Reading Green Park Station

AlbertBeale · 18 Jun 2019

andreading said:
As Chair of Shinfield Parish Council (within the borough of Wokingham) I support having half the platforms in our Parish and support keeping that odd shaped triangle. The South Reading and Shinfield area is a major growth zone and the future capacity on the railway line is of great importance. the station is split into 3 authority areas and West Berkshire only recently approved their changes. Work on the Green Park side has been progressing with the car park etc being prepared. This all ensures the Shinfield will be well connected. Our recently opened Park and Ride has direct services to Heathrow and Gatwick

In fact, although the stadium it would serve, and much of the land to the east, is in Reading district, it seems from local maps that the actual station is entirely in West Berkshire and Wokingham local authority districts. The tracks themselves at that point run north in West Berkshire, not Reading - though it's understandable that anyone would think of that patch as on the edge of Reading, as the major local settlement.

Until it was abolished as an administrative body, about 20 years ago, Berkshire Council Council would have held sway over all of this and perhaps would have banged local heads together in a more co-ordinated fashion.

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kevin_roche · 18 Jun 2019

I went there this evening and took a few picures of the site.

View of the east side from the bridge.

What appears to be an access road on th west side

Scrub land on the west side

For context see the plan in the post above.

transmanche said:
This map from Wokingham Council shows the station footprint at the top. The black line is the local authority boundary. The boundary runs along Kirtons Farm Road to include this small isolated pocket which covers the southern end of the platforms!

kevin_roche · 3 Jul 2019

Wokingham says:

No objections

https://planning.wokingham.gov.uk/FastWebPL/detail.asp?AltRef=191563

Does anyone know if the overall plan includes a way to access the station from the Western side? When I went there I thought it would be quite dangerous for pedestrians crossing the bridge from that direction in the dark.

Mintona · 4 Jul 2019

I was reading last night that the GWR December 2019 timetable includes provision for Green Park station. Which was probably always fairly obvious but nice to see it written down.

I’m interested to see how accessible it is on match days at the nearby Madejski Stadium.

kevin_roche · 4 Jul 2019

Mintona said:
I’m interested to see how accessible it is on match days at the nearby Madejski Stadium.

It is a bit of a walk.

Mintona · 4 Jul 2019

kevin_roche said:
It is a bit of a walk.

Can’t be as far as from Reading station though!

swt_passenger · 4 Jul 2019

Mintona said:
Can’t be as far as from Reading station though!

It’s use on match days seems to come up in discussion a lot, but unless they suddenly increase the frequency and run longer trains just how much of a contribution can it make?

kevin_roche · 4 Jul 2019

swt_passenger said:
It’s use on match days seems to come up in discussion a lot, but unless they suddenly increase the frequency and run longer trains just how much of a contribution can it make?

Last time I caught this train from Reading to Basingstoke it was 2 fairly full carriages. So not much.

swt_passenger · 4 Jul 2019

kevin_roche said:
Last time I caught this train from Reading to Basingstoke it was 2 fairly full carriages. So not much.

Yes, like many other openings or reopenings, I think the “sports ground” angle is very overrated.

jimm · 5 Jul 2019

swt_passenger said:
Yes, like many other openings or reopenings, I think the “sports ground” angle is very overrated.

The proximity of the stadium is hardly the main point of constructing the station. Moving football fans is just one of the roles that it can play, but the station is closer to the Madejski than a number of the locations that are popular for match day car parking, including around the M4 junction,

swt_passenger said:
It’s use on match days seems to come up in discussion a lot, but unless they suddenly increase the frequency and run longer trains just how much of a contribution can it make?

kevin_roche said:
Last time I caught this train from Reading to Basingstoke it was 2 fairly full carriages. So not much.

Normal diagrammed rolling stock for the Basingstoke service is three-car Turbo sets and whatever the frequency and capacity, getting any people out of their cars isn't a bad thing, is it?

Siemens Staines · 12 Jul 2019

By the time Green Park opens the rolling stock should be 4-car 769 should it not?

jimm · 13 Jul 2019

I was referring to what happens at the moment in terms of the comment about two-car Turbos - as for 769s, it could be a close-run thing on the current rates of progress...

