Reading station news issue 6

EE
Issue 6 – March 2013
FR
A twonight stay
for two
PLUS first
class travel
tickets
WELCOME to the sixth issue of Reading Station News, a publication to keep you up-to-date
with the exciting changes ahead as the railway around Reading benefits from a major improvement. You will
find regular updates at www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/reading and www.networkrail.co.uk/reading. Follow us on
Twitter @FGW using #Readingstation. Thanks for reading!
Fancy a
great
Cornish break?
Free Prize Draw
WIN
See left for details
Jimmy McWhirter, Network Rail
construction manager, gets a
bird’s eye view of the site
We have teamed up
with the Pedn Olva
Hotel in St Ives to
offer Reading
Station News readers the chance
to win a break away for two in
Cornwall. Our winner’s prize
includes a two-night stay for two
people in a double room with
fantastic sea views overlooking
the crystal-clear waters of St
Ives Bay and a full Cornish
breakfast each morning.
www.pednolva.co.uk
For your chance to win, simply
submit your name, address
and email details to:
Reading Station News
Competition, First Great Western,
Room B332, Macmillan House,
Paddington, London, WC2 1FT.
Station
Alternatively visit
www.firstgreatwestern/stives
to submit your details.
We’re ready for lift-off
READING
news
The winner will be selected at random.
Terms and conditions apply. The prize is a
two-night stay for two people sharing a
room with breakfast. Accounts for
additional meals and beverages must be
settled on departure. This exciting prize
must be taken before 30 June, 2013,
subject to availability at the time of booking
and excludes Bank Holidays.
The prize includes a pair of first class
tickets on the First Great Western
network (Subject to availability.
No purchase necessary).
Closing date:
30 April, 2013.
We’re counting down
to the most extensive
phase yet of Network
Rail’s multi-million
pound project to
transform Reading
station and improve the
journeys of thousands
of rail travellers.
This Easter period will see
the long-awaited opening of
the spectacular new
passenger bridge, as well as
two new entrances and four
more platforms.
The work, a huge Network
Rail scheme involving a
highly-skilled planning and
construction team, is part of
the Reading investment
project which is on track to
be completed in 2015, one
year ahead of schedule.
It will help reduce delays,
increase the number of
platforms and improve the
punctuality of train services
on the Great Western
network.
Over the coming months,
more platforms will be
upgraded, with the station
part of the project due for
completion in February, 2014.
Up until now, virtually
all the work has been
completed without impacting
customers but, to enable this
vital phase to be delivered,
there needs to be significant
changes to train services that
would normally run through
Reading and some
surrounding stations for the
period between Friday, 29
March and Sunday 7 April.
This issue of Reading
Station News contains the
following key information:
•
A diversionary route map,
summarising the changes
www.networkrail.co.uk/reading
in services between 29
March and 7 April – see
pages 4, 5 and 6.
•
How the new passenger
bridge and platforms will
improve the customer
experience – see pages
2 and 3.
•
Reading Borough Council
is improving the local
transport infrastructure to
dovetail with the station
project – see page 7.
•
What the future holds for
Reading as an important
part of the Great Western
network – see page 8.
Passenger bridge will
be bigger and better
Workers prepare for the opening of the new passenger bridge
More space... easier
access to platforms...
more information for
rail travellers... welcome
to the brand new
passenger bridge, which
opens at Reading station
on 29 March.
At 110 metres long and 30
metres wide, the huge bridge
will provide an impressive
new way for customers to
get where they’re going with
the minimum of fuss and
maximum efficiency.
During the months
of construction work
painstakingly performed
around the clock by Network
Rail, this massive structure
has been the most visible
part of the whole project,
dominating the skyline
around the station – now it’s
almost time to reveal what
all the fuss has been about.
Bill Henry, Network Rail
Programme Director, said:
“There’s so much space up
Winner Margie
can book her
Cornwall break
there and it will be so much
easier for people to move
around, especially when
they are carrying luggage
with them. It will be a good
vantage point, too, with
massive glazed areas at either
end providing spectacular
views across Reading.
“There will be a choice of
escalators, stairs and twice
as many lifts as there are
currently to each platform
from the passenger bridge.”
The bridge will feature
many of the new, state-ofthe-art information screens
– there will be 120 in total,
strategically positioned
around the station – which
will provide rail travellers
with up-to-date details of
their journey.
