Reading improvements milestones

[TheKnightWho]

Going back to the earlier platform 7 discussion: passed through Reading on the way to London yesterday. There's definitely loads of room to connect platform 7 to the SWT lines without having to go via the mainline, so it seems especially odd that they haven't installed them. You wouldn't even have to get in the way of platform 6, which makes it doubly odd.

That being said, the diagram on Wikipedia states that it will include such a connection. Is this simply out of date, or was the other diagram just wrong?

 

[swt_passenger]

That wikipedia drawing has never had much relevance to the actual layout, to my knowledge it has not at any time shown the real layout, it would be slightly more helpful if it even showed that the up and down relief align with P15 and 12 respectively, with P13 and P14 being inner loops. And on the main side the up and down lines align with P10 and P9 respectively, with P7, P8 and P11 being outer loops.

I'd ignore it and hope someone eventually deletes it and replaces it with something more suitable.

P7 is the normal down Westbury, the label suggesting it is 'dedicated to XC' is seriously wrong; and linking it through to the Southern can only be the author's wishful thinking as it has never featured in anything official.

There was a drawing linked in a post a couple of years ago that is almost correct, (although there's a couple of minor differences compared with the as built layout posted a few weeks ago by IrishDave in post#340 - you'd probably struggle to spot them!), but it was much better than the wiki drawing even back then: http://www.railforums.co.uk/showpost.php?p=1449122&postcount=141

The final layout has been in the public domain for about 4 years, there's really little excuse for the useless sketch on wiki at this stage of the project...

 

[Trailfinder]

If you want to see some images of the track and signalling layout diagram post Easter 2015, go to the First Great Western CoffeeShop forum, Reading Station Improvements thread at:

http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=6405.3000

see reply #3006

 

[swt_passenger]

It all seems to be working OK, according to RTT anyway.

Has anyone bashed the full Festival Line yet?

 

[QueensCurve]

If you want to see some images of the track and signalling layout diagram post Easter 2015, go to the First Great Western CoffeeShop forum, Reading Station Improvements thread at:

http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=6405.3000

see reply #3006

Alas this confirms "festival line" (why is it called that?) will have no dedicated crossover at its connection with the Reliefs. This implies X-Countries coming in on the reliefs will have to slow to 40mph a long way out. Not very efficient.

 

[MarkyT]

Alas this confirms "festival line" (why is it called that?) will have no dedicated crossover at its connection with the Reliefs. This implies X-Countries coming in on the reliefs will have to slow to 40mph a long way out. Not very efficient.

The double parallel lead junction from the reliefs to the West Curve incorporates a 50MPH right-hand crossover between the reliefs also to be used for access from Up Relief to Festival Line. That is the same speed as the Festival Line turnout on the Down Relief, so the whole junction is a common speed and is probably at most 200 metres or so longer than if the Festival Line Junction had its own Crossover. It's simply not worth having the extra crossover, which wouldn't offer any additional usable parallelism through the junction. One clever feature of the layout is the third bi-directional passenger line on the depot side of the reliefs, the 'Up Reading Passenger Loop'. This can allow trains on the reliefs in either direction to weave around any passenger or freight traffic crossing to or from the West Curve or Festival Line.

The Festival Line nomenclature clearly commemorates the famous music event that takes place annually alongside the north side of the railway, and must have amused those in the project and local operations management sufficiently to have stuck.

 

[BananaRepublic]

This implies X-Countries coming in on the reliefs will have to slow to 40mph a long way out. Not very efficient.

Apart from the 50mph turnouts mentioned by MarkyT, a reduction to max 40mph doesn't occur until the signal gantry as you come off the viaduct on the ramp down to Reading station.

I understand that some of the line speed restrictions shown on those diagrams, particularly on the mains, will be increased at the end of this summer or in the autumn, when the Reading project is formally completed.

 

[TheKnightWho]

Alas this confirms "festival line" (why is it called that?) will have no dedicated crossover at its connection with the Reliefs. This implies X-Countries coming in on the reliefs will have to slow to 40mph a long way out. Not very efficient.

Fortunately, it looks like it would be very easy to install a connection. Perhaps electrification gantries get in the way too much?

 

[davetheguard]

The full final layout is to be delivered this Easter but the lower PSR remains.

Removal of all redundant infrastructure, including Whitehouse junction, plus snagging, tidying and site close down will take place between Easter and August.

The final linespeed layout is due to be implemented in the August bank holiday.

Has the line speed approaching and through Reading on the Mains & Reliefs been raised as planned after the August 2015 Bank Holiday?

And for the record, what are the new speeds?

Thanks in advance.

 

[swt_passenger]

Has the line speed approaching and through Reading on the Mains & Reliefs been raised as planned after the August 2015 Bank Holiday?

And for the record, what are the new speeds?

Thanks in advance.

Don't know when the work was or is to be done, but there are detailed diagrams available in this post at the FGW Coffee Shop forum:

http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=6405.msg180912#msg180912

The author of the post also summarises the speeds on the mains and reliefs.

HTH

 

[Tio Terry]

Speed restrictions are due to be removed Sunday 13th September.

