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Reading improvements milestones

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Engineer

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Important milestone today as the existing overbridge at Reading Station has closed and a new overbridge opening is planned for 29th March. Nostalgic interest yesterday watching last time ever through the glass, a Class 66 freight waiting on the bi directional up main line, centered between platform 5 & 6 facing West, while crossed on both sides by an HST.

Does anyone know how the Acton etc freight crossing over from down slow to the Westbury & Southampton direction will be accomodated in the new plan. Not abvious to me looking at the plans, that there is any improvement in this phase. My cheap car park opposite, run by Vinci, under condemed Tower block also closed yesterday.
 
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LexyBoy

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Not sure what the four in the title refers to- there are 5 (or 6 if you include p10) new platforms being built. The down main platform which used to be p4 is now p7 - there's only one p4 now!.
Does anyone know how the Acton etc freight crossing over from down slow to the Westbury & Southampton direction will be accomodated in the new plan. Not abvious to me looking at the plans, that there is any improvement in this phase.

It'll cross under the mains, which will be raised on a viaduct to the west of the station, in phase 2 of the remodelling. There'll be more lines in total through the station, even though they all serve platforms, so finding paths for freight and ECS should not be a problem.

If you take a train towards Tilehurst you can see where a lot of land has been cleared to the south of the line for the viaduct works. Much of the track in the old depot has been lifted and scrub cleared.

I'm not sure when the middle line is coming out, but I believe it to be well before the 2015 phase 2 completion.

Quite an odd feeling going through the underpass this morning, being in a new place whilst still somewhere so familiar. Good views of the new north entrance though- looks massive from ground level!
 

swt_passenger

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The middle line between current P7/8?

It goes out of use permanently from the end of March. Even if it had been left temporarily it would have had to close by the autumn when they start to build out P7 by a couple of metres.
 

FGW_DID

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The freight line will run straight up through the triangle in the area currently occupied by the Reading TMD buildings, then (as previously stated) duck under the elevated main lines then will join the relief lines.
 

swt_passenger

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I think from re-reading the original question, the bit concerning whether there is any 'improvement in this phase' refers to the situation immediately after the Easter Blockade. In which case you can get an idea how the freight services will run through by interrogating a site such as realtimetrains:

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/sea...edule_type=0&show_wtt=1&show_var=1&show_stp=1

If that link keeps on working it should show anonymous freight movements (ZZ) all day on 8th April, this is following the track changes, and it shows the platforms the services are expected to be routed through. Up trains from the Westbury direction use various routes including platforms 7, 8 and 10 in this phase.
 

Surreyman

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Important milestone today as the existing overbridge at Reading Station has closed and a new overbridge opening is planned for 29th March. Nostalgic interest yesterday watching last time ever through the glass, a Class 66 freight waiting on the bi directional up main line, centered between platform 5 & 6 facing West, while crossed on both sides by an HST.

Does anyone know how the Acton etc freight crossing over from down slow to the Westbury & Southampton direction will be accomodated in the new plan. Not abvious to me looking at the plans, that there is any improvement in this phase. My cheap car park opposite, run by Vinci, under condemed Tower block also closed yesterday.
When you say the 'existing overbridge has closed', I think that's just the bit to the Multi story car park, i.e the far section of bridge over the new platforms.
My understanding is that the rest of the overbridge remains open until the new one is ready?
 

swt_passenger

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When you say the 'existing overbridge has closed', I think that's just the bit to the Multi story car park, i.e the far section of bridge over the new platforms.
My understanding is that the rest of the overbridge remains open until the new one is ready?

... and because as mentioned they've also sensibly removed the glass fence that divided the paid and public sides of the footbridge, so the lifts no longer take you outside the paid area, I wonder if there'll be any detectable jump in revenue?
 

David Goddard

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When you say the 'existing overbridge has closed', I think that's just the bit to the Multi story car park, i.e the far section of bridge over the new platforms.
My understanding is that the rest of the overbridge remains open until the new one is ready?

Correct. The existing bridge remains open for access between all current platforms. It it the Link Span to the car park that has closed, meaning car park users and pedestrians who wish to cross the railway have to use the refurbished subway.

The footbridge has also seen the removal of the dividing fence, returning it to it's full width for the first time since installation of ticket gates over ten years ago.

The bridge will remain open until the new transfer deck opens at the end of March. This will then enable the old bridge to be removed and the lift shafts demolished, which will allow a much larger circulating area between the gateline and P4-7, open area on 8/9 and transformation of present bay platform 11 into a full length platform to create island 10/11.
 

