Reading Station improvements

[whole diary]

[paul7575]

Good set of pictures here showing how they are chomping up the old footbridge in situ, using JCBs etc lifted into position by the big crane...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/52834510@N00/8603177757/in/photostream/

Paul

[SandTEngineer]

A photograph of the new Reading workstation at TVSC^» (Thames Valley Signalling Centre - about) has been posted here: http://www.signalbox.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=2478

[bobm]

Are those display screens scrollable?  The platforms seem to divide across the monitors bit like fold on a map - just the place you want to look!

[SandTEngineer]

Are those display screens scrollable?  The platforms seem to divide across the monitors bit like fold on a map - just the place you want to look!

No.  The screens are only switchable between views or to show an enlarged area in more detail.  The split is just where you need it as the signals and S&C^▸ (Settle and Carlisle ) at each end on the approach to the platforms appears on one screen only.

[Gordon the Blue Engine]

S&TE, are there separate Track Circuits for the A and B ends on P10-15?  I was going to look when I'm there on Tuesday, but you probably know.

[paul7575]

I'd be somewhat surprised if the demolition of the remaining buildings, escalators and lift shafts etc was to be done over the coming week. 

Failed with that prediction then...   

The demolition contractor seems to be adopting a 'scorched earth policy' on the P8/9 island after all, including removal of the last of the old platform buildings.  Discussions at the station this afternoon suggest that the last section of the old footbridge will be left for a while, possibly until next weekend, because the route through P7 is still needed by engineering trains.

Other points of note this afternoon:

From my viewpoint it looked very much like the new relief lines were physically complete east of the station.  Does anyone know if modern practice will require proper test trains to run tomorrow some time?

The up bay platform 16 (old P6) has just about been filled in over it's whole length. 

Cutting back the platform edges of the London end of both P11 and P9 are well in hand.  P11 re-alignment has always appeared likely, but  now that you can visualise the alignment of the new down main line (as seen from the transfer deck) it also seems that the P9 side of the other island will also have to be trimmed back a little as well.

It definitely looks like the P8/9 island is getting shortened at the London end as well.

The east end of the old up main through road (between the P7 and P8 tracks) has been cut back to about the position of the old footbridge, but as of this afternoon it was still being used to hold engineers trains.

Paul 

 

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Reading Post:

Uncertain future for railway caf^

A popular independent caf^ at Reading station is facing an uncertain future in the face of massive changes at the railway.


Concern: Jane Stockley at Tutti Frutti

The owners of Tutti Frutti, in the Brunel Arcade, say big name retailers are getting prime position in new parts of the station while they are being overlooked. And they are facing further instability with the ownership of the train station being up in the air while renewal of their lease is pending.

Loyal customers and Reading East MP^▸ (Member of Parliament) Rob Wilson are rallying to support the small family firm.

Tutti Frutti owner Jane Stockley, whose neighbours include Costa Coffee, M&S and West Cornwall Pasty Company, said: ^These places are all run by franchisees and some of them have been guaranteed units and kiosks in the new parts of the station and some people who don^t exist here at the moment have been granted units. We^ve not been given a thing and we don^t understand why because there^s been no application or tendering process.^

Mrs Stockley, who runs the business with husband Paul, fears trade will drop dramatically when the new pedestrian bridge opens next month as far fewer passengers will use the existing station entrance. On top of this, the ownership of Reading station is unclear since the Government halted the competition for the Great Western franchise following the debacle of the West Coast Mainline contract bid.

Mrs Stockley said: ^This is currently held by First Great Western for another six months so our lease ends then and we don^t know what^s going to happen after that.^

The couple, who previously owned courier firm Post Haste, have been running Tutti Frutti for about two years and it is currently ranked number one out of 290 restaurants in Reading on the Tripadvisor website.

Mrs Stockley said: ^We are a Reading business, we offer delicious produce, all hand made. The ice cream is made here, there^s great coffee and it^s a fun place to be, it^s a jolly shop.^ She added: ^If this doesn^t work out we^ll go to a unit in town but it will be a shame because we could keep our core customers but we^ll lose a lot of our commuter customers who we have built up over the last two years.^

Reading East MP Rob Wilson, who visited Mrs Stockley at her cafe, said: ^m not very happy with First Great Western in that they seem to be making excuses and not give reasons why they can^t negotiate with Tutti Frutti. There are uncertainties about how long their franchise will last but that shouldn^t stop them from negotiating a deal.^

A statement from Eimear Fitzpatrick, of Network Rail, and agreed by First Great Western said an announcement is due in the spring about the future management of Reading station. She added: ^The new retail units that have been allocated beyond the gate line, in the new parts of the station, have been given to businesses whose units were taken away as part of the work at the station. Network Rail made commercial agreements with these businesses a number of years ago. We haven^t done any work on the concourse area outside the ticket gate on the south side, so these shops were not impacted.^

[SandTEngineer]

S&TE, are there separate Track Circuits for the A and B ends on P10-15?  I was going to look when I'm there on Tuesday, but you probably know.

