Reading Station improvements

[whole diary]

[mjones]

Did you find out any more about this? Since my previous post on this there has been further excavation of the new embankment, right back down to the original ground level, with what looks like another concrete base being poured close to the point where the tracks to the new bridge will join the existing track.

[paul7575]

The explanation I got (from a chap in orange walking past who may or not have known what he was on about) was this. 

It was all planned, because the piling machine needs a level base for it to operate from, so they build up the level as required and then drill the cores down through the compacted material. The steel tubes that go down with the auger, are then withdrawn as the concrete is pumped in, and the reinforced concrete sets into place in the hole.  Removing the made ground afterwards leaves the piles at an extended height out the ground, and if necessary they are then trimmed back to the required height.

Or something like that...   

Paul

[mjones]

Interesting- thanks. I suppose that would explain it, though I still think it is a bit strange for them to build what looked like a permanant block wall only to knock down bits of it and presumably then rebuild, instead of using something temporary. Maybe it was simpler this way.

[IndustryInsider]

Meanwhile work is progressing well on the north side of the east end with the ramp down to the reinstalled southern underpass pretty much complete and ready for ballast and a track.  Tangible signs of work about to start in earnest on the support embankment for the new southern platform, i.e. the station side of Vastern Road as well.

[paul7575]

Just surmising here, but it's quite possible that the underpass might be a fairly early requirement, because if the track works for the new Southern platforms are staged over a few weeks or months, only one platform face might be available on the current P4.  A temporary solution might then be to divert the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) Gatwicks into the main station - the current platform 10 bay could be a likely destination?

PS - I just saw in Today's Railways mag that they expect the three 12 car 'Southern' platforms to be in use by this December - does that fit with previous understanding of the timescales?

Paul

[paul7575]

Network Rail have reported that advance utilities work starts on one of the Cow Lane underbridges this weekend:

http://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/Press-Releases/COW-LANE-IMPROVEMENTS-TO-BENEFIT-ROAD-AND-RAIL-USERS-IN-READING-16eb/SearchCategoryID-8.aspx

Paul

[IndustryInsider]

I just saw in Today's Railways mag that they expect the three 12 car 'Southern' platforms to be in use by this December - does that fit with previous understanding of the timescales?

Yes, I think by 2011 has been the stated date for that (and the underpass I believe?). Certainly that's what NR^» (Network Rail - home page) have been saying on their timeline: http://www.networkrail.co.uk/aspx/9126.aspx

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Reading rail bridges widening closes Cow Lane

Motorists have been warned to expect delays when a road is closed as part of a revamp to Reading's railway station.

Cow Lane will be shut from 1900 GMT until 1100 GMT on Sunday while work to widen two rail bridges starts.

The project will see the bridges expanded to fit two lanes for motorists, a cycle path and pavements to help ease a traffic bottleneck.

The work is part of a ^850m revamp of Reading station by Network Rail which is due to be completed in 2016.



Cow Lane will again be closed in May, this time for for up to three weeks, as part of the widening scheme which will also allow space for a new track layout to boost capacity for rail users.

Bill Henry, Network Rail's project director for Reading, said: "Our work in Reading isn't just about improving the performance of the railway and building a better station. The changes we're making to Cow Lane will bring big benefits for cyclists, pedestrians and motorists, cutting congestion and making the road safer. This is a big engineering project and we're making every effort to minimise its impact on residents and businesses in the Cow Lane area."

[mjones]

I've noticed that ongoing construction work is taking place slightly to the west of the new Caversham Rd bridge. This bridge extended further to the north than the width of the existing embankment, and a new concrete platform was built on the eastern side to connect to it. So I'm wondering whether there is going to be widening of a significant length of the embankment to the west of the bridge, as it looks like there is a gap which if filled would provide a wider embankment all the way to Cow Lane. 

[IndustryInsider]

If I'm understanding you correctly, then I think there will be a short widening of the embankment immediately west of Caversham Road so that the tracks for the five additional platforms, especially the furthest north (Platform 15) can use all of the space afforded by the bridge deck that was replaced.

According to the map on page 15 of this thread, the remaining space between Caversham Road and Cow Lane is set aside for the proposed IEP^▸ (Intercity Express Program / Project.) sidings which could probably fit in the existing space once the many redundant railway buildings have been removed or relocated - indeed some of these have already been demolished.  Then, west of Cow Lane, the new Turbo (or Class 319 as it will probably be by then) depot and sidings will be built.

I'm not sure whether this will involve the widening of Cow Lane for rail tracks with a new deck as happened at Caversham Road, but there is certainly a lot of work going to take place there during the next twelve months.

[mjones]

Yes, that was what I meant. Looking at Google, there is a short section west of Caversham Rd where the embankment is a bit narrower than the rest, up to a group of buildings. Hopefully visible here (a grassy strip is visible between the embankment and the road running parallel to it):

ttp://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Reading&aq=0&sll=53.800651,-4.064941&sspn=13.783636,28.256836&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Reading,+United+Kingdom&ll=51.460217,-0.977665&spn=0.001771,0.003449&t=h&z=18

I say 'short', but it is still a few hundred metres, so still a lot of civil engineering if they build up the full length. What method do you think they will use?

[paul7575]

If you look at the end of the video of the bridge slide you'll see that the north side of the bridge is at a somewhat acute angle to the line of the relaid relief lines. 

The more accurate plan in the February Modern Railways shows the two lines from the new platforms 14 and 15 (up reliefs)  combining at roughly the western side of the Caversham Bridge, so the northmost track is not parallel to the edge of the bridge.  So what I'm thinking is that the dimensions of the bridge are governed by the track position on the east side, but there's some spare space on the west side.   

In the case of the two tracks from the down relief platforms, they're not combined into one until further along - about half way along that 'strip of greenery' on the aerial view, and just after that there's another junction from the up relief fanning out to the north for the new depot. 

It does look (from MR^▸ (Midland Railway)'s drawing) as though the area at track level could be 'squared off' in line with the side of the new bridge, but there's no track shown in the space provided. 

Paul   

[IndustryInsider]

Here's a few more details about the new Maintenance, sorry Train Care Depot to be built between Cow Lane bridge and Scours Lane Junction (taken from an internal NR^» (Network Rail - home page) release):

*  Depot to be passed to FGW^▸ (First Great Western) on or before August 2013.

*  Relocate FGW (plant, labour materials) 6-8 weeks.

*  From Aug 2013 to 2015 there will be a staging issue in the west end, the depot run round road will be 3m from the Mainline Up Goods until viaduct completed.

*  Depot will run with 2 connections until 2015 when connection at Wigmore Lane will be installed.

*  Overhead Line Equipment:  All bases, steelwork and wiring planned to be installed before depot is handed over, except for the west end.  The Up Goods Line is on the line of the OLE^▸ (Overhead Line Equipment, more often "OHLE") bases.  Planned for daytime possessions to install the works in the east end of the depot post 2015.

[paul7575]

A few new pictures here that may be of interest, first ones I've seen of the eastern underpass so far, also shows good progress on the new approach ramp to the underpass:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=75473887&postcount=99

Paul

[mjones]

Work now appears to have started on construction of the new Vastern Rd bridge for the Waterloo platforms. I was interested to see that the bridge is being built in situ, rather than being assembled elsewhere and carried into place in one piece, as was done at Caversham Rd.