Reading railway station 1520575 221041997 2008-06-22T20:15:42Z DOI bot 6652755 Citation maintenance. You can [[WP:DOI|use this bot]] yourself! Please [[User:DOI_bot/bugs|report any bugs]]. {{Coord|51.4590|-0.9722|format=dms|display=title|region:GB_type:landmark}} {{Infobox UK station |name = Reading |image = [[Image:Reading station from the rear.jpg|300px|Reading railway station]] |manager = [[First Great Western]] |locale = [[Reading, Berkshire|Reading]] |borough = [[Reading, Berkshire|Reading]] |code = RDG |usage0405 = 13.297 |usage0506 = 13.570 |usage0607 = 14.367 |platforms = 12 |start = [[30 March]] [[1840]] }} [[Image:Reading station frontage.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Reading station frontage, showing the old (1860) and new station buildings]] '''Reading railway station''' (formerly '''Reading General''') is a major rail transport hub in [[Reading, Berkshire|Reading]] - the largest town in [[England]]. It is situated on the northern edge of the town centre, some 5 minutes' walk from the main retail and commercial areas, and close to the [[River Thames]]. Adjacent to the railway station is a bus interchange, served by most of Reading's urban and rural bus services. Reading is a major junction point on the [[National Rail]] system, and as a consequence the railway station is a major transfer point as well as serving heavy originating and terminating traffic. The station is sponsored by [[ING Direct]] and the [[University of Reading]]. == History == Reading station opened on the [[March 30|30 March]] [[1840]] as the temporary western terminus of the original line of the [[Great Western Railway]]. At a stroke the time taken to travel from London to Reading was reduced to one hour and five minutes, less than a quarter of the time taken by the fastest [[stagecoach]]. The line was extended to its intended terminus at [[Bristol]] in [[1841]]. As constructed, Reading station was a typical [[Isambard Kingdom Brunel|Brunel]] designed single-sided intermediate station, with separate up and down platforms situated to the south of the through tracks and arranged so that all up trains calling at Reading had to cross the route of all down through trains. New routes soon joined the London to Bristol line, with the line from Reading to [[Newbury, Berkshire|Newbury]] and [[Hungerford]] opening in [[1847]], and the line to [[Reading to Basingstoke line|Basingstoke]] in [[1848]]. In [[1849]] the [[South Eastern Railway (UK)|South Eastern Railway]] reached Reading with a line from [[Guildford]] and [[Reigate]], initially serving a temporary station at North Forbury before moving into its own separate permanent terminal station, just to the south-east of the Great Western station, in [[1855]]. In [[1856]] the [[London and South Western Railway]] opened a line from its London terminus at [[Waterloo station|Waterloo]] to [[Wokingham]], with its trains continuing over the South Eastern line to that railway's terminus in Reading. At some time between [[1859]] and [[1865]], the [[Great Western Signal Works]] were constructed on lower ground to the north of the station. These works grew until by [[1872]] they were employing 500 men and producing most of the signalling equipment used by the Great Western Railway. The signal works continued in existence until [[1984]]. In [[1860]] a new station building, in [[Bath Stone]] and incorporating a tower and clock, was constructed for the Great Western Railway. In [[1898]] the single sided station was replaced by a conventional design with 'up', 'down' and 'relief' platforms linked by a pedestrian subway. [[T.E. Lawrence]] (Lawrence of Arabia) lost the 250,000-word first draft of his [[Seven Pillars of Wisdom]] at the station when he left his briefcase while changing trains in 1919. Working from memory, as he had destroyed his notes after completion of the first draft, he then completed a 400,000-word second draft in three months. German aircraft tried to bomb the lines in to the station during the beginning of World War 2. In [[1965]] Reading Southern, the South Eastern station, was closed, and the services using it diverted into a newly constructed terminal platform (4A) in the General station. A second terminal platform (4B) serving the same line was opened in [[1975]] for the commencement of the service from Reading to [[Gatwick Airport]]. For some years the site of the South Eastern station was used as the station car park. However, in [[1989]] a brand new station concourse, included a shopping arcade named for Brunel, opened on the western end of the old South Eastern station site, linked to the platforms of the main station by a