Green park station/south Reading station

[Green]

One simple option would be a skip stop service like they do on say the Bittern Line, first train of the hour calls at GP and not Bramley, that's reversed for the second one of the hour.

Albeit just one train an hour wouldn't see many of us train enthusiasts appeased.

[Wimb]

This has all the hallmarks of a decision taken by local planners without bothering to speak to the railway operators. Kind of "If we build a station, of course the trains will stop there".

The pathing of the trains between Basingstoke and Reading is actually quite difficult. The way the timetable is constructed at the moment, the local trains take 24 minutes Reading to Newbury then turn round in 6 minutes and take 24 minutes back again. So 2 trains can form a half-hourly shuttle service all day long, which is highly productive. If slowing down to a stop at Green Park, waiting for a minimum of 1 minute, and accelerating again costs (say) 4 minutes total, then the whole system collapses, since your end-to-end journey time has become 28 minutes, and you cannot reliabkly turn round the train in 2 minutes at Reading or Basingstoke every half hour. So you have to buy a new train and re-jig the timetable, just to add one more stop. (Or wait for the route to be electrified and get trains with faster acceleration so the end-to-end journey times can be maintained despite the extra stop). I bet none of that has been factored in to the station cost proposals.

Then there is the issue of how to fit the stopping train in amongst the other services. Currently the stopper from Basingstoke arrives at Reading just 3 minutes ahead of the Cross Country from the south coast to Newcastle or Manchester. Delaying or retiming the Cross Country service would have ramifications across much of the rail network. The route from Basingstoke also has to mesh in with the line from Newbury (and the West Country) to Reading from Southcote Junction.

So if the intention is for the station to serve the commuters of Green Park then it might be possible once the route is electrified. If the idea is that there will be the capability of moving thousands of football fans before and after the match, forget it.

The local planners need to speak to Network Rail and the DfT to understand what is possible before committing themselves to something that ultimately cannot be delivered.

by the sounds of this, the case for a monorail is only getting stronger.

[Cureton's Volley]

This has all the hallmarks of a decision taken by local planners without bothering to speak to the railway operators. Kind of "If we build a station, of course the trains will stop there".

The pathing of the trains between Basingstoke and Reading is actually quite difficult. The way the timetable is constructed at the moment, the local trains take 24 minutes Reading to Newbury then turn round in 6 minutes and take 24 minutes back again. So 2 trains can form a half-hourly shuttle service all day long, which is highly productive. If slowing down to a stop at Green Park, waiting for a minimum of 1 minute, and accelerating again costs (say) 4 minutes total, then the whole system collapses, since your end-to-end journey time has become 28 minutes, and you cannot reliabkly turn round the train in 2 minutes at Reading or Basingstoke every half hour. So you have to buy a new train and re-jig the timetable, just to add one more stop. (Or wait for the route to be electrified and get trains with faster acceleration so the end-to-end journey times can be maintained despite the extra stop). I bet none of that has been factored in to the station cost proposals.

Then there is the issue of how to fit the stopping train in amongst the other services. Currently the stopper from Basingstoke arrives at Reading just 3 minutes ahead of the Cross Country from the south coast to Newcastle or Manchester. Delaying or retiming the Cross Country service would have ramifications across much of the rail network. The route from Basingstoke also has to mesh in with the line from Newbury (and the West Country) to Reading from Southcote Junction.

So if the intention is for the station to serve the commuters of Green Park then it might be possible once the route is electrified. If the idea is that there will be the capability of moving thousands of football fans before and after the match, forget it.

The local planners need to speak to Network Rail and the DfT to understand what is possible before committing themselves to something that ultimately cannot be delivered.

by the sounds of this, the case for a monorail is only getting stronger.

There are 3 proposed monorail projects pending in the UK currently; for Birmingham, Liverpool & Preston

[SLAMMED]

£1.5m for a station?

Just stack a few pallets up next to the track and put up a couple of those Carlsberg umbrellas you get in beer gardens.

[Green]

£8m apparently SLAMMers. I couldn't believe it either, in fact I almost wish I'd tendered a bid for the construction contract.

[Geekins]

I thought those monorail trains were going to crash

[Deadlock]

Since they didn't it can't be a monorail (which, by definition only has one rail).

[Barry the bird boggler]

Since they didn't it can't be a monorail (which, by definition only has one rail).

Are monorails that safe though, as I recall they used to give International Rescue all sorts of problems....

[Ian Royal]

£8m apparently SLAMMers. I couldn't believe it either, in fact I almost wish I'd tendered a bid for the construction contract.

You should have done Reading station - £500m+!

[Green]

Money for old rope.

[handbags_harris]

£8m apparently SLAMMers. I couldn't believe it either, in fact I almost wish I'd tendered a bid for the construction contract.

You should have done Reading station - £500m+!

£850 million actually...

[Ian Royal]

£8m apparently SLAMMers. I couldn't believe it either, in fact I almost wish I'd tendered a bid for the construction contract.

You should have done Reading station - £500m+!

£850 million actually...

That's still £500m+

[Dave_Kitson]

£850 million actually...

I like trains, but surely they should have spent £850,000,000 on Dave Kitson instead.

[Dave_Kitson]

Look here for info on Reading station and Dave Kitson.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthrea ... 74&page=22

[paultheroyal]

Well done on your goal today Dave.

[Dave_Kitson]

Thanks.

I did score yesterday, but really I hate Oxf*rd and Agent Kitson has only gone there to destroy them from the inside. Xx

[Wimb]

Since they didn't it can't be a monorail (which, by definition only has one rail).

it's all perspective, one is behind the other

[Green]

Look here for info on Reading station and Dave Kitson.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthrea ... 74&page=22

Love that forum, might take a sabbatical on there next year

[Norfolk Royal]

Since they didn't it can't be a monorail (which, by definition only has one rail).

Although the mono may refer to the 'train' running on just one rail as opposed to the usual two rail configuration.

So if two trains passed on just one rail they would in effect be both running on a monorail.

[Dave_Kitson]

Post by Green » 16 Dec 2013 11:38

Dave_Kitson wrote:
Look here for info on Reading station and Dave Kitson.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthrea ... 74&page=22

Love that forum, might take a sabbatical on there next year

I believe that forum also has a thread on Reading station.