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Engineer

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Thank you all for the Reading Station upgrade information you posted, especially realtime trains web site and slow line under pass plan for phase II. Sorry the Class 66 West bound mentioned in the original post, was of course between existing platform 4 & 5. How I loved to watch the Castles & Blue Pullman bypass plaform 5 and thunder non stop towards Paddington, on this line due to dissapear. Reading platform renumbering will commence on March 29th.
 

swt_passenger

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Thank you all for the Reading Station upgrade information you posted, especially realtime trains web site and slow line under pass plan for phase II. Sorry the Class 66 West bound mentioned in the original post, was of course between existing platform 4 & 5. How I loved to watch the Castles & Blue Pullman bypass plaform 5 and thunder non stop towards Paddington, on this line due to dissapear. Reading platform renumbering will commence on March 29th.

In fact the renumbering has already happened over Christmas/new year 2011/2012. Have sent a more detailed PM...
 

Surreyman

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Correct. The existing bridge remains open for access between all current platforms. It it the Link Span to the car park that has closed, meaning car park users and pedestrians who wish to cross the railway have to use the refurbished subway.

The footbridge has also seen the removal of the dividing fence, returning it to it's full width for the first time since installation of ticket gates over ten years ago.

The bridge will remain open until the new transfer deck opens at the end of March. This will then enable the old bridge to be removed and the lift shafts demolished, which will allow a much larger circulating area between the gateline and P4-7, open area on 8/9 and transformation of present bay platform 11 into a full length platform to create island 10/11.

Visited Reading today, platforms 10 & 11 closed, presumably to allow construction work.
Work in full flow on new platforms and new overbridge.
My train went right past the soon to be re-instated single track underpass, I seem to recall someone on this forum said it will be electrified,
my eyesight is not what it was, certainly not from a moving train but from what I could see, the height clearance looks like OHL is going to be a bit tight! Maybe just 750DC third rail but why would you want Waterloo trains going through?
Anyone able to expand on this?
 

aleph_0

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I'm not looking forward to the platform changes - my -1 minute connection from the Southern platforms to platform 7 will no longer work - since the train will now use platform 8, and be on time.

The new station is starting to look lovely now though. I expect the station staff will be very happy too - the amount of my fellow passengers who ignore the stand behind the yellow line instructions, delaying dispatch, is embarrassing.
 

swt_passenger

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My train went right past the soon to be re-instated single track underpass, I seem to recall someone on this forum said it will be electrified,
my eyesight is not what it was, certainly not from a moving train but from what I could see, the height clearance looks like OHL is going to be a bit tight! Maybe just 750DC third rail but why would you want Waterloo trains going through?
Anyone able to expand on this?

The decision whether or not to electrify the eastern underpass is yet to be made.

NR have said in correspondence I've downloaded (Q&A about the station rebuild Network Change) that passive provision has been made for either AC or DC electrification of the underpass. P13/14/15 all have sleepers that can take third rail 'pots', and the underpass also has overhead clearance.

Seems they are covering all obvious possibilities.

Source:

25. Paragraph 5.10 Remodelling of East Throat: Network Rail to advise extent of third rail and / or overhead electrification intended or if passive provision provided in the southern underpass;
The Up and Down Reading Low Level Line is provided with passive provision for AC & DC electrification with headroom clearances and 3rd Rail sleepers being installed.

http://www.networkrail.co.uk/browse...western/reply to fgw stage f ncn 03102012.pdf
 
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FGW_DID

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Noted this morning was the first of the overhead wires to go up in the depot area.
 

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HowardGWR

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Not sure Howard, will see if there's any pictures in any books later.

Incidentally then, not only is that the first set of wires to go up then, but the first OLE Gantry has appeared in the station area now.

http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=6405.1275
I've answered my own question; it was double track originally but they made one a dead end siding, for some reason. So it means it retains two track capability. (source page 14 Part 2A GWR Goods Services). It doesn't look a low bridge so electrification with OLE seems well possible.
 

LNW-GW Joint

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Not sure Howard, will see if there's any pictures in any books later.

Incidentally then, not only is that the first set of wires to go up then, but the first OLE Gantry has appeared in the station area now.

http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=6405.1275

There are actually quite a few portal structures over all the tracks now, starting just east of the Kennet bridge.
There is an electrification depot to the north of the layout (alongside Tesco, if you know the locality) - piles, steelwork etc.
Among all the construction bedlam, I noticed they were piling one of the long cylinders for the OHL supports in the far north-eastern part of the station today - alongside the car park by the new platforms (see pic).