Speed through the station for non-stop trains on the mains will be 95MPH and the speed over the flyover will be 125MPH.

I'll guess that if one comes over the flyover non-stop and passes through the station at 95mph there will be a few commuters newspapers flying along the platform heading for London. The commuters of Reading are not used to trains passing through non-stop!

 

[Tw99]

Speed restrictions are due to be removed Sunday 13th September.

Speed through the station for non-stop trains on the mains will be 95MPH and the speed over the flyover will be 125MPH.

I'll guess that if one comes over the flyover non-stop and passes through the station at 95mph there will be a few commuters newspapers flying along the platform heading for London. The commuters of Reading are not used to trains passing through non-stop!

Are there any nonstop services scheduled ? I had, perhaps naively, thought that everything stopped at Reading.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Speed restrictions are due to be removed Sunday 13th September.
Speed through the station for non-stop trains on the mains will be 95MPH and the speed over the flyover will be 125MPH.
I'll guess that if one comes over the flyover non-stop and passes through the station at 95mph there will be a few commuters newspapers flying along the platform heading for London. The commuters of Reading are not used to trains passing through non-stop!

Back in prehistory before the changes, I think the line speed on the (curved) Mains was 50mph, and that on the (straight) Reliefs was 75mph.
The former has certainly gone up significantly, but the latter has gone down to 40mph.

 

[Kite159]

Are there any nonstop services scheduled ? I had, perhaps naively, thought that everything stopped at Reading.

Looking at RTT for next Wednesday, it seems to suggests currently 3 services skip Reading:

07:06 Didcot to Paddington (which must be the only time a service calls at Tilehurst and not Reading)
05:58 Swansea to Paddington
17:42 Paddington to Cheltenham Spa

Although once the IEPs are introduced the number of non-stop Reading services will increase.

 

[class26]

Looking at RTT for next Wednesday, it seems to suggests currently 3 services skip Reading:

07:06 Didcot to Paddington (which must be the only time a service calls at Tilehurst and not Reading)
05:58 Swansea to Paddington
17:42 Paddington to Cheltenham Spa

Although once the IEPs are introduced the number of non-stop Reading services will increase.

You mean after IEP the number of services NOT stopping at Reading will increase ?

 

[swt_passenger]

You mean after IEP the number of services NOT stopping at Reading will increase ?

Definitely. There'll be two each hour that don't stop, to/from Bristol. It is clearly shown in the direct award franchise Dec 2018 service diagrams.

 

[davetheguard]

Speed restrictions are due to be removed Sunday 13th September.

Speed through the station for non-stop trains on the mains will be 95MPH and the speed over the flyover will be 125MPH.

I'll guess that if one comes over the flyover non-stop and passes through the station at 95mph there will be a few commuters newspapers flying along the platform heading for London. The commuters of Reading are not used to trains passing through non-stop!

And under the old layout, the Up Main didn't run through a platform; it was the centre road between platform 4 (Down Main) & 5 (which was a loop off the Up Main). These platforms are now numbered 7 & 8 respectively, and there is no longer a centre road between them.

So, yes, I think there will need to be a lot of announcements and horn blowing for a few days until commuters get used to the new speeds.

 

[swt_passenger]

Well if there are similar levels of paranoia at Reading as there have been for perfectly normal lifts and escalators, I expect there'll probably have to be at least a safety brief and instructional video before entering such a dangerous area...

Meanwhile I expect HSTs will continue to pass through the platforms at Didcot and elsewhere at high speed without too much trouble.

 

[Tio Terry]

I know that one Steam Hauled Excursion company is trying to work out how they can arrange for a steam hauled train to be taken through the station on the Down Main with the throttle wide open and the whistle blowing at something like 70mph heading for the fly over and filming it from several positions along the platform. Should be interesting!

 

[Senex]

Speed through the station for non-stop trains on the mains will be 95MPH and the speed over the flyover will be 125MPH.

I thought all the early publicity said that the speed through the station on the mains would be 100. Why the 5mph reduction? (Not enough to stop the commuters' newspapers going flying ...)

 

[HarleyDavidson]

100 that's subject to new signalling work being done in advance, but as a couple of folk I know will tell you TVSC will stop anything going non stop through Reading, they'd probably try doing the River Thames if they could.

 

[Tio Terry]

Speed through the station for non-stop trains on the mains will be 95MPH and the speed over the flyover will be 125MPH.

I thought all the early publicity said that the speed through the station on the mains would be 100. Why the 5mph reduction? (Not enough to stop the commuters' newspapers going flying ...)

The signalling is designed for 100mph and is complete. However, to travel at over 95 means a more rigorous maintenance regime for the track so it's reduced to 95mph, it saves money.

 

[TEW]

100 that's subject to new signalling work being done in advance, but as a couple of folk I know will tell you TVSC will stop anything going non stop through Reading, they'd probably try doing the River Thames if they could.

I've not been on a non-stop train through but ever since the full layout opened at Reading hold ups are far less common. It's actually normal to see HSTs waiting time at Reading now having arrived early, can you imagine that before! So maybe the non-stop trains stand a chance at a good run.