Thames Valley Park, Reading.

[peterson]

Hello. There is a lively local debate running at the moment regarding a plan for a bus-only link adjacent to the Great Western mainline running from Thames Valley Business Park to Reading station bridging across the Kennet. It's been designed for potential future upgrade to light rail.
A small amount of green space is needed, prompting some opposition. A counter argument is that there should instead be a railway station at Thames Valley Park. My assumption is that line capacity would make it very difficult to service such a station with a vaguely frequent service to Reading. (The bus link proposes 10 buses per hour as well as taking many other local services)
Campaigners claim "digital signaling" will create capacity to allow a regular train service. Are they right? I'd like the debate to be more informed, and this looked a good place to ask! Thanks

 

[gazthomas]

I worked in Thames Valley Park when it opened just over twenty years ago and there was talk of a station then. I wonder whether a light rail scheme to link to the Reading to Waterloo line might be better

 

[MarkyT]

I don't see a huge problem with platforms on the Relief lines there as long as most trains stopped there. That could include Elizabeth and Heathrow western access services. A heavy rail station station will no doubt be expensive and will have some cost in journey time and as ususal probably take decades to plan and construct! The dedicated busway on the other hand would be very useful and probably much quicker to plan and construct. I could see the park and ride bus from Loddon Bridge diverted to use it, with a useful call added near TVP, and that service could be integrated with Winnetsh Triangle rail station as well to provide a link from the Guildford and Waterloo lines into TVP without having to go into Reading and back out. The Railair bus could also call at TVP and use the busway, but I assume that bus will not survive a future direct Heathrow rail service

 

[jfisher21]

a faster link to reading from tvp would be very welcome ..... existing buses do get stuck in traffic!

 

[NotATrainspott]

The case for a heavy rail station will depend on what you're actually trying to achieve. If the aim of the game is to make Thames Valley Park more accessible for the whole of the region by public transport, then a rail link would be quite useful. For getting people around Reading itself a rail link wouldn't do so much, because it'll never be able to run as frequently as 10tph. 2 or 4tph would be perfectly acceptable for someone coming from outside of Reading but within, you need that 10tph or so to make it faster than driving.

A BRT system can work fine. What you have to watch out for with BRT is that it doesn't suffer a death by a thousand cuts. Trams and metros are more expensive and harder to justify in the first place, but as long as the project goes ahead, the end result will be useful. BRT systems have a tendency to be de-scoped to the point of uselessness, as the expensive off-street and segregated running sections are slowly removed and replaced by cheap on-street bus lanes.

 

[laird]

The original design of the Thames Valley Park station, Reading East, or Earley North depending on how you choose to call it was to be a 4 platform station.
At the time of the design it was capable of electrification and the land on which it was to stand remains broadly protected although the installation of OHLE masts has somewhat encroached on this.
The idea was probably that the flow on the main lines would be broadly contra peak flow, i.e. from London in the morning and vice versa in the evening.
Now with the GWR service and Elizabeth Line services it might be possible to get away with just a relief line station.

If it was to be constructed it would give Reading a network centred on Reading station to relieve the road network with Reading Green Park (Reading South), existing Reading West, Tilehurst, Pangbourne, Earley, Winnersh and this new Reading East station all within the nearby circle of interest.

 

[JamesRowden]

The case for a heavy rail station will depend on what you're actually trying to achieve. If the aim of the game is to make Thames Valley Park more accessible for the whole of the region by public transport, then a rail link would be quite useful. For getting people around Reading itself a rail link wouldn't do so much, because it'll never be able to run as frequently as 10tph. 2 or 4tph would be perfectly acceptable for someone coming from outside of Reading but within, you need that 10tph or so to make it faster than driving.

A BRT system can work fine. What you have to watch out for with BRT is that it doesn't suffer a death by a thousand cuts. Trams and metros are more expensive and harder to justify in the first place, but as long as the project goes ahead, the end result will be useful. BRT systems have a tendency to be de-scoped to the point of uselessness, as the expensive off-street and segregated running sections are slowly removed and replaced by cheap on-street bus lanes.

You could have 10tph since 10tph is already effectively proposed for the relief lines between Maidenhead and Slough (4tph Crossrail, 2tph Thames Valley semi-fast & 4tph Western Rail Access to Heathrow). Just run the planned Maidenhead Crossrail terminators through to Reading and have all relief line passenger services call at the new station.

 

[TwistedMentat]

When you say digital signalling are you referring to ETCS? As I'm fairly sure nothing has changed with the signalling yet.

As for the thing of station, light rail, or bus rapid transit. As someone living nearby I just don't care as long as something gets built. No matter the choice made someone is going to be hugely angry.

 

[NotATrainspott]

You could have 10tph since 10tph is already effectively proposed for the relief lines between Maidenhead and Slough (4tph Crossrail, 2tph Thames Valley semi-fast & 4tph Western Rail Access to Heathrow). Just run the planned Maidenhead Crossrail terminators through to Reading and have all relief line passenger services call at the new station.

10tph between Reading and this new station, maybe, but not 10tph between the places where most people live and where most people want to go. If you're coming from Oxford you'll tolerate a few minutes' walk to and from the stations at either end of your journey. Within Reading you'll want a station closer to where you live. That's where rapid transit systems come in, since they're able to have more stops more conveniently located for real journeys.

 

[Brown]

I think bus lane should be mre feasible and quicker option.

 

[Bessie]

The sooner they build a proper bridge/connection from the roundabout at start of TVP over the Thames to south Oxfordshire the better. What is the occupancy of TVP like these days? BG Group (1,300 people) closed their offices once Shell took them over. You have Microsoft and Oracle but not sure they would want to contribute to a new bus link. If the western link from Heathrow gets built then the Railair bus link from Reading will become defunct. Reading Council is broke so not sure where funding will come from.

 

[JamesRowden]

10tph between Reading and this new station, maybe, but not 10tph between the places where most people live and where most people want to go. If you're coming from Oxford you'll tolerate a few minutes' walk to and from the stations at either end of your journey. Within Reading you'll want a station closer to where you live. That's where rapid transit systems come in, since they're able to have more stops more conveniently located for real journeys.

I think that there is a case for a station (or two stations) whether there is a new bus lane or not.