Reading, post-upgrade...

[Lynford1976]

Just wondered if the completion of the works at Reading has resulted in a more reliable service, or if there are still occasional delays?

I used to have friends who lived just up the line and they were always complaining about the service during the works. I suspect it was a contributory factor towards their later divorce...

Many thanks

 

[D1009]

Just wondered if the completion of the works at Reading has resulted in a more reliable service, or if there are still occasional delays?

I used to have friends who lived just up the line and they were always complaining about the service during the works. I suspect it was a contributory factor towards their later divorce...

Many thanks

In my experience the delays are more occasional than previously.

 

[Ironside]

The delays due to the lack of platforms have gone but there are many other reasons for delays and these still have a effect.

 

[coppercapped]

Just wondered if the completion of the works at Reading has resulted in a more reliable service, or if there are still occasional delays?

I used to have friends who lived just up the line and they were always complaining about the service during the works. I suspect it was a contributory factor towards their later divorce...

Many thanks

As far as I am aware, no statistics referring to Reading alone have been published, but global data suggest that GWR's performance is slowly improving. Apart from having more through mainline platforms delays because of crossing movements immediately to the west of the station are also noticeably fewer.

Anecdata would also suggest that the performance of the South Western service to Bracknell and Waterloo and the North Downs service to Gatwick is also better than before as there are now three platforms instead of two with a two track approach rather than a single line bottleneck right at the end of the platforms.

As Ironside says, there are still other causes of delay, as is to be expected. In the past this was often due to signalling problems after weekend engineering work, but even these seem to have been decreasing of late.

 

[MarkyT]

Anecdotally, when I travelled to Reading frequently in years before the upgrade, mostly arriving from the Westbury direction, the epithet "Snooker Junction"(*) seemed most appropriate, as I was almost always stopped or heavily checked on approach. The handful of times I've travelled that way since the rebuild have seen a smooth run in to the up main platforms under the flyover, and the way the parallel tracks either side of the new islands seem able to deal with the flow is impressive often with the train in front departing just as you arrive and the next one drawing in just as you pull away.

* Snooker Junction - a red before any other colour!

 

[bnm]

Infrastructure failings (signals, points) further east are the most common cause of delays now.

 

[QueensCurve]

Infrastructure failings (signals, points) further east are the most common cause of delays now.

These seem to be one of the most common "incidents" on the National Rail Enquiries service updates.

 

[Elecman]

* Snooker Junction - a red before any other colour!

more commonly referred to as 'The Crucible' at Preston

 

[coppercapped]

* Snooker Junction - a red before any other colour!

Even when I was at school in the 1950s it was referred to as Stopemall Junction...with reference to the summer Saturday holiday specials and reliefs.:cry:
.

 

[cactustwirly]

My relief Stopping from the East, go straight into the platforms, previously they waited for a few minutes (especially before going into platform 6)

 

[DaveNewcastle]

J . . . . they were always complaining about the service during the works. I suspect it was a contributory factor towards their later divorce.

I'm not aware of any studies into the relationship between rail infrastructure work and divorce.

Perhaps you've just hit on an innovative area for research?

And perhaps Network Rail would like to commission a study into their impact on society in terms of benefits and harms to marital relations.

But probably not.

But I am curious as to how their works had contributed to a divorce.

 

[swt_passenger]

But I am curious as to how their works had contributed to a divorce.

Bloke was probably going out at all hours to take photos of the works as they progressed, posting to online forums and all that sort of thing.

Wife thought that was behaving a bit strange for a long period...

QED...