Gareth Taylor, First
Great Western’s Senior
Project Interface Manager
for the Reading Station
Redevelopment said: “We’ve
tried to locate screens in the
Margie Heath is looking
forward to enjoying a holiday
break in Cornwall after winning
a competition in the last issue of
Reading Station News.
“That’s fantastic news,”
areas where people will need
them at the various decisionmaking points. When you
enter the station, the first
priority is to think about which
platform you need.”
“Customers will also
benefit from two mobile help
desks. Each one is equipped
with a laptop and a wireless
printer and staff will be able
to look up real time trainrunning information. When
customers ask: ‘Where’s
my train?’ we will be able to
quickly access our internal
computer systems to
tell them.
“We can help them plan their
journey and print out their own
itinerary if necessary.”
Two new entrances, one
at the west end of the station
next to The Three Guineas
pub, and one to the north
near the current multi-storey
car park, will also be unveiled
on 29 March, supplementing
the existing main way in to
said Margie, who lives
in Leytonstone, east
London and is a big fan of
competitions.
Margie’s prize includes a
two-night bed and breakfast
the station and the Brunel
Arcade, both of which will
remain unchanged.
The new southern entrance
will provide customers with
a fast-track route to the
passenger bridge and will also
have three self service ticket
machines. On the northern
side the new entrance will
also have three self-serve
machines, as well as two
manned ticket windows and
an excess fare facility.
Regular Reading station
users will know that the old
passenger bridge linking the
multi-storey car park and
the station was closed at the
beginning of March and, when
the new passenger bridge and
entrances are opened, the car
park layout will change, too.
At the moment it fills from
level nine downwards but,
in future, will be populated
from the ground up, with
the mobility bays being
moved accordingly.
stay for two people at the
Beacon Country House
Hotel plus two first class rail
tickets for the First Great
Western network.
“My grand-daughter Laura
www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/reading
New look
platforms
ready to roll
Rail travellers using the
station after the Easter
holiday will not only be
able to use the new
passenger bridge, they
will also benefit from the
new platforms 12 to 15,
each of which will have
dedicated waiting rooms,
information screens and
customer toilets.
Reading Station
Manager Maggie Rolfe
said: “Customers will
immediately be able to
envisage how the rest of
the station is going to be
upgraded to meet the
same standards.”
The new station will
give Train Operating
Companies added
flexibility for the way they
use platforms – each will
have two sections, A and
B, which will enable trains
of varying lengths to
occupy different ends of
the platforms at the same
time, improving efficiency
and timings for
customers.
Added Maggie: “It’s an
arrangement which has
worked very well at
Birmingham New Street
station. We can have two
trains using the same
platform, at different
ends, at the same time so
there is far more
flexibility. At the moment
we would only have one
train at a platform at any
one time.”
The Reading remodelling is a fascinating engineering and railway project
and we hope to keep you informed with each issue of Reading Station
News. If you would like more detailed information, please let us know how
you would like to receive this:
1. Via email.
2. On the Network Rail website.
3. Other forms of communications, e.g. newsletters etc.
Send us your thoughts by visiting www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/rsn.
Improving the journey for all rail users
Reading is the second busiest train station
outside London – and is set to get even
busier as passenger numbers are predicted to
double by 2030. Network Rail’s £895 million
investment project will see new platforms,
a passenger bridge and two new entrances
built at the station. It will also unblock the
bottleneck at Reading by changing the track
layout – improving journeys for thousands of
passengers every day.
A better station
has recently adopted a horse
in the West Country so we
may well go to the animal
sanctuary down there at
the same time.”
We’re building five new platforms at Reading
station, plus a new passenger footbridge with
escalators and lifts providing step-free access
to all platforms, and two new entrances.
A better railway
We’re building a viaduct to the west of
Reading to take fast main lines over freight
and relief lines. This will help the railway to
cope as demand for train services increases.
www.networkrail.co.uk/reading
Fewer delays
The new track and platforms will mean trains
won’t need to queue while approaching the
station and can still run if there are temporary
problems with other services.
More freight capacity
The new track being built will provide space
for six extra freight trains each day – this could
take around 200 lorries a day off the roads.