Correct.  The Track Circuit split (They are not axle counters in the Relief platforms) should be just under the London Side of the new access bridge (are we allowed to call it a footbridge?).  This only applies to the Relief lines.  The Main lines will not have the split.

[SandTEngineer]

Does anyone know if modern practice will require proper test trains to run tomorrow some time?

Considering the scale of the changes it is normal practice to prove the new signalling with a test train (loco or unit).  This also gets the rust off the rails ready for the first proper trains

[ellendune]

Demolition of buildings is not that straightforward these days. The buildings must be stripped out carefully particularly to remove any hazardous materials (e.g. asbestos) before the bulldozers can move in.  The might not be a problem with the bridge pier on P11 (as it was built after asbestos was banned I think), but the station buildings will need careful stripping out over a couple of weeks.

Another prediction I got wrong!

[Southern Stag]

I had a brief look round the new transfer deck and entrances yesterday, and wow! They certainly are impressive, the transfer deck is massive. I guess part of that was down to there being very few people up there because of the lack of trains. As people have being predicting on here, it certainly was rather cold up there, the staff on the gateline had a tiny electric heater but I'm not sure that was doing much.

[lbraine]

Great shot of the track diagrams - once I had made them out!

Looking at the new P 7,8 and 9 layout it does striker that themist efficient use if the platforms will be a 'round-robin, 7-8-9-7-8-9- etc.

Or at least 7-8/9-7-8/9-

Looking at the current timetable this is not a pattern easily supported  - apart from top 14 mins if the hour which looks similar.

Do you think we will get a timetable recast to maximise the new layout benefits thus Winter, or will it be left until the final job is done in 2015?

[Brucey]

From the Reading Post:

Uncertain future for railway caf^

Is it not Network Rail who are responsible for leasing retail units anyway?

[paul7575]

Great shot of the track diagrams - once I had made them out!

Looking at the new P 7,8 and 9 layout it does striker that themist efficient use if the platforms will be a 'round-robin, 7-8-9-7-8-9- etc.

Or at least 7-8/9-7-8/9-

Looking at the current timetable this is not a pattern easily supported  - apart from top 14 mins if the hour which looks similar.

Do you think we will get a timetable recast to maximise the new layout benefits thus Winter, or will it be left until the final job is done in 2015?

I think the GWML^▸ (Great Western Main Line) RUS^▸ (Route Utilisation Strategy) implies that any major timetable recast to make full use of the remodelled layout will coincide with Crossrail, electrification and IEP^▸ (Intercity Express Program / Project.) introduction.  By this December's timetable change they will still be using interim layouts anyway, it isn't until next May that all the station platforms become fully available,  during the year up until next spring they still have to rebuild all of platforms 3 and 7-11, in a sequence yet to be fully confirmed but starting with P11 until August.

However until the western viaduct and new underpasses are complete in 2015 they still can't remove all the flat crossing conflicts.

What may happen over the next two timetable changes is that very minor changes will be made to remove certain obvious conflicts, but not so much that it would be considered a major recast.

Paul

[Gordon the Blue Engine]

S&TE, are there separate Track Circuits for the A and B ends on P10-15?  I was going to look when I'm there on Tuesday, but you probably know.

Correct.  The Track Circuit split (They are not axle counters in the Relief platforms) should be just under the London Side of the new access bridge (are we allowed to call it a footbridge?).  This only applies to the Relief lines.  The Main lines will not have the split.

So the Track Circuit splits are between the "Rear Clear" boards (where else would they be?), which certainly mitigates to some degree the inherent risks of platform sharing (dare I mention Group Standrad GKRT0044 again?).  At least the signallers at Didcot will know when and where trains arriving in P10-15 have stopped - they may well get some surprises as they don't always know how long some trains actually are (whatever the train plan says).  I believe it is not uncommon for signallers to contact Drivers to ask how many coaches they are.