Reading Green Park Station

[MarkyT]

Can anyone explain the thinking behind 2 platforms each 150m long

Not long enough for an 8car EMU (if line is ever electrified), but far longer than a Voyager (if cross country were ever to call) and rather longer than a pair of 165 or 166 DMUs. Almost feels like a round number regardless of length of trains

Only just too short for 8x20m=160m, so should be possible for such a train to call, maybe with 1 passenger door disabled (or 1 car's doors depending on capability of SDO system in use). I Don't see any likelyhood of XC calling under normal circumstances. In my experience using the line regularly over a decade ago, a 2 or 3-car turbo was usually perfectly adequate for peak passenger numbers on the stoppers.

 

[Winthorpe]

Not long enough for an 8car EMU (if line is ever electrified), but far longer than a Voyager (if cross country were ever to call) and rather longer than a pair of 165 or 166 DMUs. Almost feels like a round number regardless of length of trains

Based on the mockup, pasted below, used in the media release they are expecting an Avanti Pendolino to call at the station

 

[MarkyT]

Based on the mockup, pasted below, used in the media release they are expecting an Avanti Pendolino to call at the station


View attachment 117193

Wow, and they're clearly proposing to convert them to bionic duckweed power as there's no sign of any kind of electrification. I expect they'll disable the tilt capability when they're transferred to GWR so there'll be no need for any TASS.

 

[fgwrich]

Only just too short for 8x20m=160m, so should be possible for such a train to call, maybe with 1 passenger door disabled (or 1 car's doors depending on capability of SDO system in use). I Don't see any likelyhood of XC calling under normal circumstances. In my experience using the line regularly over a decade ago, a 2 or 3-car turbo was usually perfectly adequate for peak passenger numbers on the stoppers.

A 2 car certainly isn't adequate or ideal anymore, that I can tell you! The only thing I'm looking forward to with the glacial introduction of the 769s is having 4 cars on the branch, as that will certainly help to spread the load out a bit.

Based on the mockup, pasted below, used in the media release they are expecting an Avanti Pendolino to call at the station


View attachment 117193

It's all First Group these days anyway Still, give it a good run up from Southcote and it might just make it beyond Green Park.

 

[Kite159]

A 2 car certainly isn't adequate or ideal anymore, that I can tell you! The only thing I'm looking forward to with the glacial introduction of the 769s is having 4 cars on the branch, as that will certainly help to spread the load out a bit.

It still won't stop the rear coach being the busiest on departure from both Reading & Basingstoke, because some passengers are lazy

 

[MarkyT]

It still won't stop the rear coach being the busiest on departure from both Reading & Basingstoke, because some passengers are lazy

Or have just made it on board at the nearest door before departure after running from a mainline connection.

 

[mangyiscute]

I don't ride on the line too frequently, perhaps once per month, but usually when I take it (often around evening peak times) a 3 car train is adequate, perhaps all 2 seaters are taken and some people have to sit next to someone but that is fine in my opinion. However, I would be worried for reading matches, and I also haven't tried it in the school rush

 

[kevin_roche]

I took a walk over the bridge on the south side of the station today. Here are a few pictures. It looks like the surrounding building work is still an issue with the car park being worked on this morning. The road bridge has been improved with a narrow footpath and there are now two sets of stairs down each side of the railway line.

View attachment 117389View attachment 117391View attachment 117392View attachment 117394

 

[markymark2000]

Why is Green Park taking so long to build? Maghull North was built in 8 months, Reston built in 14 months (based off start build till open to the public). We are now quite far into the development here and it still looks like it could be a few months off. Is work just very slow here? What is slowing it down?

 

[fgwrich]

Why is Green Park taking so long to build? Maghull North was built in 8 months, Reston built in 14 months (based off start build till open to the public). We are now quite far into the development here and it still looks like it could be a few months off. Is work just very slow here? What is slowing it down?

It certainly seems to be somewhat glacial, I noticed from those photos that the platform isn't even fully surfaced yet.

 

[davews]

Indeed.. I recall Martins Heron only took 2-3 months

 

[kevin_roche]

It looks to me like most of the nearby buildings are unfinished and still being worked on. The road to the new station is still part of a building site and not yet open. The article linked in post #120 also implies that the money to finish the station has only just become available.