Easter 2013 Service information
Comparison of Journey Times – Easter 2013
Overview of diversionary routes
To Birmingham
1 TPH
2T
PH
(1 t
oS
wa
nse
a, 1
to B
rist
1 TPH
1T
pril
Greenford
Twyford
Maidenhead
Slough
West of England
London
Waterloo
-
1:01
Reading
Basingstoke or Westbury**
1:09 - 1:39
Reading
Basingstoke (then bus) or
Westbury (train) Theale (bus)†
1:00 - 1:35
Bristol/Bath/
Chippenham
London
Paddington
-
1:11
Reading
Swindon (then bus)
0:45
Swindon
London
Paddington
-
1:12 - 1:23
Reading
Direct bus
0:36
Didcot Parkway
London
Paddington
Oxford**
1:40
Reading
Direct bus
0:33
Reading
London
Waterloo
-
0:50
Reading West
London
Waterloo
Reading**
1:02
London
Waterloo
Bus to Reading, then train†
1:06
Reading
Direct train**/ bus†
0:05
Swansea/Cardiff/ London
Newport/
Paddington
Bristol Pwy
Reading
-
1:23
Swindon (then bus)
0:54
Oxford
London
Paddington
-
0:50 - 0:55
Reading
Didcot (then bus)
0:54 - 0:59
Cheltenham Spa
London
Paddington
Swindon**
1:19
PH
only
1 TPH†
Winchester
)
To West
of England
(SW
T)
Reading
Swindon (then bus)
0:51
Oxford**
1:30
4 TPH
(2x HC, 2x FGW)†
Windsor and
Eton Central
North Cotswolds/ London
Worcester
Paddington
Reading
Didcot
1:00
London
Waterloo
-
0:44
Reading
-**
0:40
Reading
Theale (then bus)†
0:46
London
Waterloo
Reading**
1:02
London
Paddington
Train to Theale, bus to Slough,
then train†
1:05
Reading
-**
0:08 - 0:23
Reading
Theale (then bus)†
0:10 - 0:30
Cholsey/Goring/
Pangbourne/
Tilehurst
London
Waterloo
Bus to Reading, then train
0:40
Reading
Direct bus
0:33
Henley-onThames/
Shiplake/
Wargrave
London
Waterloo
Twyford, then bus to Wokingham, 1:03
then train**
London
Paddington
Twyford then bus to Maidenhead, 0:44
then train†
Reading
Twyford, (then bus)
0:22
Twyford
London
Waterloo
Bus to Wokingham,
then train**
0:52
London
Paddington
Bus to Maidenhead, then train†
0:36
Westbury
Mortimer
Bramley
T
(SW
23:45 Thursday 28 March – 04:00 Tuesday 2 April and 23:00
Saturday 6 April – 03:30 Monday 8 April
We will be unable to run trains between Didcot Parkway and Maidenhead during these dates.
Lines between Slough and Hayes & Harlington will be closed between 28 March – 2 April.
Where lines are closed, First Great Western will divert trains or run buses to make sure
customers get to where they need to go.
High Speed Services from Bristol Temple Meads and South Wales into and out of Paddington
will be diverted via Banbury and journeys will take significantly longer than normal.
Hayes &
Harlington
2 TPH
7A
XC = CrossCountry
SWT = South West Trains
HC = Heathrow Connect
Marlow
Farnborough North
)
FGW
T, 1x
W
xS
H (5
6 TP
North Camp
Pewsey/
Bedwyn/
Newbury and
stations to
Theale
Redhill
2 TPH
1 TPH
3 TPH (2x SWT 1x FGW)
H
Additional
journey times
hh:mm
)
†
Reading
West
5 TPH (1x XC 4x SWT)
1 TPH
Theale
Bedwyn
Pewsey
1 TP
Change at
ads
4T
PH †
1 TPH
2 TPH
H
1 TP
ry
1 TPH (XC)
Me
Wokingham
S
H
ple
2 TPH
ay
und
1 TP
ol T
em
Tilehurst
1 TPH
Bradford-on
-Avon
Train service
Heathrow Connect and Heathrow Express
will both be running 2 trains per hour.
Henley-onThames
2 TPH
eve
GW
1x F hours
2
1 TPH
To Newport /
Cardiff / Swansea
Bus route
NB.All trains are First Great Western services
unless marked.
