TfL Confirms Details Of Reading Services
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Railway Gazette.
This is first paragraph.
Details of the transfer of London Paddington – Reading stopping services from Great Western Railway to TfL Rail from the December 15 timetable change have been confirmed by Transport for London.
Some significant points to note from the article.
- The service will be run by Class 345 trains.
- Fast services from Reading and some stations to the East will continue to be run by Great Western Railway.
- There will be four trains per hour (tph) in the Peak and two tph in the Off Peak.
- After the New Year Bank Holiday, contactless payments will be available between Paddington and Reading.
- Children under 11 who are accompanied by an adult, as well as people who are eligible for the Freedom Pass, will be able to travel for free to Reading on the TfL service.
- Oyster will not be available to the West of West Drayton.
- Great Western Railway , but not South Western Railway, are expected to bring in contactless ticketing in the New Year.
A few of my thoughts.
What Will Be The Service Pattern?
When the possibility of TfL Rail taking over the services to Reading, I wrote Will Crossrail Open To Reading in 2019?.
The service pattern to Maidenhead to Reading appears to be.
Reading To Paddington – Limited Stop
This service will be run at two trains per hour (tph) in the Peak with no trains in the Off-Peak.
Stops are Twyford, Maidenhead, Slough, West Drayton and Ealing Broadway.
Reading To Paddington – All Stations
This service will be run at two tph all day.
The service will call at all stations except Hanwell and Acton Main Line.
Maidenhead To Paddington
This service will be run at two tph all day.
The service will call at all stations except Hanwell and Acton Main Line.
A Summary Of Peak/Off Peak Calls
Adding these services up, gives the following numbers for Peak and Off Peak calls in trains per hour (tph)
- Reading – 4,2
- Twyford – 4,2
- Maidenhead – 6,4
- Taplow – 4.4
- Burnham 4,4
- Slough – 6,4
- Langley – 4,4
- Iver – 4,4
- West Drayton – 6,4
- Hayes & Harlington – 4.4
- Southall – 4,4
- Hanwell – None to Reading/Maidenhead
- West Ealing – 4.4
- Ealing Broadway – 6,4
- Acton Main Line – None to Reading/Maidenhead
- Paddington – 6,4
Note.
- 4,2 means 4 tph in the Peak and 2 tph in the Off Peak.
- It would appear that all stations except Reading and Twyford have at least four tph all day.
- Stations between Hayes & Harlington and Ealing Broadway will get another six tph all day going to Heathrow.
- Acton Main Line station will get another four tph all day going to Heathrow.
The frequency of trains would appear to satisfy Transport for London’s Turn-Up-And-Go frequency for Metro services.
No one should wait more than fifteen minutes on a Metro for a train!
Freedom Pass Holders Will Be Winners
Being able to use a Freedom Pass between Paddington and Reading will be very useful for many travellers.
It would appear that the cheapest way to use the trains West of Reading for a Freedom Pass Holder, will be to use the pass to get to Reading on TfL Rail and then buy a ticket from Reading to your ultimate destination.
Note that on the Overground, you can buy a ticket between any two UK stations. So if I was going to Bristol, I’d buy a Return at my local Dalston Junction station and use it from Reading, after going there on TfL Rail.
Very covenient and with the best price!
Full Steam Ahead For Eric Parry’s Crossrail Scheme
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Building Design.
These points are made in the introduction.
- Plans for a nine-storey Eric Parry scheme above a Crossrail station in the City of London have taken a significant step forward.
- Transport for London inked a deal with Aviva for the overstation development at Liverpool Street station.
- It is one of 12 developments TfL is planning above and around Crossrail sites.
It illustrates how Crossrail is leading to a vast amount of development along the route.
How many cities in the UK and around the world, could benefit from their own cross-city rail line?
Aberdeen, Birmingham, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool and Newcastle have them of various standards, but in some cities getting across the city is a nightmare on public transport and people drive.
The Anonymous Widower 