and Basingstoke, which stop at the...
to the 'slow' lines without crossing the 'fast' lines via an underpass beneath the 'fast' lines, rather than the current flat junction. This is planned to help alleviate current delays, due to slow moving freight trains passing through the station. As well as the reconfiguration of the track, five additional platforms are planned; the terminus for London Waterloo will be altered, and the Cow Lane bridge under the tracks will be made two-way and include a cycle path. There will be improvements that will allow the capacity for at least 4 extra trains in each direction every hour.
Proposed Future Platform Plan (Under Construction)
The currently published plans indicate the following layout :- Platform 1, 2, 3 - (currently platforms 1, 2 & 3) West facing bay platforms. Platforms 1 and 2 for local services to Basingstoke, Newbury and Bedwyn, and platform 3 for Cross Country reversing trains.
- Platform 4, 5, 6 — (new platform adjacent to Apex Plaza & current platforms 4a & 4b) East facing bay platforms. Used for services on the North Downs line and to London Waterloo, and for the proposed Airtrack Scheme. Airtrack now cancelled as of 2011.
- Platform 7 - (currently platform 4) Down trains for the Newbury route and for reversing Cross Country services.
- Platform 8, 9 - (currently platforms 5 & 8) Two Down Main platforms for SWML Paddington - Bristol - S Wales
- (current platforms 6 & 7 will not be used following the redevelopment. Platform 7 will be taken out of use in Dec 2011. Platform 6 will be renumbered as 16 from Dec 27th 2011, and will remain in use temporarily.)
- Platform 10, 11 - (currently platforms 9 & 10) Two Up Main platforms for SWML Paddington - Bristol - S Wales
- Platform 12, 13, 14 & 15 - (New platforms on site of former goods sidings)Up and Down Relief line platforms for stopping services.
The station will receive:
- Five new platforms to ease overcrowding
- A new foot-bridge between platforms
- New escalators and lifts
- A new northern entrance to the station will improve access and the link through the station between Reading town centre to the Thames (Caversham).
As of May 2011, the cost of the project has risen to £850m, but it will be completed earlier than previously scheduled in 2015. These plans provide for possible future Crossrail and Airtrack services at Reading station, building a railway that will be fit for at least the next thirty years. Network Rail are also examining options to:
- Improve the station concourse
- Provide new facilities such as improved ticketing
- Enhance cycle facilities.
Also the improvements will allow 6 new freight trains each day — this could take around 200 lorries a day off the roads. Rail freight has only a quarter of the carbon footprint of moving freight by truck, meaning this project will contribute to reductions in carbon and congestion.
Heathrow Airport links
Reading station was intended to be the western terminus for the proposed Heathrow AirtrackHeathrow Airtrack
Heathrow Airtrack is a proposed railway link in west London, England, UK. The line as proposed by BAA, would have run from into central London and across the suburbs of south-west London. BAA announced that it was abandoning the project in April 2011...
rail service. This project, promoted by BAA, envisaged the construction of a spur from the Waterloo to 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...
to Heathrow Airport, creating direct rail links from the airport to Reading, , and Guildford
Guildford (Surrey) railway station
Guildford railway station is an important railway junction on the Portsmouth Direct Line serving the town of Guildford in Surrey, England. It is 30.3 miles from London Waterloo....
. Airtrack was cancelled by BAA in April 2011