Reading station connection times

trainophile · 7 Apr 2018

I have a through ticket from Hereford to Richmond next week, which gives me a 7 minute connection at Reading. I know it's a bit soon to check, but RTT currently shows me arriving on platform 10 and departing from platform 4. I have never used Reading before, but passed through it many times and noticed how large and complicated it looks. A look at the station map plan has not dispelled my concerns!

Will it be easy enough to get between p10 and p4 in 7 minutes, assuming I even arrive on time? Presumably if I miss it I can get the next Waterloo service (even though my ticket is Advance), and they seem fairly frequent, but I am arranging to meet someone at Richmond so it would be good to know whether to arrange a later time and avoid a panic.

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DelW · 7 Apr 2018

It's feasible but it depends how many pax are disembarking from your train, and how near the escalators or stairs your door is - in my experience the main bottleneck is getting from the arrival platform to the transfer deck. I have quite often tried to do a nominally 4 minute connection from up main line train to Gatwick platform and I usually miss by 30 - 60 seconds (my booked connection being to the next Gatwick train but there's no harm trying, occasionally it works).
I doubt anyone will worry which SWR service you travel on.

30907 · 7 Apr 2018

DelW said:
I doubt anyone will worry which SWR service you travel on.

More to the point, you don't need to worry - if you miss the connection, you take the next available train. Even if you had a reservation on the SWR train, it wouldn't matter if the previous was delayed.

trainophile · 8 Apr 2018

Thanks both. I just remembered how to check the minimum connection times for stations and see that Reading is 7 minutes, so I only need to be half a minute late or waiting for the doors to be released and I'll be justified in getting the next one. Think I'll arrange to meet my friend at 10:45 instead of 10:31, which will give both of us more time. Richmond looks quite civilised for a short wait, or even a longer one if necessary.

The layout at Reading reminds me a bit of York, with Platform 4 being further away from the other platforms than you might expect!

Bookd · 8 Apr 2018

Indeed - if you need to wait at Richmond and step outside the station there are plenty of coffee shops, pubs etc. to fill in a few minutes.

DidcotDickie · 8 Apr 2018

7 mins is doable from plat 10 to 4 at Reading provided that you are unencumbered by luggage and in the unlikely event that your GWR service from Hereford is on time. You'll struggle to do it in less than 4.

Don't worry if you miss it - the SWR services to Richmond are every 30 mins at 12 and 42 mins past the hour off-peak. As others have noted, no-one will worry which SWR service you travel on and your advance ticket will be valid on the next service if you're delayed. You're very unlikely to get your ticket checked.

davetheguard · 8 Apr 2018

I wonder if the 7 minute connection time at Reading has changed since the station was rebuilt? I suspect not. Yet the station is now much larger than before, and as Didcot Dickie says above, it may a bit tight.

MarlowDonkey · 8 Apr 2018

trainophile said:
I know it's a bit soon to check, but RTT currently shows me arriving on platform 10 and departing from platform 4. I have never used Reading before, but passed through it many times and noticed how large and complicated it looks. A look at the station map plan has not dispelled my concerns!

I don't think it's quite as bad as it looks. The main line platforms are 7 to 15, all of which are connected by lift and escalator to a large bridge/circulation area. Platforms 1 to 3 are west facing bays, whilst 4 to 6 are east facing. Services for "Southern" destinations all leave from platforms 4 to 6.

So from platform 10, it's escalator or lift to the bridge concourse. Along the bridge to the escalator or lift down to platform 7 and then along platform 7 to the east facing bays.

How long it takes would depend how fast you walk and how busy is the station.

trainophile · 8 Apr 2018

Excellent further replies, thank you all so much. I can walk quite fast and will only have a small backpack, so I'll make a dash for it. Should be okay if I don't get confused and panic! But I won't panic as I know I can get the next one

.

takno · 8 Apr 2018

davetheguard said:
I wonder if the 7 minute connection time at Reading has changed since the station was rebuilt? I suspect not. Yet the station is now much larger than before, and as Didcot Dickie says above, it may a bit tight.

I don't think they have. I always used to find the connection time ridiculously long, particularly since I was usually changing from a southern train to a down fast train. Even going the other way was only a couple of minutes with the bridge being the right end of the station for changes onto southern trains.

The new layout has very much put the southern platforms at the edge of things. I'd say if you were on the escalators you could make most other connections pretty confidently in 5.

MotCO · 8 Apr 2018

If you're on an HST, I think coach E stops close to the escalators - you can certainly do yourself a favour by being in the middle of the train rather than the ends.

