by muirinho »
25 Aug 2021 16:23
tmesis Dirk Gently I'm still not conmvinced how useful this will be, except for a relatively small number of people, particularly those going to Basingstoke.
Only the two platforms, both on a main line (as used by Cross Country Trains) so there's no way trains can sit and wait for injury or extra time to finish, and I don't believe there'll be any extra services or carriages laid on by the TOC, so the first train after a match will be absolutley rammed and then it'll be a long wait for those who didn't get onto it.
And island platform with the provision of a shuttle to and from 'Ding would have been useful - this will be much less useful.
Looking at the train times on a Saturday evening, they don't currently look great for anyone wanting to catch a train to Reading after the game - you'd be waiting until at least 5.30, it seems. You'd like to think they'd offer tickets giving you the option of arriving by train and returning by bus (or vice versa) but I doubt it.
See for me this would be an advantage, time for a post match drink. the shuttle buses are great if you want to head back into town straight away, but not brilliant if you want to have a post-match catchup with people who are heading in different directions.
Although I have walked across to get a bus from Basingstoke road, train would be handier.
a station and train times purely geared around football matches was never going to get the go-ahead - this is an additional, more flexible option - it means arrivals and departures to the ground can be spread across a wider range of times.
Yeah, obviously some people won't be happy, but honestly, I think some people wouldn't be happy unless they had a train arrive at their house and delivered them to wherever they wanted to go, for free.