3 TPH (2x FGW, 1xXC)
1 TPH
TPHTrains per hour in both directions
*
1 TPH, XC;
1x FGW every 2 hours
(1xXC 1xFGW)
Limited through service for Oxford change
at Worcester
To
Key
23:45 Thursday 28 March – 04:00 Tuesday 2 April
and 23:00 Saturday 6 April – 03:30 Monday 8 April
To Great
Malvern / Hereford
From
N.B Pewsey 1
train every
2 hours
To Portsmouth
To Bournemouth
Services to and from the West of England will be diverted to start / terminate at
London Waterloo. Trains will call at Basingstoke for connections to Reading.
Customers are advised that journeys will be take significantly longer than normal.
Reading Station will be open for South West Trains services and FGW North
Downs and services to Basingstoke, Newbury / Bedwyn / Westbury except on
Sunday 7 April when Platform 2 will be closed.
On Sunday 7 April buses will replace trains between Reading and Basingstoke and
between Reading and Theale. Onward rail connections will be available at Theale to
Newbury / Bedwyn / Westbury.
04:00 Tuesday 2 April – 23:00 Saturday 6 April
Reading platforms 2, 4 and 5 and new platforms 12-15 will be open. FGW and
CrossCountry will operate a reduced service through Reading. FGW North Downs services
will operate normally. There will be a reduced frequency between Reading and Basingstoke
and Reading and Newbury / Bedwyn / Westbury. CrossCountry will be operating
a Manchester to Bournemouth service which will call additionally at Reading West.
Customers are advised to check their journeys before travelling.
For further information, or to sign up for updates,
visit www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/reading
Reading
Direct bus
0:15
Maidenhead
London
Paddington
Train to Slough, bus to Hayes &
Harlington, then train**
0:40 - †0:00
Reading
Direct bus
0:35
Slough and
stations to
West Drayton
London
Paddington
Bus to Hayes & Harlington,
then train**
0:25 - †0:00
Reading
Bus to Maidenhead (then bus)
0:40
** = Rail Connection
This is a summary overview of how services are affected over Easter. For exact times and variations please pick up a timetable at your local station
www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/reading
www.networkrail.co.uk/reading
† = Sunday 7 April only
Check out journey
details before you
travel this Easter
TICKET RESTRICTIONS
Peak travel time restrictions are lifted for all First Great
Western services on Good Friday (29 March) and Easter
Monday (1 April). This means that Super Off-Peak, Off-Peak
and Off-Peak Day tickets, as well as Off-Peak Day Travelcards,
will be valid at any time of the day. Advance Purchase tickets,
however, remain valid on booked services only.
Customers holding a Network Railcard, Annual Gold Card or
Devon & Cornwall Railcard will be able to obtain discounted
travel on First Great Western services at all times of the day
from Friday 29 March until Monday 1 April inclusive.
GroupSave discount will not be available for travel to and
from London with First Great Western between 1400 on
Thursday 28 March and 1400 on Tuesday 2 April. This
discount will also be unavailable on Sunday 7 April for
travel to and from London with FGW.
Travelcards will be valid throughout the relevant London Fares
Zone(s) from Friday 29 March until Monday 1 April inclusive
for travel on London Underground, Docklands Light Railway
and London Buses. Please enquire with Transport for London
(www.tfl.gov.uk) for details.
Weekend First upgrades will be available on First Great
Western services from Friday 29 March to Monday 1 April,
subject to availability and at the discretion of the Train Manager.
Please purchase your upgrade tickets on board.
CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE
Assisted travel will be available for those who need extra
help with their journey. Please contact FGW on Freefone
0800 197 1329 or Textphone 18001 0800 197 1329
where a specialist team will be available to offer you advice.
If part of your journey is by a rail replacement coach and
you are unable to use this service, an alternative means of
transport will be provided at no extra cost.
We recommend that you give at least 24 hours notice
before travelling.
FURTHER INFORMATION
First Great Western
For tickets, information, real time updates and offers visit
www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk or call us on 08457 000 125
(0700 to 2200 daily).
First Great Western’s Angela Agapi
with one of the new mobile help desks
The clear message for
rail travellers over the
Easter holiday period
is: Check your journey
details before you travel.
First Great Western
Projects Interface Manager
Barry Milsom said: “We
are doing our utmost to
make customers aware of
how their journeys will be
affected and there are many
ways in which they can find
out more information.
“We would advise customers
to look at our website, www.
firstgreatwestern.co.uk/
reading, where there is a
summary of the key dates and
how the train and replacement
bus operation will run. There
are also free timetable booklets
available for download and
to collect in hard copy format
from stations.”
