Reading Railway Rebuild Recce [2]

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A heart-warming tale

When Martin Allaway (37) and Stephanie Povey (30) got married on 1st June, they had a special form of transport laid on to get their guests to their reception venue in Gosport

The couple hired an Eclipse BRT bus for the occasion, treating their guests to the utmost luxury as they made the eight-mile journey from the Alverstoke Evangelical Church to Bay House School for the reception, and then on to Bridgemary College for the evening celebration.

[Shame - why not a better view of the whole bus? Those people in posh gear get in the way of the lovely shiny vehicle!]

Chosen because the colour of the bus matched the colour-scheme of the wedding**, Martin couldn’t think of a more perfect way for his guests to arrive. Talking about it, he said: “Stephanie and I use the Eclipse BRT route all the time, to travel between Bridgemary and Fareham Railway Station. When we started thinking about our wedding, and particularly how we would get our guests from one venue to another, the Eclipse service immediately sprang to mind."

[** Matching colour scheme? Evening Celebration? Whatever happened to "Wedding, Nosh, Change of Clobber and Honeymoon"? Apparently you have to have fireworks now! No wonder weddings are now more expensive that a semi-detached house. And the bus colour doesn't really match the missus' posh frock; "barbie" pink might have been better.]

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fbb's recent visit to Reading ...

Returning to the Island from Birmingham, fbb chose a Crosscoutry train terminating at Reading which, helpfully pulled into one of the brand new platforms built to the north of the existing station. Constructed in the currently-fashinable grey everything, the whole impression was of a a vast improvement on the previous tired and inadequate buildings.

Signs were helpful ...

... seen here on the door of the small and somewhat spartan waiting room. A few yards further on, you come to the most obvious and dramatic feature of the new station, namely a huge passenger footbridge ...

... dwarfing the trains below. On the way, fbb spotted the signage for the brand new north entrance (right centre) ...

Within this greyness is a booking office ...

... and the now usual banks of pedestrian inconveniencing and irritating barriers.

Even the north-entrance staircase was designed to be a dramatic piece of industrial art!

And so up to the footbridge, if such  vast space can be demeaned by such a prosaic name. It is vast, huge,  cathedral-like and dramatic. It even has a Starbucks coffee shop almost lost in its Saharan emptiness.

An even huger bank of stairs and escalators leads to the additional southern exit ...

click to enlarge the picture

... and here there is disappointment. The old cramped booking hall is advertised as being untouched. When fbb was previously in Reading, there had been disruption due to a signal failure and the ticket office area was utterly swamped with confused passengers. Unless there are plans for a bigger ticket office, all the new magnificence will be negated but the same-old, same-old booking hall scrum.

One oddity caused fbb to wonder.

The original 1860 station, now a pub and a listed building, stands dwarfed by the grey vastness of the new. Frankly, it just looks silly! fbb wonders whether there would have been a better way of retaining the fabric of the old within a more sensitive development of the new.

And one little titter.

The former multi-storey car park exit (once leading to a now-demolished footbridge) on the fourth level seems an ill-advised route to take, despite the helpful signs.

fbb hopes that the doors are firmly locked!

Despite these minor niggles, the station IS truly magnificent and well worth a visit.

 Next Bus Blog : Thursday 6th June 

Reading Railway Rebuild Recce [1]

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A commentator to Sunday's blog asked whether Axe Valley's route to Axmouth was the shortest in the UK. For those who may be interested, fbb blogged on this earth-shattering matter almost exactly two years ago.

See
from Sunday 2nd June 2013, "Seated in Seaton" (read again)

and

from Thursday 26th May 2011, "Taken Short at Axmouth?" (read again)
The HC2 circular service referred to in the above Axmouth blog still runs between Darwen and the Darwen Health Centre; operated by Darwen Coach Services.

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Back to today's post with information largely culled from the dreaded Wikipedia - so not necessarily 100% reliable ...

A desperate need.

The first Reading station was opened on 30 March 1840 as the temporary western terminus of the original line of the Great Western Railway which reached its intended terminus at Bristol in 1841. As built, Reading station was a typical Brunel-designed one-platform station, with inconvenient routeing needed to reach the platform face.

