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Tuesday 1 Nov 2016

Longer platforms for longer trains: work continues apace at Bracknell and Wokingham

Region & Route:

| Southern: Wessex

| Southern

Passengers at Wokingham and Bracknell stations will soon benefit from longer trains as Network Rail’s work to extend the station’s platforms continues.

The longer platforms are on track to be completed by February 2017, ahead of the launch of longer trains in summer 2017. Work completed so far includes the commissioning of the new signalling at the stations, and large sections of the new platforms.

The upgrades at Wokingham and Bracknell are just one part of the £800 million Waterloo and South West Upgrade, the biggest package of improvements for passengers travelling on this railway for decades, and will provide thousands more seats for passengers on trains between London Waterloo and Reading.

Stewart Firth, principal sponsor at Network Rail said, “Passengers at Wokingham and Bracknell will have seen the work progressing at a fantastic rate over the last few months, and I’m delighted to say that it’s all due to be delivered on time by February.

“The enormous investment along the route, part of our Railway Upgrade Plan, will provide passengers with a better railway and better services, and passengers at Wokingham and Bracknell will be some of the first to benefit when longer services begin operating next summer.”

The Waterloo and South West Upgrade will ultimately provide an extra 30% capacity at London Waterloo. As well as providing longer platforms for longer trains along the route, this will be achieved by bringing the former Waterloo International Terminal into use, which will provide an extra five platforms in Waterloo, and by introducing a fleet of brand new trains, providing 150 additional carriages.

ENDS

 

NOTES TO EDITORS

Wokingham and Bracknell are two of the 10 stations that will benefit from longer platforms, which will allow ten-car trains to operate, rather than just the current eight-car services, providing more space for passengers. The new, longer services will be introduced in summer 2017.

The Waterloo and South West Upgrade is an investment of more than £800million, delivered by Network Rail and South West Trains, in partnership with the Department for Transport. In addition to the works to extend platforms between London and Reading, it also includes:

• Rebuilding the former International terminal at London Waterloo to provide five additional platforms for domestic passengers.
• Extending platforms 1-4 at London Waterloo to allow longer 10-car trains to run on Suburban routes.
• A fleet of brand new trains, providing 150 additional carriages.
• New technology to make trains more efficient and improve punctuality.
• Improvements to depots and maintenance facilities to look after the network’s biggest ever fleet of trains.