The wire in the depot is just a couple of transverse stretches so far.
I also noticed a few completed piles just west of Tilehurst, the supplies depot at Moreton Cutting, and what seemed like another enormous pile ready to go in at Didcot North Jn.
I also persuaded myself that ground preparation for piles was evident most of the way from Tilehurst to Oxford - gravel patches with a white stick protruding.

Very little to see east of Reading apart from a new cable route being dug on the north side, most of the way east of Airport Jn.
Makes a change from my usual haunt rivet-counting the NW electrification progress!

Edit: I meant Pangbourne rather than Tilehurst in the above.
Forgetting my geography.
 

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swt_passenger

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I thought Network Rail were doing away with this type of OHLE?

I don't think there's the same problem with using headspans in a depot, in fact don't they usually just use a single wire over depot roads anyway?

(Is that known as 'tramway' electrification by the way?)
 

Ironside

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I walked through the new underpass today it looks really good. My only concern is that it might not be wide enough for cyclists as well as pedestrians, it was about 5 meters wide. When a cyclist came through he had to weave about a bit.

Also if you already have a ticket but want to go to the 1980's part of the station, say to get a sandwich or something do you have to use the underpass or will you be able to go over the bridge?
 
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....My only concern is that it might not be wide enough for cyclists as well as pedestrians, it was about 5 meters wide. When a cyclist came through he had to weave about a bit.

Also if you already have a ticket but want to go to the 1980's part of the station, say to get a sandwich or something do you have to use the underpass or will you be able to go over the bridge?

Don't forget that once the north entrance is open, there will be fewer pedestrians using the subway, than during this temporary period of only a few weeks.

There will normally be no need for passengers to use the subway once the new transfer deck and both north and south entrances are open.
There is plenty of room for food and refreshment facilities to be provided in the new building.


 

Ironside

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Don't forget that once the north entrance is open, there will be fewer pedestrians using the subway, than during this temporary period of only a few weeks.

There will normally be no need for passengers to use the subway once the new transfer deck and both north and south entrances are open.
There is plenty of room for food and refreshment facilities to be provided in the new building.



Fair enough, problems sorted.:D
 

HSTEd

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I thought Network Rail were doing away with this type of OHLE?

For main line use at relatively high speed I believe so.
I expect it is still considered useful in areas like sidings and platforms at stations (See the headspans at Grantham).

And in answer to another persons comment: Yes, using a single wire as in many depots is referred to as trolley wire electrification.

It is entirely possible to have Trolleywire Headspans though, and I believe the Milwaukee Road had significant lengths of this track in the US before it was de-electrified.
 

swt_passenger

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My only concern is that it might not be wide enough for cyclists as well as pedestrians, it was about 5 meters wide. When a cyclist came through he had to weave about a bit.

Is it to be seriously considered usable as a cycle route? I'm quite surprised it isn't already marked as a 'no cycling' area...

--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

And in answer to another persons comment: Yes, using a single wire as in many depots is referred to as trolley wire electrification.

Thanks - that description rings a bell now...
 
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The Ham

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Thinking "out load" is it likely that if the SWML has engineering works east of Basingstoke (once the line to Basingstoke to Reading is electrified) that trains could be run to Waterloo via Reading to avoid the need to bus passengers?

It would probably result in the Reading to Waterloo trains being replaced with the through trains on a skip stop calling pattern.
 

LexyBoy

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Thinking "out load" is it likely that if the SWML has engineering works east of Basingstoke (once the line to Basingstoke to Reading is electrified) that trains could be run to Waterloo via Reading to avoid the need to bus passengers?

It would probably result in the Reading to Waterloo trains being replaced with the through trains on a skip stop calling pattern.

That would require dual voltage stock (which would perhaps be available following Basingstoke-Soton AC conversion), and lengthen journey times by at least ~40 minutes. It'd be easier to shuttle passengers to Reading for connections to London (with most choosing Paddington, obviously). WoE services could do this already, which I've never seen, so I guess there's good (well, maybe not so good) reasons for this.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
HSTEd said:
And in answer to another persons comment: Yes, using a single wire as in many depots is referred to as trolley wire electrification.

It is entirely possible to have Trolleywire Headspans though, and I believe the Milwaukee Road had significant lengths of this track in the US before it was de-electrified.

Looking at it this morning, I wonder if this is what is planned. The headspans look lower and closer together than usual, though the spacing could be to do with all the pointwork I suppose.

ION, the link span was severed last night, with the sections cut up prior to removal (crane was in place this morning). Fun watching the sparks shower down to the ground and light up the car park :)
 
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