Take the down escalators on the right hand side of the station (with London in front of you). As you come down the escalators, bear left and walk down platform 7 (7a to be precise) rather than go through the exit barriers. Platform 4 is tucked away on the London side of the station.

trainophile · 8 Apr 2018

Coming from Hereford we're never quite sure what we're going to get, but hopefully it will be an HST. I'm booked in 1st, which presumably will be the London end, so perhaps I should walk back through towards the middle as we approach Reading.

Jimini · 8 Apr 2018

Also walk up / down the escalators as they are painfully slow!

trainophile · 8 Apr 2018

Jimini said:
Also walk up / down the escalators as they are painfully slow!

And hope people "stand to the right", unlike at Manchester Picc where you have to say "excuse me" on every second escalator step!

NickBucks · 8 Apr 2018

Given the state of the Cotswold line services this year I understand you need to hope that your Hereford service is not cancelled.

trainophile · 8 Apr 2018

NickBucks said:
Given the state of the Cotswold line services this year I understand you need to hope that your Hereford service is not cancelled.

Yes there do seem to have been a lot of GWR cancellations from Hereford this year, and last year too iirc. I don't know what's the matter with them. Probably think that as we're all yokels out in the sticks we're not proper customers!

Sean Emmett · 8 Apr 2018

I've done that connection many times on Bristol - Ascot journeys, from the subway in the 1980s to the 1990s footbridge and the latest footbridge.

It's not as quick as it was, extra height of the new FB doesn't help! The 1990s FB came down right by the 'Southern' bays.

In the other direction with advance tickets I'd often get half hour earlier train from Ascot to be sure of making main line connection. OK rules were on my side, but I wanted to avoid the hassle and I had reserved seat etc. Always got my mum to do that when visiting as she doesn't like tight connections.

If the connection from the Southern is late and you miss booked GWR train you can ask station staff to endorse ticket for following train, but don't fret on it.

Andrewlong · 8 Apr 2018

You should be OK. Once you get off downward escalator, you can get a good speed up along platform 7 in the direct of platform 4. You wont have any ticket barriers to contend with either. Get on nearest coach of Richmond train. They tend to be 10 coaches nowadays and it's a long walk if there is a platform change and you are mid way or at far end of platform.

reddragon · 12 Apr 2018

I can do p4/5/6 to p 12 in 90 seconds.

Go on RTT to know which side to get off - p11 the right or p10 the left. The middle of the train is useless, you need to be (on a HST) coach 2/3 from the front or back to hit the escalators as the mid section is in between & the worst place to be. 1st class is fine as you get to the doors easily.

Advance tickets only apply to GWR services as you cannot book on a SWR commuter train anyway

trainophile · 12 Apr 2018

I made it! We were a couple of minutes early arriving at Reading and once I got up the escalator the signage was pretty good.

I’ve even found a tiny 1st Class compartment, just 12 seats and the rest of the coach is empty.

I never had my ticket checked once on the GWR HST, the guard must have been too busy announcing all the short platforms!

trainophile · 13 Apr 2018

And back. Same scenario on my return, sat in 1st being plied with drinks and food, not a single ticket check.

One strange thing I have noticed on my ticket - it's for Richmond to Hereford, the booked train being Reading to Hereford, yet the ticket shows the maltese cross symbol (actually it's not maltese shaped, it's religious shaped), even though my journey didn't take me anywhere near the London tube system. Is the reason because the SWR train I got from Richmond started from Waterloo?

nickswift99 · 13 Apr 2018

trainophile said:
And back. Same scenario on my return, sat in 1st being plied with drinks and food, not a single ticket check.

One strange thing I have noticed on my ticket - it's for Richmond to Hereford, the booked train being Reading to Hereford, yet the ticket shows the maltese cross symbol (actually it's not maltese shaped, it's religious shaped), even though my journey didn't take me anywhere near the London tube system. Is the reason because the SWR train I got from Richmond started from Waterloo?

Your ticket may also be valid via London Underground and Paddington/Euston if it says LONDON EVESHAM or ANY PERMITTED. There's a cheaper NOT VIA LONDON fare if you choose to go from Richmond to Reading and change.

trainophile · 13 Apr 2018

nickswift99 said:
Your ticket may also be valid via London Underground and Paddington/Euston if it says LONDON EVESHAM or ANY PERMITTED. There's a cheaper NOT VIA LONDON fare if you choose to go from Richmond to Reading and change.

That's the way I went. My ticket reads:

"Valid only on the booked services below and required connecting services". The booked service below states:

Reading > Hereford 13-APR-18 10:53.

Thanks for replying but still puzzled.

Reading station connection times

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