 

[73128]

There are completed homes nearby and also a lot of offices. A lot more houses under construction too. The Madjeksi stadium will be around 10-15 minutes walk.

 

[ewsclass]

It's now the 'Select Car Leasing Stadium' haha. it's been very painful to watch this station every day indeed, incredibly slow progress

 

[fgwrich]

It's now the 'Select Car Leasing Stadium' haha. it's been very painful to watch this station every day indeed, incredibly slow progress

Indeed! It's been a few seasons since London Irish left for well, London, so sadly I have little need to use it now!

 

[Jimini]

It's now the 'Select Car Leasing Stadium' haha. it's been very painful to watch this station every day indeed, incredibly slow progress

It'll always be the Mad Stad to the locals though I'm sure!

 

[mangyiscute]

It'll always be the Mad Stad to the locals though I'm sure!

more like the Sad Stad with our current form - but let's not get too off-topic lol

 

[73128]

Went down there again yesterday. The station is now signed, with a double arrow outside and there are two bus stops and the car park has been surfaced (and has three motor cycle spaces). No obvious cycle parking though is visible. The down platform is numbered one and the up as two. The steps to the footbridge are signed as an emergency exit from the up side (fair enough) but that on the down side is equally signposted as such towards the car park, which seems silly and dissuades access from the few houses over to the west of the line. I suspect it will end up open most of the time...

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 9 Aug 2022 ==

Reading Buses have just told me that they do not plan to serve the station....

 

[fandroid]

Just passed by on the Basingstoke shuttle. There's new cable ducting under construction between the new station and Southcote junction

 

[73128]

Another visit today. Appears largely complete and there are just a few snagging items to sort out and a slightly greater electrical issue. New signs all now up. Balfour Beatty staff seem to think that opening is planned for late this year, which ties up with December timetable change opening that I have read elsewhere.

 

[fgwrich]

Another visit today. Appears largely complete and there are just a few snagging items to sort out and a slightly greater electrical issue. New signs all now up. Balfour Beatty staff seem to think that opening is planned for late this year, which ties up with December timetable change opening that I have read elsewhere.

I did notice it has now appeared in the CIS Screens too. Unsure, but I believe they have now included it in the GWR Turbo PA system.

 

[Baxenden Bank]

I did notice it has now appeared in the CIS Screens too. Unsure, but I believe they have now included it in the GWR Turbo PA system.

But they missed out 'yeah, like, sometime' in the time columns.

 

[swt_passenger]

Another visit today. Appears largely complete and there are just a few snagging items to sort out and a slightly greater electrical issue. New signs all now up. Balfour Beatty staff seem to think that opening is planned for late this year, which ties up with December timetable change opening that I have read elsewhere.

Are there still two rows of tactile pavers on each platform?

 

[AlastairFraser]

Went down there again yesterday. The station is now signed, with a double arrow outside and there are two bus stops and the car park has been surfaced (and has three motor cycle spaces). No obvious cycle parking though is visible. The down platform is numbered one and the up as two. The steps to the footbridge are signed as an emergency exit from the up side (fair enough) but that on the down side is equally signposted as such towards the car park, which seems silly and dissuades access from the few houses over to the west of the line. I suspect it will end up open most of the time...

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 9 Aug 2022 ==

Reading Buses have just told me that they do not plan to serve the station....

It might be for shuttle buses to the Mad Stad, which should be about 5 mins each driving down Longwater Avenue and Northern Way.
Reading Buses route Greenwave 50 is only about 5 mins walk away and will serve most of the area you'd want to get to from the station itself.

 

[Kite159]

Just crawled past the station (on the SWR running early) and it looked like the ticket barriers have been installed in the main building.

 

[zwk500]

But they missed out 'yeah, like, sometime' in the time columns.

Slightly surprised some wag hasn't put 2019 in the 'due' column and 2023 in the 'expected' column.

 

[73128]

Are there still two rows of tactile pavers on each platform?

yes, with the yellow line painted in between.

 

[73128]

Reading Council tell me that construction of the new station is due to complete by the end of this year, following which a safety process is to be observed prior to station opening. Once the Office of Rail and Road have authorised the station, early next year, a formal opening date will be announced.

 

[davews]

Looked pretty complete when I passed through the other day, why on earth is it taking so long....

 

[alistairlees]

Expected to open in February 2023 currently.