Green park station/south Reading station

[STAR Liaison]

Does 'Park and ride facilities' mean that on matchdays, more car parking spaces will be available for those wishing to park at the station and walk to the ground?

Only if the top men at Prudential have changed their attitude significantly. When I was in negotiation to use one Green Park car park it was squashed from on high, as was the agreement RFC had later with another company on Green Park.

At a traffic meeting I went to a while ago organised by Reading Council the guys from Prudential were talking about a compulsory bus service from a new train station to the Mad Stad as they couldn't have their nice clean park sullied by those nasty football fans - hence the veto on parking there. I remember a comment that football fans had walked through all their lovely landscaping at the entrance to Green Park so couldn't be trusted - ignoring completely that they had failed to provide a path and expected fans walking from the Speedway to the Mad Stad to walk in the road (although thinking about it maybe they saw it as a way of reducing the numbers of these nasty people).

[Behindu]

I would suspect they would have real trouble imposing a 'compulsory' bus service on people !!

[cheeryoleary]

Perhaps the compulsory bus service is not solely a solution to provide transport for football fans..... but might I suggest..... a solution to continue the prohibition placed on motor vehicles entering Green Park on match days.

[.:BigDaveInTheDungeon:.]

From this image it looks as if it will be on the existing line.Pedistrians access to the ground looks to be a little differcult.It would be nice to see a big Wembley way style footpath leading to the ground.Also there is a scheme to built an extra two through platforms at Reading central to reduce delays.

looks like it will be alot like winnersh triangle station, just a cheap wooden platform with a fence around it. the contracters building it will probably charge a good few million for it to.

[Elm Park]

At a traffic meeting I went to a while ago organised by Reading Council the guys from Prudential were talking about a compulsory bus service from a new train station to the Mad Stad as they couldn't have their nice clean park sullied by those nasty football fans......

So why not drop the station and make it a tram direct from Reading station to a drop off point on match days. And on non match days the tram could do a circular route of Green Park dropping off right next to the offices for any workers. More likely to get used by workers as they have less distance to walk and get wet and less chance of problems in Green Park on March Days. A WIN WIN situation.

[Wycombe Royal]

At a traffic meeting I went to a while ago organised by Reading Council the guys from Prudential were talking about a compulsory bus service from a new train station to the Mad Stad as they couldn't have their nice clean park sullied by those nasty football fans......

So why not drop the station and make it a tram direct from Reading station to a drop off point on match days. And on non match days the tram could do a circular route of Green Park dropping off right next to the offices for any workers. More likely to get used by workers as they have less distance to walk and get wet and less chance of problems in Green Park on March Days. A WIN WIN situation.

Trams? Who is going to pay for that? The trainline exists so it is only a case of building a station and revising the signalling which will cost a fraction of what trams would cost.

[Behindu]

At a traffic meeting I went to a while ago organised by Reading Council the guys from Prudential were talking about a compulsory bus service from a new train station to the Mad Stad as they couldn't have their nice clean park sullied by those nasty football fans......

So why not drop the station and make it a tram direct from Reading station to a drop off point on match days. And on non match days the tram could do a circular route of Green Park dropping off right next to the offices for any workers. More likely to get used by workers as they have less distance to walk and get wet and less chance of problems in Green Park on March Days. A WIN WIN situation.

Problems
- where would you run the tram tracks ?
- what volumes could a tram carry compared to a train ?
- how much disruption would the work casue
- what would it cost ?
- how would it help people coming from Basingstoke ?

[Elm Park]

At a traffic meeting I went to a while ago organised by Reading Council the guys from Prudential were talking about a compulsory bus service from a new train station to the Mad Stad as they couldn't have their nice clean park sullied by those nasty football fans......

So why not drop the station and make it a tram direct from Reading station to a drop off point on match days. And on non match days the tram could do a circular route of Green Park dropping off right next to the offices for any workers. More likely to get used by workers as they have less distance to walk and get wet and less chance of problems in Green Park on March Days. A WIN WIN situation.

Problems
- where would you run the tram tracks ?
- what volumes could a tram carry compared to a train ?
- how much disruption would the work casue
- what would it cost ?
- how would it help people coming from Basingstoke ?

- The tracks would run down the road through Green Park
- Trams are used in a number of countries where they are coupled together so I would imagine the numbers carried would be similar. Plus, as it is only a short shuttle (From the station, round Green Park and back to the station) they would be able to run more frequently than a train that will porbably run throught to Basingstoke).
- I don't know how busy Green Park gets so cannot comment on the amount of disruption but would not have thought it too bad as it is an enclosed 'estate' it's not like digging up the A33.
- Cost. I must admit I have no idea but the station can't be that cheep and the council are constantly revisiting the idea of bring back trams to Reading.
- Those coming from Basingstoke would probably have to change at Reading but there is no reason why a service couldn't run from there and through Green park.

There may be very good reasons why a tram wouldn't work and cost may be one of them but has anyone considered the option?

[Wycombe Royal]

At a traffic meeting I went to a while ago organised by Reading Council the guys from Prudential were talking about a compulsory bus service from a new train station to the Mad Stad as they couldn't have their nice clean park sullied by those nasty football fans......