The booklets are:
Book 1 – London to
Taunton, Exeter, Plymouth
First Great Western - Customer Assistance
Freephone 0800 197 1329 Textphone 18001 0800 197 1329.
and Cornwall.
Book 2 – London to
Oxford, Bristol, Cheltenham,
Worcester and Swansea.
Book 3 – Local services
in London and the Thames
Valley.
Added Barry: “Rail
travellers can also seek
assistance from our customer
information desks and station
staff, who will have all the
relevant information to hand.
Despite all the changes and
proposed diversions, their
journeys will be made as
smooth as possible.”
AMENDMENTS TO
TRAIN SERVICES
From Friday 29 March
through to Sunday 7 April,
the majority of train services
that normally call at Reading
will be retimed, diverted,
or substituted by rail
replacement services.
Train services between
London Paddington and
the West of England will
be diverted away from the
Reading area and will start
and terminate at London
Waterloo on certain dates
during and after Easter.
On some dates the Night
Riviera sleeper service will
be replaced by a High Speed
Train and will operate to
and from London Waterloo.
Sleeper berths will not be
available on these diverted
trains.
Train services between
London Paddington and
Bristol, Cardiff and Swansea
will be diverted away
from the Reading area
and journey times will be
extended on several dates
over the Easter period.
Services in the Thames
Valley and London areas
will be amended with rail
replacement services in
operation on many routes.
National Rail Enquiries
For up-to-date train times and details of all UK train
companies, visit www.nationalrail.co.uk or call
08457 48 49 50 (24 hours, calls may be recorded).
Network Rail
The UK’s national railway infrastructure company.
Visit www.networkrail.co.uk or call 0845 711 4141 (24 hours).
Passenger Focus
For help and advice on issues that affect your journey
call 0300 123 2350.
OTHER USEFUL WEBSITES
www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk
CrossCountry operate train services from Scotland,
the North of England, through Birmingham New Street
to Bristol Temple Meads, Exeter St Davids and the West
Country as well as to Reading and Bournemouth.
www.southwesttrains.co.uk
South West Trains operate train services in southern
England and from London Waterloo to Bristol Temple
Meads and Exeter St Davids.
www.transport-direct.org.uk
For updates on road and rail travel in Britain.
www.railair.com
For details of buses operating between Reading and
Heathrow Airport.
www.nationalrail.co.uk
For up-to-date train times, fares and station information.
www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/reading
Working together to improve
Reading – for all concerned
Reading Borough Council
continues to play an
important part in the
transformation of the
station and the local
transport infrastructure
for the surrounding area.
From the start of the
project, the Council has
worked alongside Network
Rail to ensure that rail
travellers and members of
the general public will all
benefit from this massive
building scheme.
“I’m very pleased with the
progress made and, having
had a recent tour of the whole
site lasting more than two
hours, I’m impressed,” said
Tony Page, Reading’s Lead
Councillor for Regeneration,
Transport and Planning.
“We’re all looking forward to
Easter, with the closure of the
overbridge and the vast
improvement that will be
delivered when the new
pedestrian bridge is opened.
“I’m also very enthused
about the re-opening of the
old subway underneath the
station.”
Following the closure of
the old footbridge which
provided the link between
the multi-storey car park and
the station, a fully
refurbished pedestrian
subway has provided a
temporary replacement
route for rail travellers.
Once the new passenger
bridge is opened on 29
March, the subway will
continue to provide a way for
non-station users to cross on
foot from one side of the
town to the other.
Most of the road, pavement
and traffic signalling works
will be completed to link with
the opening of the northern
station entrance – with full
operation of the new public
transport interchange
expected by July. The public
square area is scheduled to be
finished by April 2014.
The new northern
interchange will include the
following:
•A large public square area
providing direct access to
Left to right: Gareth
Taylor (First Great
Western), Councillor
Tony Page, Graham
Denny (Network Rail)
and Dave Forbes from
lead contractors Costain
at the entrance to the
new subway
“We’re all looking forward
to Easter, with the closure
of the overbridge and the
vast improvement that will
be delivered when the new
pedestrian bridge is opened.”
Councillor Tony Page
the new northern station
facilities, including the
new subway
•New bus stops, shelters, taxi
ranks and cycle parking for
around 350 cycles
•Pedestrian and cycle
access across Vastern
Road via a new traffic
signal junction and the
new signal crossings
•New street furniture and
paving
•Dedicated bus, taxi and
cycle lanes to serve the
interchange.
