FIRST GLIMPSE OF READING STATION’S NEW SOUTHERN ENTRANCE

Thursday 20 May 2010

FIRST GLIMPSE OF READING STATION’S NEW SOUTHERN ENTRANCE

Region & Route:: Wales & Western: Western; | Wales & Western

Ahead of Network Rail's public exhibition on its multimillion pound plans to improve Reading’s railway the company has released the first image of Reading station’s new southern entrance.

One of two new entrances planned for the station, the southern entrance will be served by a brand new footbridge with new lifts and escalators, relieving congestion for Reading’s commuters and making it easier to get about the station. Five new platforms will provide more space for trains and a new viaduct will untangle the tracks to the west of the station, boosting capacity and cutting delays.

Tony Walker, Network Rail’s scheme sponsor for the Reading project said: “Reading’s residents and commuters were really positive about our plans for the station when we consulted them a couple of years ago. I’m keen to give people an update on our scheme and get their views before we start construction in earnest.

“The work we’re doing in Reading is one of the biggest pieces of railway investment anywhere in the country right now. I urge everyone who lives in Reading or uses the station to come along to the Town Hall and find out about the benefits and how they’re affected by our plans.”

To find out more about Network Rail’s plans for Reading, visit the public exhibition being held in Reading Town Hall from Thursday 20 to Saturday 22 May. Network Rail engineers and project managers will be on hand at the Town Hall exhibition to answer questions about the future for Reading’s railway, and the benefits for the travelling public.

Notes to editors

The Reading exhibition will be held in the Waterhouse Chamber, Reading Town Hall (Blagrave Street, RG1 1QH), except on the Thursday evening when it will relocate to Reading station. It will be open at the following times:

Thursday 20 May, 10.00 – 16.00
Thursday 20 May, 17.00 – 20.00 (Reading station)
Friday 21 May, 10.00 – 20.00
Saturday 22 May, 10.00 – 14.00

Contact information

Passengers / community members
Network Rail national helpline
03457 11 41 41

Latest travel advice
Please visit National Rail Enquiries

Journalists
Network Rail press office - South East route
020 3357 7969
southeastroutecomms@networkrail.co.uk

About Network Rail

We own, operate and develop Britain's railway infrastructure; that's 20,000 miles of track, 30,000 bridges, tunnels and viaducts and the thousands of signals, level crossings and stations. We run 20 of the UK's largest stations while all the others, over 2,500, are run by the country's train operating companies.

Usually, there are almost five million journeys made in the UK and over 600 freight trains run on the network. People depend on Britain's railway for their daily commute, to visit friends and loved ones and to get them home safe every day. Our role is to deliver a safe and reliable railway, so we carefully manage and deliver thousands of projects every year that form part of the multi-billion pound Railway Upgrade Plan, to grow and expand the nation's railway network to respond to the tremendous growth and demand the railway has experienced - a doubling of passenger journeys over the past 20 years.

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