HowardGWR · 13 Jul 2019

Measuring the distance with Google Earth, you would be lucky not to have to walk at least 1.3 kms.

The Ham · 14 Jul 2019

HowardGWR said:
Measuring the distance with Google Earth, you would be lucky not to have to walk at least 1.3 kms.

That would be a circa 13 minute walk, which given that major stadiums can easily have 6 minute walks to their local station isn't that big a deal.

DPWH · 14 Jul 2019

I'd say for stadia it's better not to have the station serving it right on top of the station. Particularly at the end of a game or other event there's a large exflux of people who want to go home on the next train. Having them walk 15 minutes to the station can reduce the "hit" of people the station will inevitably take right after a game.

DynamicSpirit · 14 Jul 2019

DPWH said:
I'd say for stadia it's better not to have the station serving it right on top of the station. Particularly at the end of a game or other event there's a large exflux of people who want to go home on the next train. Having them walk 15 minutes to the station can reduce the "hit" of people the station will inevitably take right after a game.

That logic works if the trains go every 5 minutes. Doesn't work quite as well if the trains only go every half hour, since most people are still going to end up on the same train (or at best maybe get split between two trains)!

Mikey C · 14 Jul 2019

DynamicSpirit said:
That logic works if the trains go every 5 minutes. Doesn't work quite as well if the trains only go every half hour, since most people are still going to end up on the same train (or at best maybe get split between two trains)!

Especially as there's nothing to keep fans around the area after a match. Brighton have the same issue, hence they keep the bars at the ground open after a match and try to make them nice places so that people don't all rush off at the same time

fgwrich · 15 Jul 2019

DynamicSpirit said:
That logic works if the trains go every 5 minutes. Doesn't work quite as well if the trains only go every half hour, since most people are still going to end up on the same train (or at best maybe get split between two trains)!

I tend to get down to as many Exeter Chiefs matches as I can per season, and I have to say it seems to work fairly well. Sandy Park station is about a similar distance to both Digby & Sowton & Newcourt stations and is served by the half hourly frequency of the Exmouth Branch. It is also topped by by 2 Bus Services heading into different parts of city (Park and Ride & City Centre via the bus station). This is a situation which I can see working out for the Madejski / Green Park and Reading, as as with Exeter, the bus can offer the connections that can't be offered by rail (e.g to park and ride sites etc)

What I remain impressed with is the efficiency at both stations thanks to Chiefs & GWR's planning. If you want to travel southwards towards Topsham and Exmouth, you walk to Newcourt. If you want Exeter Central and Exeter, you walk to Digby.

As for after match entertainment, I don't know how it is for Reading FC games, but a lot of fans will usually stick around for an after match pint in the bars or the hotel bar after London Irish games. Unfortunately however Irish are due to leave the Madejski after this season.

Xenophon PCDGS · 15 Jul 2019

Sorry to come late to recent thread discussions, but what was the latest officially-stated opening date for Reading Green Park station.

FenMan · 15 Jul 2019

DPWH said:
I'd say for stadia it's better not to have the station serving it right on top of the station. Particularly at the end of a game or other event there's a large exflux of people who want to go home on the next train. Having them walk 15 minutes to the station can reduce the "hit" of people the station will inevitably take right after a game.

I would be surprised if the current excellent "matchday specials" bus service to and from the centre cease operations when this station opens. It's an efficient operation that is well used. It's more likely that the station will be used by fans travelling from Basingstoke, Bramley and Mortimer. And, unless I've missed something, there isn't much of a Reading supporter base in Basingstoke - the locals look more towards the London clubs, Southampton and, weirdly, Aldershot.

kevin_roche · 15 Jul 2019

Xenophon PCDGS said:
Sorry to come late to recent thread discussions, but what was the latest officially-stated opening date for Reading Green Park station.

I have not seen anything recently but some of the funding was conditional on going into service by May 2020 and I believe there is provision for stopping there in the GWR draft timetable starting Dec 2019. However as you will see from the pictures I posted earlier in post 32. Work had not really started on 17th June. I have not checked more recently.

