Five new platforms, an elevated railway, a new station entrance and a new train depot are among a host of improvements presented at Network Rail’s exhibition.
Preliminary work is underway with construction in full swing in 2010. Once it is completed in 2015, the scheme is set to enable more trains to run through Reading; reduce delays on the Western route; ease overcrowding at the station and help foster economic growth at Reading.
Rupert Walker, project director, Network Rail says, “Today’s announcement marks a new milestone and another step closer to realising the scheme. We are very excited to present a proposal that is shaped with contributions from everyone. Having early open dialogues with the industry, passengers and local community is key for a scheme of this scale and complexity.
“We plan to deliver the project in phases to provide incremental benefits to the public over the next eight years. As we have learnt from major projects that we have managed across the country, we are confident to deliver a better railway that will also cater for tomorrow’s demands.”
Following a series of consultations with the rail industry, Reading Borough Council and local groups, these improvement works are proposed:
- Five new platforms, four serving passengers travelling on express and local services to ease overcrowding by boosting station capacity
- One new southern platform and platforms 4a/b will be lengthened to enable additional and longer trains travelling to and from Waterloo station
- An elevated railway west of Reading station to untangle the paths used by freight and passenger trains and to allow more trains to run to and from London
- Wider Cow Lane Bridges, with two carriageways, cycle way and pavement, making it easier for cyclists and pedestrians to get through
- New station footbridge with step-free access to link all platforms and the new northern entrance
- Provision for a new entrance to the north of the station, which will improve accessibility to the station and provide a link for pedestrians from Reading town centre to the Thames
- Re-open a railway tunnel at the east of the station for Gatwick rail services and to allow potential for rail services to Heathrow Airport (Airtrack) in the future
- A new train depot that can accommodate more trains and potentially new Inter-city Express trains in the future
- New signal centre at Didcot, which will replace current signal centres at: Slough, Reading, Swindon and Oxford and allow doubling of Cotswold line and can accommodate E-W rail.
With more and more passengers choosing to travel by train, the railway today is
busier and more successful than ever before. Over 50,000 people use Reading station every day.
The country is also seeing huge growth in freight, with over 60% more cargo being carried today than 10 years ago, taking hundreds of thousands of lorries off the road. This growth has seen Reading become one of the busiest and most important railway junctions in the whole of Britain.
Reading has therefore become a bottleneck and is beginning to cause delays and prevent extra trains being run.
1) Delays can be caused when freight and cross country services to and from the north and west have to pass across the main railway lines in front of express trains
2) Congestion is caused when freight, local passenger trains and express services all have to use the same junction
3) As passenger numbers increase the station is becoming increasingly crowded
Benefits of the scheme
More trains
Improvements will allow the capacity for at least 4 extra trains in each direction every hour. This will improve the passenger experience throughout the Thames Valley and West Country.
Fewer delays
Passengers will complete their journeys in better time than before. Removal of the bottleneck will allow trains to move more freely into the station meaning they will not be forced to wait outside the station. Additional capacity in the network will also reduce the likelihood of delays if there are problems with other services.
A better station
The station will receive:
Five new platforms to ease overcrowding
A new foot-bridge between platforms
New escalators and lifts
Improving access
A new northern entrance for the station will improving the link through the station between Reading town centre to the Thames (Caversham).
More capacity for freight
Improvements will allow 6 new freight trains each day - this could take around 200 lorries a day off our roads. Rail freight has only a quarter of the carbon footprint of moving freight by truck, this means the project will contribute to reductions in carbon and congestion.
Improved Cow Lane Bridges
Cow Lane Bridges will be widened, providing two carriageways able to accommodate double-decker buses and lorries. A new cycle way and pavement will be provided for cyclists and pedestrians.
Planning for the future
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.
New construction jobs
It is estimated that around 130 dedicated Network Rail staff will be needed, additional to the needs of contractors and partners. Network Rail wants to recruit as many people as possible from the Reading area.
A boost for Reading businesses
Reading Borough Council estimates that improving the railway will boost business in the town significantly.
Engaging the community
Before this new plan was developed Reading Borough Council and Network Rail consulted on proposals for an underpass west of Reading station. This plan would have meant closing several road bridges, including Cow Lane Bridge and building a new road north of the railway.
The consultation gathered from people in Reading that;
• Supported building a better railway
• Wanted to see more trains and fewer delays
• Wanted a better station.
But:
• Didn’t want to see Cow Lane Bridge closed
• Were worried about traffic on the new road and any impact on Scours Lane
• Were worried about the loss of access for cyclists and pedestrians.
Those comments were taken into serious consideration, keeping Cow Lane Bridge open and the plan for an elevated railway was therefore mooted.
