Reading Station Redevelopment (January 2012)
The Reading Station Redevelopment continues at pace. The development will be completed over several phases with completion due in mid 2015.
The Cow Lane Bridges in Reading have been closed since Christmas whilst one of the 2 bridges is replaced to allow for more train capacity in and out of the Station. These bridges, which for those who drive know need modernisation and widening, will both be rebuilt during the project. Cow Lane, which is currently closed, is due to be reopened shortly and closed again in approximately 2 years for the second bridge to be overhauled.
The plans make several key promises to both commuters and residents alike. The 5 key promises are as follows:
- A better station – 5 new platforms, step free access to all platforms are amongst a number of new features and facilities Reading Station Redevelopment will offer.
- A better railway – The Construction of a new viaduct in West Reading will aid the stations ability to cope with the continued swell in rail traffic
- Fewer delays – Due to the increase in the number of platforms, this will mean that approaching trains will not have to queue to access the station.
- More freight capacity – The newly laid track will allow for 6 more freight trains every day, which Network Rail anticipate could remove the need for upto 200 lorries on the South’s road network.
- Bridges on Cow Lane – The redevelopment of the 2 Cow Lane Bridges in West Reading, will allow for Double Decker buses to pass through this route, and there is also cycle and footpaths being incorporated to make it a safer route to use for pedestrians.
The project is costing millions but will bring Reading Train Station upto date which is key for the continued economic growth of the town for many years to come.
Network Rail have also provided a video showing how the Station will look when it is complete.
We have also published a previous article detailing the whole plan including images of what the final Station will look like in comparison to how it looks today.
I am a little baffled as to why both bridges are not to be completed one after the other so we can get all the disruption to daily commuting over in one hit. That way the next time we went under the bridges we could have the complete experience and then fully understand why we have been disrupted. This way we only have further disruption to look forward to. I can fully appreciate the benefits these improvement will bring just shame it has to spread out over such a long period of time.