new footbridge. At the same time a new multi-level station car park was built on the site of the former goods yard and signal works to the north of the station, and linked to the same footbridge. The station facilities in the 1860 station building were converted into the ''Three Guineas'' [[public house]]. On [[October 23]], [[1993]], an [[Provisional Irish Republican Army|IRA]] bomb exploded at a signal post near the station, some hours after 5 lb (2 kg) of [[Semtex]] was found in the toilets of the station. The resulting closure of the railway line and evacuation of the station caused travel chaos for several hours, but no-one was injured. ==Current station== ===Layout=== [[Image:Reading station layout 2007.PNG|300px|thumb|<p align="center">Current track layout {|align="center" |- |<font color="magenta">'''—'''</font> |colspan=3|Main (Bristol-Paddington) lines<br/> |- |<font color="blue">'''—'''</font> ||Westbury lines ||<font color="red">'''—'''</font> ||Goods lines |- |<font color="lime">'''—'''</font> ||Relief lines ||<font color="black">'''—'''</font> ||Other lines |}]] *Platform 1,2,3 - West facing bay platforms. Used for local services to Basingstoke, Newbury and Bedwyn. CrossCountry services from Bournemouth to Birmingham *Platform 4 - Fast services from Paddington to the West *Platform 4a, 4b - Bay platforms connected only to North Downs line. Used for services on North Downs line and to London Waterloo *Platform 5 - Fast services to Paddington *Platform 6 - East facing bay platform. Used for terminating local services from London Paddington *Platform 7 - West facing bay platform. Used for terminating CrossCountry services from Birmingham and Manchester Piccadilly. *Platform 8 - Local services from Paddington to Oxford. Also used for CrossCountry services from Birmingham to Bournemouth *Platform 9 - Local services from Oxford to Paddington *Platform 10 - East facing bay platform. Local stopping services to Paddington via most stations. ===Services === The main rail route served by the station is the [[Great Western Main Line]], which runs west from London's [[Paddington station]] before splitting to the west of Reading station into two lines, one serving the [[West Country]], and the other [[Bristol]], [[Bath, Somerset|Bath]], [[Newport]] and [[Cardiff]]. Services on these lines are operated by [[First Great Western]], and almost all services stop at Reading. Other main lines connect Reading with [[Birmingham]] (serving both [[Birmingham New Street Station|New Street]] and [[Birmingham International railway station|International]] stations), northern England and [[Scotland]] to the north, and with [[Winchester, Hampshire|Winchester]], [[Southampton]] and [[Bournemouth]] to the south. Through services from north to south on these lines are operated by [[CrossCountry]], and all services, other than a few special summer-only services, stop in Reading. The secondary [[North Downs Line]] connects Reading with [[Guildford]] and [[London Gatwick Airport|Gatwick Airport]]. Services on this line, together with local stopping services to [[Basingstoke]], [[Newbury, Berkshire|Newbury]], [[Great Bedwyn|Bedwyn]], [[Oxford]] and London Paddington, are also operated by [[First Great Western]]. An electric suburban line operated by [[South West Trains]] links Reading to [[Waterloo station|London Waterloo station]]. An express bus service operated by First Great Western links Reading with [[London Heathrow Airport|Heathrow Airport]]. {{Reading Lines}} {{rail start}} {{rail line two to one|previous1=[[Guildford railway station|Guildford]]|previous2=[[Basingstoke railway station|Basingstoke]]|next=[[Oxford railway station|Oxford]]|route1=[[CrossCountry]]<br><small>[[Cross-Country Route|Brighton - Aberdeen]]|route2=[[CrossCountry]]<br><small>[[Cross-Country Route|Bournemouth - Manchester]]|col=C80815}} {{rail line|next=[[London Paddington station|London Paddington]]|previous=[[Taunton railway station|Taunton]]|route=[[First Great Western]]<br><small>[[Night Riviera]]|col=010385}} {{rail line|previous=[[Twyford railway station|Twyford]]|next=[[Tilehurst railway station|Tilehurst]]|route=[[First Great Western]]<br><small>Commuter services<br>[[Great Western Main Line]]|col=010385}} {{rail line|previous=[[Slough railway station|Slough]] or <br>[[Paddington station|London Paddington]]|next=[[Didcot Parkway railway station|Didcot Parkway]]|route=[[First Great Western]]<br><small>Intercity services<br>[[Great Western Main Line]]</small>|col=010385}} {{rail line|previous=Terminus|next=[[Winnersh railway station|Winnersh]]|route=[[First Great Western]]<br><small>[[North Downs Line]]|col=010385}} {{rail