AlastairFraser · 20 Jul 2019

fgwrich said:
I tend to get down to as many Exeter Chiefs matches as I can per season, and I have to say it seems to work fairly well. Sandy Park station is about a similar distance to both Digby & Sowton & Newcourt stations and is served by the half hourly frequency of the Exmouth Branch. It is also topped by by 2 Bus Services heading into different parts of city (Park and Ride & City Centre via the bus station). This is a situation which I can see working out for the Madejski / Green Park and Reading, as as with Exeter, the bus can offer the connections that can't be offered by rail (e.g to park and ride sites etc)

What I remain impressed with is the efficiency at both stations thanks to Chiefs & GWR's planning. If you want to travel southwards towards Topsham and Exmouth, you walk to Newcourt. If you want Exeter Central and Exeter, you walk to Digby.

As for after match entertainment, I don't know how it is for Reading FC games, but a lot of fans will usually stick around for an after match pint in the bars or the hotel bar after London Irish games. Unfortunately however Irish are due to leave the Madejski after this season.

I don't think the match bars or hotel are usually open after a match,however there's a few food outlets in Reading Gate retail park which is close by,a Morrisons that has a cafe in Whitley which is a 20 min walk away but anything else it would probably be the town centre.

coppercapped · 4 Sep 2019

Planning Application 190858 requesting permission to build Green Park railway station comes before Reading Borough Council's Planning Application Committee this evening, 4th Sept.

The Planning Officer's report recommends approval as long as certain conditions are fulfilled.

The document bundle being presented to the Councillors includes a history of the various previous applications. Without going into detail the station has got bigger and more complete in each application, what started as a simple halt has grown to include 5 coach long platforms, ticket office, all the usual car parking and bus facilities and so on.

1.2 The application is made on behalf of Reading Borough Council Highways and Transport Section, and the total application area includes land within West Berkshire and Reading Borough Areas. Duplicate applications have been submitted to both Councils, but it is for each Council to determine the application within their administrative boundaries (it should be noted that West Berkshire Council determined their application (ref: 19/01468) under delegated powers, and approved it on 16th August 2019). As the redline plan needed to include connections to the highway it includes elements of the overall station and interchange already approved by RBC and West Berkshire, i.e. railway track, station platforms and overbridge. The submitted application relates to the station building, the majority of which is within RBC area, and a small slither in West Berkshire. The interchange itself was originally approved under planning permission 141944/REG3, subsequently amended under 171305/NMA, and the original overall block plan for which is shown below.

I'll report if the application was approved.

Tw99 · 4 Sep 2019

It was approved, with some concern over disabled toilet access that they want to be addressed.

kevin_roche · 5 Sep 2019

Does anyone know if building work on the platforms has started or were they waiting for the building to be approved first?

coppercapped · 5 Sep 2019

Tw99 said:
It was approved, with some concern over disabled toilet access that they want to be addressed.

Beat me to it! I was late home last night and didn't fire up my computer - I was planning to write my post this morning!

David Goddard · 16 May 2020

Things are looking promising, as a line has now appeared in NRT Table 122...

Lewlew · 16 May 2020

David Goddard said:
Things are looking promising, as a line has now appeared in NRT Table 122...
View attachment 78010

Reading Green Park has been in the timetable since December 2019 with trains waiting a few mins extra time at Mortimer and Reading West.

I had a train that displayed "The next stop is Reading Green Park" and announced "The next stop is." (obviously no audio uploaded) as we approached shortly after the timetable change last year.

fgwrich · 16 May 2020

Has anybody been able to get near Green Park to see any progress? I've changed jobs recently so don't commute through Reading anymore unfortunately.

Snow1964 · 16 May 2020

AlastairFraser said:
Good idea,but nearly as expensive as mine because of all the property you'd have to buy.

I think you are assuming you need earth embankments, if you can built above existing sloping side, don’t need all the land

it would be possible to add a single line as a viaduct (think concrete columns and multi span bridge like part of the Hitchin flyover line). If the line is mainly for Southampton docks freights, then doesn’t even need platforms.

There is also the trackbed of the now closed Coley line (which means widened formation for a distance north of Southcote Junction. What you really need is a third track with multi track bidirectional running and ability to do clever looping and parallel running.

With all the new housing having stations that could handle 3x class 387 would be sensible. It’s no longer a rural backwater (I used the line a lot in late 1970s with 3 car demu, and they were slow to accelerate)

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