New routes soon joined the London to Bristol line, with the line from Reading to Newbury and Hungerford opening in 1847, and the line to Basingstoke in 1848. In 1860, a new station building ...

... in Bath Stone and incorporating a tower and clock was constructed. In 1898 the single sided station was replaced by a conventional design with 'up', 'down' and 'relief' platforms linked by a pedestrian subway. 

The station was originally named Reading and became Reading General on 26 September 1949 in order to distinguish it from the separate ex-London and South Western station nearby whose line reached the town in 1849. It only took 100 years to recognise that there might be confusion!

From 6 September 1965, services from the former Reading Southern station were diverted into a newly constructed terminal platforms in the former GWR station.

In 1989 a brand new station concourse, included a shopping arcade named after Brunel, opened on the western end of the old Reading Southern station site, linked to the platforms of the main station by a new footbridge. At the same time a new multi-level station car park was built on the site of the former goods yard and signal works to the north of the station, and linked to the same footbridge.

The station facilities in the 1860 station building were converted into The Three Guineas public house.

[Here endeth Wikiedia's contribution.] Even in 1945, the station was crowded at busy times ...

... but in recent years, busy times have become all day, every day.

The 1989 concourse became insufferable at peak times or when services were disrupted. So something had to be done, and something which would allow for further future growth.

Answer: a complete rebuild of the platform area, adding 5 new platform faces and a massive new footbridge. After long, long months of disruption the new facilities opened at the end of an Easter Holiday 2013 shut-down.

Chaotic Reading station

is now 'welcoming'

Commuters breathed a sigh of relief as Reading station got back to business as usual after a second weekend of disruption ended on Monday. The station underwent a crucial two-week phase of its £895m upgrade, which includes the installation of five new platforms, two additional entrances and the eye-catching new link bridge.

It is the result of this rebuild that fbb was able to reconnoitre on his return from the visit to Butlers Lane (Birmingham) a week or so ago. Tomorrow, then, we take that "recce"!

 Next Rail Blog : Wednesday 5th June 

To Boldly Go ...

... Where No Man has Gone Before!

Stardate Saturday June 1st 2013 : No 3 son invited fbb to enjoy the latest Star Trek blockbuster at the Radway cinema, Sidmouth. Return journey was by bus, service 52A at 1720, thus allowing 20 minutes to enjoy the relaxing waiting experience at the "Post Office" bus stop.

The sun was shining, but, in all honesty, that 20 minutes did lack that ill-defined spark of excitement which often enhances fbb's bus travel. So to while away the passing minutes, No 3 son decided to test the facilities.

So at 1705, he sent "dvngapat" to 84268. And nothing happened!

Although this system is hardly ever used by anybody, fbb has found that it does usually work. So he tried again at 1715.

And got a reply almost instantly.

As fbb sneered in a derogatory manner at his son's lack of reply on his superior all-singing all-dancing smart phone, the reply arrived. It demands detailed analysis.

Top right is the time the message was sent (1705) and bottom left is time of receipt (1720); a delay of 15 minutes during which fbb's message was sent and replied to almost instantly. How would a "real" enquirer react during that delay? Concern and confusion, perhaps, or just the usual resignation at the failings of technology?

Both fbb's and son's answers agreed on the 382 to Whimple at 1736; the latter being timetabled time (unreal time) rather than real and actual time.

The 52B (Stagecoach) showed real time; that is "minutes until" the arrival of the bus. But as only an occasional bus user, No 3 son was unaware of the subtleties of this distinction. Such minutiae are unexplained either at the stop or in the text messages. BUT, now the problems begin ...

52B to "Job Cent"? Where is "Job Cent"? fbb will give you a clue:-

So now you know!

But more complications apply to the 52A, the very bus that fbb and the boy intended to catch.

fbb's reply opined that the bus would take them to Seaton at 1723 which indeed would be about right for the 1721 departure from Sidmouth Triangle. But No 3 son's reply was quite different.

Now the bus was shown as leaving at the completely wrong time of 1709! And it would terminate at "Marine P", equally as mysterious as "Job Cent" for No 3 son ...

... but identified as "Seaton" by fbb's txt reply.