line|previous=Terminus or<br>[[Slough railway station|Slough]]|next=[[Reading West railway station|Reading West]]|route=[[First Great Western]]<br><small>[[Reading to Plymouth Line]]|col=010385}} {{rail line|previous=Terminus|next=[[Reading West railway station|Reading West]]|route=[[First Great Western]]<br><small>[[Reading to Basingstoke line|Reading - Basingstoke]]|col=010385}} {{rail line|next=Terminus|previous=[[Earley railway station|Earley]]|route=[[South West Trains]]<br><small>[[Waterloo to Reading Line|Waterloo to Reading]]|col=FF0000}} {{end}} ==Future== To serve the traffic described above, Reading Station currently has four through-platforms and eight terminal platforms. The limited number of through-platforms, together with flat junctions immediately east and west of the station, and the fact that north-south trains need to reverse direction in the station, render the station an acknowledged bottleneck with passenger trains often needing to wait outside the station for a platform to become available. Plans were produced by [[Railtrack]] for a major redevelopment of the station, with rail track on two levels. Since the demise of Railtrack and its replacement by [[Network Rail]], the status of these plans is unclear. There is sufficient space for extra through platforms on the north side of the station, and even a disused rail underpass at the junction to the east, and there have been suggestions in the press to use these for a quicker and cheaper solution. The local Unitary Council announced a scheme projected to cost £78 million early in 2006. Meanwhile the problems were mitigated by the introduction by [[Virgin Trains]] of more frequent but shorter trains (now operated by [[CrossCountry]]), which are able to use the shorter terminal platforms for reversing instead of needing to occupy one of the through platforms.<ref name="railnews">{{cite web|url=http://www.railnews.co.uk/news.aspx?id=2605|title=£78m Plan To Relieve Reading ‘Bottleneck’|publisher=railnews.co.uk|accessmonthday=May 14 |accessyear=2006}}</ref> Irrespective of railway developments, but likely to be accelerated by them, local authority plans show a comprehensive redevelopment of the area between the town centre and the river, including the station, by [[2020]]. In July 2007, in its [[white paper]] ''Delivering a Sustainable Railway'', the government announced plans to improve traffic flow at Reading, specifically mentioned along with [[Birmingham New Street station]] as "key [[congestion]] pinch-points" which would share investment worth £600 million.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Forster, Mark|title=Rebuild will unblock Berkshire Bottleneck|journal=Rail|volume=572|date=15-28 August 2007|pages=46–7}}</ref> The current plans indicate the final layout of the station will have eight through platforms on four islands: one each for 'down fast', 'up fast', 'down slow' and 'up slow'. The current platform 4 will be used by [[CrossCountry]] services in all directions. The disused underpass east of the station will link the electrified Wokingham line to the 'slow' lines at the north of the station complex, allowing for [[Heathrow Airtrack]] services. [[Crossrail]] could also be accommodated at the new station with little work beyond electrification, as new sidings have been planned to the west of the station. West of the station, the 'fast' lines will dive-under the south-facing junction to Basingstoke and Taunton, with freight and passenger trains able to transit from the 'slow' lines to the Berks & Hants line without crossing the 'fast' lines at-grade. == References == {{reflist}} * {{cite book|author=Waters, Laurence|title=Rail Centres: Reading|publisher=Ian Allan Ltd|location=London|year=1990|isbn=0-7110-1937-1}} * {{cite book|author=Phillips, Daphne|title=The Story of Reading|publisher=Countryside Books|location=Newbury|year=1980|isbn=0-905392-07-8}} * {{cite book|author=Hylton, Stuart|title=Reading - Events, people and places over the last 100 years|publisher=Sutton Publishing|location=Stroud|year=2004|isbn=0-7509-3906-0}} == External links == {{stn art lnk|RDG|RG11LZ}} *{{IoE|39190}} {{Major UK railway stations}} [[Category:Railway stations in Berkshire]] [[Category:Buildings and structures in Reading, Berkshire]] [[Category:Grade II listed buildings in Berkshire]] [[Category:Great Western Main Line]] [[Category:Works of Isambard Kingdom Brunel]] [[Category:Railway stations opened in 1840]] [[de:Bahnhof Reading]] [[Category:Railway stations served by CrossCountry]] [[Category:Railway stations served by First Great Western]] [[Category:Railway stations served by South West Trains]]