Great Western Coffee Shop

Yesterday evening I noticed a most unwelcome change on the footbridge.

The full length windows on the western side off the overbridge as far as Platform 12-13 had been obscured by "frosting" from the floor almost to the ceiling.

What a stupid thing to do! No longer can you look to see if your train has arrived or left as you walk across, and the great panoramic view out to the west has been lost.

Network Rail - remove this dumb feature immediately please!

It’s been reported elsewhere this has been done to prevent passengers witnessing a fatality or to provide shielding should one occur thus keeping part of the station open.

I think the reason given is out of all proportion to the perceived risk.  Knee jerk reaction and box ticking to an imagined event.

Spent many a 25 minutes watching the trains in the past, waiting for a missed connection.

Agreed.  Cleaning the pigeon mess should be a higher priority. 

What-ifery to the highest degree frankly. Has there ever been one in that area yet that could be overlooked?

I guess the potential has increased now that Reading is seeing more nonstop services through the station.

I agree it's a bit of an over-reaction though.

If the reported justification really is true, then frosting along the platform edges would seem to be more imperative as well as to act as a safety barrier to catch anything airborne.

Has frosting been applied to any other overbridges where trains pass even more quickly? For example at Tilehurst or Slough or Twyford?

THe frosting isn't to prevent jumping, it's to stop people gawping....

and, should an incident occur, filming what's going on and posting it on social media.

I share the general feeling that the frosting is unnecessary. Now and then I enjoyed watching a fine sunset through the windows.

Marlburian

Hahahaha - what an utterly pointless thing to do.  I would love to see the committee minutes that came up with this idea.

The clear windows gave a feeling of space and airiness to the footbridge, as well as providing something to look at while waiting for connections etc.  This is a benefit which should not be lightly given up unless there is a greater benefit of having the windows frosted.  Like NIckB, I’d like to see the reasoning and decision process which came to this conclusion.

I’m sure the architect would be mortified by this assault on his/her design. 

What next, frosted windows on trains?  No doubt someone could say that the flashing lights as you whizz thorough stations at night might trigger a seizure.

Or to be able to gawp at the same thing they're worried about at Reading!

I wouldn't feel too sorry for them. Am I correct in remembering comments by others that the footbridge design allowed in rain and wind? Was that ever rectified?

I realise that. My point was that people already on the platform are all potential 'gawpers' and they are also closer to events.

What is being done to prevent them gawping? My suggestion was frosted glass along the edges of the platforms.

No it wasn't - and won't be unless somebody has several millions to spare.

If the space is enclosed it comes under a whole new set of fire and escape regulations - and to meet these requires £££. At the moment it is treated as some form of open space (I don't know the exact regulations) and therefore does not need the extra escape passages and so on which would otherwise be necessary.

The openness of Reading overbridge concourse was done for the same reason for the openness of Blackfriars and London Bridge.  It was explained to me by a Civil Engineer who was involved in Blackfriars and Farringdon the main concern is in the event of an IED exploding the pressure from such a device would cause a much higher number of casualties in an enclosed space, there was also the consideration as mentioned of a fire and the need to vent smoke. 

Stations are designed for the free flow of people the most important time is in an emergency evacuation 

This afternoon I had a few minutes to spare at Reading Station and noticed that the windows facing westover platforms 7 and 8 remain unfrosted, as do those by the Starbucks seating area, where the immediate view is obscured by a canopy.

And I don't think that the windows facing east have been frosted. (I didn't think to notice.)

Marlburian

 Having just walked across the overbridge, I can confirm that the frosting has been applied both sides but only above platforms 9 to 12 inclusive.

I cannot understand why only these platforms in the light of the explanations put forward. Can anyone else explain?

Suggest ... the platforms the none-stop IETs pass through?