Improvements at three Berkshire stations

[whole diary]

[eightonedee]

The scheme now has planning permission -see- https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-berkshire-55664318

[Marlburian]

Work on Reading West Station due to start next/this week.

My search for this link also produced this

Flasher at Reading West

(I may be mistaken, but when half-listening the TV news I've twice thought that the newsreader has referred to the improvements being at "Reading Railway Station" (and it wasn't "a Reading railway station").

[CyclingSid]

Terrible as it may sound, at Reading West, a flasher is probably better than a jumper.

[Marlburian]

I walked past the Reading West works this morning at 0845. Temporary traffic lights, a lane closure and a certain amount of chaos, with the drivers of a couple of vehicles emerging from Salisbury Road being confused and getting honked at. The northerly pavement under the bridge was closed and I dutifully crossed over to the southerly one and walked towards the town centre, only to encounter a "pavement closed" sign after 200 yards. I was heading for a basement key-cutters 50 yards further on, so kept on, as did other walkers.

Outside the shop a couple of guys were laying paving stones, with a barrier across the steps leading down to the key-cutters, which they moved for me.

As a cyclist I disliked Oxford Road between Norcot Roundabout and Chatham Street, nowadays as a motorist I still do, and I try to avoid walking along it because of cyclists and, recently, e-scooterists. In fact I had walked down Portman Road to avoid it. Returning with my new keys, I took to the side streets, emerging near Brock Barracks at 1000. To my amazement Oxford Road was empty of traffic; no doubt westerly-bound traffic was held at the Reading West works and perhaps easterly traffic was finding another route.

BTW^▸ (by the way) there was no admittance to the key-cutters', conversations taking place through a locked grilled door with a perspex screen attached to it. The young man explained that he'd only been single-jabbed.

[RichT54]

I was in Reading this morning so had a stroll along Oxford Road to see if there was any progress on the works at Reading West station. No work has started on the new station building yet, just some preparatory work to narrow the road from the south side, as shown in the attached photos. I didn't go onto the station, so I don't know if anything has been happening at platform level.

[RichT54]

I went to Reading by train today, for the first time since March 2020. I thought I would have another wander down Oxford Road and marvel at the amazing progress that was sure to have been made on the refurbishment of Reading West station.

Only to find a scene of desolation. The hole in the road is a bit bigger, but has been slowly filling with litter and other items. No sign of them starting work on the new building. In fact, no sign of any current activity.

[Hal]

Work seems to have finally started on the Reading West station rebuild.
I was down the Oxford Road today, and there is a big new barrier surrounding the site and narrowing the road. There are pedestrian crossings controlled by traffic lights.

Sorry, no pix - I was driving.