The Council is also
considering a town cycle hire
scheme which will be available
at the station.
Conventional racks for
people using their own cycles
will be provided at both the
north and south areas of the
station this year with the new
hire system expected to be in
operation in 2014.
“The final locations have still
to be decided but the station
will clearly be a very important
hub for the new cycle hire
scheme,” added Mr Page.
There are also plans to build
a new pedestrian and cycle
way over the Thames,
between the existing Reading
and Caversham bridges, to
link up with the station
development, a project which
should be built and delivered
by March 2015.
www.networkrail.co.uk/reading
One of the first passengers
to use the newly-refurbished
subway just after it opened
on 1 March 2013
Great legacy for the town
Reading will feel the huge
benefits of the
transformation of its
station and rail
infrastructure for many
years to come.
That’s the firm opinion of
Bill Henry, Network Rail’s
Programme Director, and the
man in charge of an almost
billion-pound investment
project which will change the
experience on the Great
Western network for
thousands of rail travellers
from all over the country.
“We now have 14 million
passengers using Reading
TBC
annually,”
said Bill. “This
project is future proofed to
anticipate the doubling of those
numbers by 2030. Even now
it’s amazing to see the volume
of passengers coming through
on a consistent basis every day.
You have natural peaks in the
morning and the evening but
there’s a pretty constant flow
throughout the day.
“The railway is a vital
component of Reading’s
economy and it’s going to
continue to enrich this town in
many ways.”
Like everyone else who is
involved with the Reading
Remodelling work, Bill is
looking forward with great
anticipation to seeing the
“The railway is a vital
component of Reading’s
economy and it’s going
to continue to enrich this
town in many ways.”
bill henry, network rail programme director
public reaction to the opening
of the new passenger bridge,
platforms and entrances at
Easter but he knows there is
much more to be done before
the scheme is signed off,
one year ahead of schedule,
in 2015.
“The most dramatic change
people will see is the flow of
passengers off lifts, stairs and
escalators to the new
platforms and how wide and
grand the transfer deck is
compared to the existing one.
That will be quite something
to see and experience.
“I look at this as being the
second stage of a major
transformation with all the
new track we are putting in
on the north side of the
station, for platforms 12 to 15,
going live on the morning of
the 2nd April.
“People have already been
using the new platforms 4, 5
and 6 – that was the first
phase. Now you can see
some architectural flow, with
the canopies blending in
with the new sections we’re
doing on the transfer deck,
western gateline and
northern entrance. The
platforms are wider, safer
and give the passengers a
better experience.”
Network Rail’s next
significant timeline milestone
will come with the completion
of a new train care depot,
situated to the west of the
station. “Immediately
following the Easter works,
we’re going to be
concentrating on the depot,
which we’re on programme to
finish in early summer this
year. There will then be the
transition of First Great
Western from their existing
depot to a fully operational
new facility in mid-summer.”
The 210-metre long
state-of-the-art depot will
replace the old train shed,
which has to be demolished to
make way for a new viaduct,
crucial in helping to create
more room for trains and
unblock the bottleneck that
causes congestion on the
railway in Reading.
“This depot can handle not
only the current train volume
on the rail system but also the
future volume. It will be
equipped for the maintenance
of the new trains which will
be put on this railway system
as we electrify it. That’s going
to be a cleaner and more
www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/reading
efficient operation.”
While more platform work
continues apace towards
conclusion of the station
overhaul by February 2014,
the viaduct project will be one
of the final pieces of this huge
construction jigsaw to be
slotted into place. At the
moment, passenger and
freight lines are merged and
cannot operate independently
but, when the new viaduct is
finished, fast passenger trains
will run above a new, slower
freight track, helping to end
the delays currently
experienced by congestion at
the west side of the station.
Added Bill: “What we have
tried to do is always be ahead
of schedule. It was originally
meant to complete in 2016 so
we’ve knocked a year off that.
“During the three years we
have been working on the
project, the success of the
build has been primarily due
to the local community and
the passengers who have put
up with the modifications,
re-routing and all the
hoarding that’s been up to
allow us to get on with our job.
“Hopefully the benefit is
that they see the
improvements taking place on
a daily basis. That’s how fast
we are building this project.”