MARLOW - MAIDENHEAD PASSENGERS' ASSOCIATION

News

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Maidenhead Station Official Opening

Maidenhead Station was due to be offically opened for the first time in its history on Thursday 25th September at 10:00. Unfortunately the ceremony had to be abandoned because of a fatality at Taplow that morning.

Crossrail Exhibition

Crossrail will be holding another exhibition of its plans in the Nicholson Centre, Maidenhead on Friday 26th and Saturday 27th September.

Reading Redevelopemnt

Network Rail recently staged an exhibition in Reading Town Hall to show its plans for the Reading Area redevelopment. The plans have changed since originally announced. A new viaduct will be built to carry the main lines so that the two chords from the Berks & Hants and Basingstoke lines can pass underneath to join the relief lines in an easterly and westerly direction. The Cow Lane road bridges will be rebuilt to accommodate two lanes of traffic and double deck buses.

During construction of the viaduct the relief lines will be diverted onto tracks to the north, and the mail lines will be diverted onto the current relief lines.

To make space for the new chords the DMU depot will be relocated to the north side of the railway, where provision is also made for an IEP (HST replacement) depot. Space is also safeguarded for a Crossrail depot on the north side to the east of the station and two scissors crossings will be provided in anticipation of Crossrail requirements. The redevelopment is being planned so that overhead line equipment can be added with the minimum of disturbance when the time comes.

The station itself will gain three platforms. In fact there will be five new platforms on the north side and one on the south-eastern (Waterloo) side but the three bay platforms currently numbered 6, 7 and 10 will disappear. The centre road between current platforms 4 and 5 will be removed and it is possible that the new platform 7 could be widened in the future. All the platforms will be renumbered 1 to 15, with only 1, 2 and 3 remaining unchanged. During construction the bay platofrms currently 6 and 7 will be numbered 16 and 17, but will subsequently be filled in.

The underpass from the SWT lines to the north side of the station will be reinstated. It is envisaged that this will be used by Oxford-Gatwick Airport trains in order to provide more capacity on the south-east side for “Airtrack” services to Heathrow T5.

The existing subway will become an open link between the north and south of the station and will not have access to the platforms, although it will serve as an emergency exit. The subway will be closed at night when the station is closed. A new footbridge with escalators on both sides as well as lifts will be built towards the centre of the station, with new entrances on the north and south sides. Royal Mail will leave its present site on the north side of the station, which will then be redeveloped. A 5m strip will be taken over by NR for the new entrance and the remainder of the site will be leased for five years as a construction site. The existing footbridge will be demolished because it is not high enough for overhead line equipment to pass underneath.

The remodelling is scheduled to be completed in 2015.

Bourne End Viaduct Repainting

We understand that funding has now been approved and Network Rail plans to implement the repainting of the viaduct (including the river crossing) from February to April 2009. This photo showing the current condition of the bridge was taken on 1st August.

Bourne End Bridge

Government starts consultation on Crossrail to Reading

The DfT has started a consultation on the protection of the route for the extension Crossrail to Reading. In essence, this means that anything that would compromise the electrification of the line between Maidenhead and Reading West Junction would not be allowed. It is anticipated that the route from Airport Junction to Reading or Oxford could in fact be electrified in advance of the start of Crossrail operation.
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Crossrail Given The Go-ahead by Parliament

The Crossrail Bill has received Royal Assent. The main construction work could begin in 2010, with trains running between Maidenhead and Shenfield in 2017.
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Graffiti Attack at Bourne End - Suspect Arrested

We understand that British Transport Police have made an arrest following the recent graffiti attack at Bourne End station.

FGW Appoints Route Director for Thames Valley

First Great Western has appointed three new Route Directors for London and Thames Valley, High Speed Services and West, reporting to Mark Hopwood. Ian Smith is the Route director for Thames Valley.

Cycle Rental Scheme at Reading

A new cycle rental system has been introduced at Reading Station. Registered users pay £10 per year to obtain release and lock codes from operating partner company OYBike. The first 30 minutes are free, after which a rental charge is incurred.

Better Parking at Twyford

The car park markings at Taplow station have been redrawn to increase capacity.

ORR Warns Network Rail on Great Western Delays

The Office of Rail Regulation has warned Network Rail that there must be an improvement in punctuality and reliability on the Great Western route, or else it could face action for a breach of its licence. Trains run by First Great Western have been experiencing high levels of delays and cancellations for some time, and the company currently trails the PPM (public performance measure) figures. The ORR is overseeing a joint performance improvement plan developed by Network Rail and First Great Western (see below).

FGW languishes at the bottom of the PPM table with 79.7%, in stark contrast to Chiltern Trains’ 95.6%.
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