So a wise and knowledgeable passenger will either (a) avoid the facility altogether or (b) treat any answers it gives with total suspicion. An unfortunate visitor, however, stands a good chance of being misled or mystified.

What a splendid system!

Oh, and by the way, on arriving back in Seaton, the travelling twosome had cause to toddle past the stop close to the new fbb mansion. Of note, displayed in the frame, were ...

 ... service X54, withdrawn in April 2013, and ...

... the Monday to Friday only service to Axmouth which, according to the column heading notes, does not run on Saturdays. Well, there's a turn up for the book, as they say!

Let's hope that Kirk (Chris Pine) ...

... Spock (Zachary Quinto) ...

... McCoy (Karl Urban) et al ...

... don't have "To Boldly Go" anywhere by bus in East Devon. It's a lot harder than taking The Enterprise "beyond the Neutral Zone!"

P.S. "Job Cent" is, as every potential bus passenger knows, Honiton.

 Next Bus Rail Blog : Tuesday 4th June 

Seated at Seaton

click on the map to enlarge (a bit)

Wikipedia tells all? So take a walk with fbb from the new dowsized home ...

... via the Esplanade.

Seaton is a seaside town in East Devon on the south coast of England. It faces onto Lyme Bay, to the west of the mouth of the River Axe with red cliffs to one side and white cliffs on the other.

The town sits on the 96-mile long Dorset and East Devon Coast World Heritage Site, more commonly known as the Jurassic Coast. From here it is possible to visit rock strata dating from three geological periods in a 185 million-year "geological walk" through time’.

A farming community existed here 4,000 years before the Romans arrived and there were Iron Age forts in the vicinity at Seaton Down, Hawkesdown Hill, Blackbury Camp ...

... and Berry Camp.

In fbb's childhood, whilst on a family holiday, father drove to what might have been an exciting "Blackberry Castle" only to find a few mounds and very little else. Archaeology subsequently demoted the "castle" to a defensive farmers' settlement.

In Saxon times Seaton was known as Fluta or Fleet, the Saxon word for creek. The town of Fleet was founded by Saxon Charter 1005 AD. The first mention of Seaton was in a Papal Bull by Pope Eugenius in 1146.

In the 19th century Seaton developed as a holiday resort and many of the town buildings are Victorian. Seaton was served by a branch line, opened in 1886, from Seaton Junction on the Salisbury to Exeter main line. The railway was successful and considerably assisted in the development of Seaton as a holiday destination.

Although the line closed in 1966, the station site has never been developed. It remains a boarded up and dilapidated eye-sore.

Seaton is also notable for having one of the world's first concrete bridges, built over the River Axe in 1877. This is one of the earliest concrete bridges in Britain, and possibly the oldest such still standing.

Originally a toll bridge, the 136-year-old veteran was supplanted by the present structure in 1990 ...

... but leaving the old crossing as a footpath; and the toll house still in place as a private residence.

One final piece of nostalgia; within tottering distance of the new gaff, is the former home of Peco, the purveyor of model railway requisites, now moved to Beer.

Here the little pre-fbb purchased his first Peco Wonderful Wagon ...

... (remember them?) and assembled it on the beach.

We had better end with a bit of present-day Public Transport, namely the very short route operated by Axe Valley Travel from Seaton to Axmouth across the eponymous bridge. Three trips a day (Monday to Friday only) and a running time of just 4 minutes.

It's on the list to be "done" as soon as possible.

P.S. at 0700 this Sunday morning, a paste-up of the view west ...

... with red highly unstable sandstone (right) and solid unflinching white chalk way out beyond Beer Head. Click on the picture to enlarge. Note the reflections in the crystal-calm sea with no more ripples than a piece of bathroom window glass.

Also just spotted, Auntie Frances (Axe Valley Travel) has a batch of four ex London Tridents for her schools work ...

... and, bliss of bliss ...

... Gumbies are only £5.95 in the huge tat shop just along the road!

Gumbies? A brand of footwear, your honour, popular with young people; in this case referring to what we once called "flip-flops".

Flip-flops?

Never mind your honour. I now call ... Jedward to the stand.

 Next Bus Blog : Monday 3rd June 

Public Transport : Dangers or Delights?