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Preliminary work is underway with construction in full swing in 2010. Once it is completed in 2015, the scheme is set to enable more trains to run through Reading; reduce delays on the Western route; ease overcrowding at the station and help foster economic growth at Reading.
Rupert Walker, project director, Network Rail says, “Today’s announcement marks a new milestone and another step closer to realising the scheme. We are very excited to present a proposal that is shaped with contributions from everyone. Having early open dialogues with the industry, passengers and local community is key for a scheme of this scale and complexity.
“We plan to deliver the project in phases to provide incremental benefits to the public over the next eight years. As we have learnt from major projects that we have managed across the country, we are confident to deliver a better railway that will also cater for tomorrow’s demands.”
Following a series of consultations with the rail industry, Reading Borough Council and local groups, these improvement works are proposed:
- Five new platforms, four serving passengers travelling on express and local services to ease overcrowding by boosting station capacity
- One new southern platform and platforms 4a/b will be lengthened to enable additional and longer trains travelling to and from Waterloo station
- An elevated railway west of Reading station to untangle the paths used by freight and passenger trains and to allow more trains to run to and from London
- Wider Cow Lane Bridges, with two carriageways, cycle way and pavement, making it easier for cyclists and pedestrians to get through
- New station footbridge with step-free access to link all platforms and the new northern entrance
- Provision for a new entrance to the north of the station, which will improve accessibility to the station and provide a link for pedestrians from Reading town centre to the Thames
- Re-open a railway tunnel at the east of the station for Gatwick rail services and to allow potential for rail services to Heathrow Airport (Airtrack) in the future
- A new train depot that can accommodate more trains and potentially new Inter-city Express trains in the future
- New signal centre at Didcot, which will replace current signal centres at: Slough, Reading, Swindon and Oxford and allow doubling of Cotswold line and can accommodate E-W rail.
With more and more passengers choosing to travel by train, the railway today is
busier and more successful than ever before. Over 50,000 people use Reading station every day.
The country is also seeing huge growth in freight, with over 60% more cargo being carried today than 10 years ago, taking hundreds of thousands of lorries off the road. This growth has seen Reading become one of the busiest and most important railway junctions in the whole of Britain.
Reading has therefore become a bottleneck and is beginning to cause delays and prevent extra trains being run.
1) Delays can be caused when freight and cross country services to and from the north and west have to pass across the main railway lines in front of express trains
2) Congestion is caused when freight, local passenger trains and express services all have to use the same junction
3) As passenger numbers increase the station is becoming increasingly crowded
Benefits of the scheme
More trains
Improvements will allow the capacity for at least 4 extra trains in each direction every hour. This will improve the passenger experience throughout the Thames Valley and West Country.
Fewer delays
Passengers will complete their journeys in better time than before. Removal of the bottleneck will allow trains to move more freely into the station meaning they will not be forced to wait outside the station. Additional capacity in the network will also reduce the likelihood of delays if there are problems with other services.
A better station
The station will receive:
Five new platforms to ease overcrowding
A new foot-bridge between platforms
New escalators and lifts
Improving access
A new northern entrance for the station will improving the link through the station between Reading town centre to the Thames (Caversham).
More capacity for freight
Improvements will allow 6 new freight trains each day - this could take around 200 lorries a day off our roads. Rail freight has only a quarter of the carbon footprint of moving freight by truck, this means the project will contribute to reductions in carbon and congestion.
Improved Cow Lane Bridges
Cow Lane Bridges will be widened, providing two carriageways able to accommodate double-decker buses and lorries. A new cycle way and pavement will be provided for cyclists and pedestrians.
Planning for the future
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.
New construction jobs
It is estimated that around 130 dedicated Network Rail staff will be needed, additional to the needs of contractors and partners. Network Rail wants to recruit as many people as possible from the Reading area.
A boost for Reading businesses
Reading Borough Council estimates that improving the railway will boost business in the town significantly.
Engaging the community
Before this new plan was developed Reading Borough Council and Network Rail consulted on proposals for an underpass west of Reading station. This plan would have meant closing several road bridges, including Cow Lane Bridge and building a new road north of the railway.
The consultation gathered from people in Reading that;
• Supported building a better railway
• Wanted to see more trains and fewer delays
• Wanted a better station.
But:
• Didn’t want to see Cow Lane Bridge closed
• Were worried about traffic on the new road and any impact on Scours Lane
• Were worried about the loss of access for cyclists and pedestrians.
Those comments were taken into serious consideration, keeping Cow Lane Bridge open and the plan for an elevated railway was therefore mooted.
http://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/imagelibrary/detail.asp?MediaDetailsID=1708
http://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/content/Detail.asp?ReleaseID=3897&NewsAreaID=2