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But first ...

Moving In ...

Following a pleasant night in the B&B, and after enjoying a delightful view of the ever changing red and blue of the Summer illuminations (!) ...

... the fbbs have duly settled into their new abode.

The word "settled" is possibly inaccurate; "arrived" might be better; because, although the fbb goods and chattels were expertly delivered and unloaded by Lacey's of Bembridge, the old codgers are left with several months of  unpacking and sorting. But they have, at least, "arrived".

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So, back to the vicissitudes of travel by public transport! A selection of recent news items that deserve a wider audience has been received in the Public Transport Experience blog office.

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exploding train ticket machines!

Warnung vor Explosionen an Fahrkartenautomaten
Die Bundespolizei und das hessische Landeskriminalamt haben vor Explosionen an Fahrkartenautomaten der Deutschen Bahn gewarnt. Unbekannte Täter hätten in den vergangenen Monaten mehrfach Automaten abgedichtet, mit Gas gefüllt und zur Explosion gebracht, hieß es am Mittwoch in einer Mitteilung. Die Bahn bestätigte die Vorfälle und verstärkte ihre Sicherheitsvorkehrungen. 

Police in Germany are urging train passengers to be wary of ticket machines that they say could explode after being tampered with by thieves. Criminals in the central state of Hesse have discovered a way of breaking into the machines and stealing cash. They tape over openings, fill them with gas, and trigger an explosion.

Police investigations

But some of their attempts have failed, leaving gas inside the machines. The authorities warn that passengers could be at risk. A police spokesman said 10 ticket machines had been blown open and cash and blank tickets stolen. But the attempts at robbery have failed in at least six cases.

On Tuesday, a station platform in Karben, near Frankfurt, had to be evacuated and bomb experts called in when a taped-up ticket dispenser was discovered, along with a smell of gas. 

The police are asking passengers to be careful and to call them if they see any suspicious signs. Train operator Deutsche Bahn has confirmed the incidents and strengthened security measures. In a statement, it said a criminal group appeared to be operating. They said the perpetrators had only succeeded in stealing small sums because the machines were emptied frequently. 

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axe attack on a First bus!

Yesterday morning a First South Yorkshire vehicle, Volvo B10BLE, fleet number 60695, registration T877 ODT, ...

... was severely vandalised whilst operating on service 56 - Sheffield to Wybourn.

The incident took place on Manor Oaks Road ...

... at 0730 when a male brandishing an axe smashed the off-side rear window and rear screen; this was after he had vandalised several cars in the same location. There was no obvious motive for these attacks.

Thankfully none of the 8 passengers on board  sustained any injuries. Police were called to the scene straight away and caught the culprit. Driver Gary Barton (also unharmed) has been helping South Yorkshire Police with his account of this terrifying incident.

Thankfully, for most of us, bus and train travel are both exceedingly safe. Despite misplaced fears, we are significantly less likely to be injured on a bus or a train than in our own home.

Hmmm? Does that man that the fbbs should be living in a bus?

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Something much more positive.

Britain's Oldest Bus Passenger?

Bus operator, First Scotland East, has paid tribute to its oldest passenger, 100 year old Agnes Willens, from North Berwick, East Lothian. Agnes, who turned 100 on April 21, is a regular on route X24 travelling from outside her house in North Berwick to the town centre.

First Scotland East bus driver, John Lyall, who is also the company's employee director, said, "Agnes has been catching the X24 Service for as long as anyone can remember. She is definitely our oldest customer, and probably the most popular! We can't find any evidence of there being an older regular customer in the UK. She is a real inspiration."

John, who presented Agnes with a bouquet of flowers, added: "She's very popular amongst our drivers, and we're always keen to give her a helping hand if needs be, but she is extremely independent. Agnes is very much an admired local character and extremely spritely for a centurion!?

fbb comment : is this a joke or does "John" really not know the difference between a centurion (male) ...

... and a centenarian (in this case, female). A joke, surely? Or a misprunt?

Agnes said: "I enjoy my trips in the bus. I'm very well looked after. As long as I'm still fit enough I'll keep using the bus."

 Next Bus Blog : Sunday 2nd June