So why not drop the station and make it a tram direct from Reading station to a drop off point on match days. And on non match days the tram could do a circular route of Green Park dropping off right next to the offices for any workers. More likely to get used by workers as they have less distance to walk and get wet and less chance of problems in Green Park on March Days. A WIN WIN situation.

Problems
- where would you run the tram tracks ?
- what volumes could a tram carry compared to a train ?
- how much disruption would the work casue
- what would it cost ?
- how would it help people coming from Basingstoke ?

- The tracks would run down the road through Green Park
- Trams are used in a number of countries where they are coupled together so I would imagine the numbers carried would be similar. Plus, as it is only a short shuttle (From the station, round Green Park and back to the station) they would be able to run more frequently than a train that will porbably run throught to Basingstoke).
- I don't know how busy Green Park gets so cannot comment on the amount of disruption but would not have thought it too bad as it is an enclosed 'estate' it's not like digging up the A33.
- Cost. I must admit I have no idea but the station can't be that cheep and the council are constantly revisiting the idea of bring back trams to Reading.
- Those coming from Basingstoke would probably have to change at Reading but there is no reason why a service couldn't run from there and through Green park.

There may be very good reasons why a tram wouldn't work and cost may be one of them but has anyone considered the option?

How would the tram get from Reading Station to Green Park?

[Behindu]

ElmPark, as Wycombe points out you suggested a tram from Reading Station (in the town centre). You'd need to get all the way out to the Mad Stad from there and that just looks horrifically complex and expensive.

I think you may have a good idea about some kind of tram round Green Park and I also agree that local trams as used in Holland (and a number of UK cities) could have a big part to play but would be worried about the practicality of it replacing the station in anything like the necessary time scales.

[Dirk Gently]

At a traffic meeting I went to a while ago organised by Reading Council the guys from Prudential were talking about a compulsory bus service from a new train station to the Mad Stad as they couldn't have their nice clean park sullied by those nasty football fans......

So why not drop the station and make it a tram direct from Reading station to a drop off point on match days. And on non match days the tram could do a circular route of Green Park dropping off right next to the offices for any workers. More likely to get used by workers as they have less distance to walk and get wet and less chance of problems in Green Park on March Days. A WIN WIN situation.

Problems
- where would you run the tram tracks ?
- what volumes could a tram carry compared to a train ?
- how much disruption would the work casue
- what would it cost ?
- how would it help people coming from Basingstoke ?

- The tracks would run down the road through Green Park
- Trams are used in a number of countries where they are coupled together so I would imagine the numbers carried would be similar. Plus, as it is only a short shuttle (From the station, round Green Park and back to the station) they would be able to run more frequently than a train that will porbably run throught to Basingstoke).
- I don't know how busy Green Park gets so cannot comment on the amount of disruption but would not have thought it too bad as it is an enclosed 'estate' it's not like digging up the A33.
- Cost. I must admit I have no idea but the station can't be that cheep and the council are constantly revisiting the idea of bring back trams to Reading.
- Those coming from Basingstoke would probably have to change at Reading but there is no reason why a service couldn't run from there and through Green park.

There may be very good reasons why a tram wouldn't work and cost may be one of them but has anyone considered the option?

But all that capital investment for just 19 or 20 matches a season would be madness - especially as it would be sitting idele when trains weren't coming in.

A tram to the Town Centre from the MadStad would be perfect, as it could be used on a daily basis for Park and Ride as well as for matches.

But I think that's been ruled out as not being cost-effective - the route would have to go along next to the A33, and somehow cross the IDR by the Oracle, and where could it terminate in the town centre?

Anyway, from what I understand of transport economics, successful tram schemes have been when there are multiple stops so that people are getting on and off at all of them, with differing journey lengths. The less successful schemes have been the ones connecting just two end points - especially if there is a fair distance between the two points, because the trams are in transit all the time and not picking up passengers, so you need so many more tramcars to maintian a reasonable service.

[Skyline]

Forget about trams, they're so last century. What we want is a Monorail!

[Dirk Gently]

Forget about trams, they're so last century. What we want is a Monorail!

I wondered how long it'd be......

[Platypuss]

There should be a Silver Fox due any minute now...

[Elm Park]

ElmPark, as Wycombe points out you suggested a tram from Reading Station (in the town centre). You'd need to get all the way out to the Mad Stad from there and that just looks horrifically complex and expensive.

I think you may have a good idea about some kind of tram round Green Park and I also agree that local trams as used in Holland (and a number of UK cities) could have a big part to play but would be worried about the practicality of it replacing the station in anything like the necessary time scales.

You run the tram down the existing rail track as far as the proposed station and then take a spur off and around green park. Simple.

I agree timescales might be a problem. But if a thing is worth doing....

[Elm Park]

Forget about trams, they're so last century. What we want is a Monorail!

And I was critised on cost grounds.

[Behindu]

You run the tram down the existing rail track as far as the proposed station and then take a spur off and around green park. Simple.

I agree timescales might be a problem. But if a thing is worth doing....

Don't trains generally have a different gauge to trains so you would need to run a second set of tracks

And wouldn't the trams get in the way of the trains using the same section of track ?

[Silver Fox]

There should be a Silver Fox due any minute now...

Did someone say monorail?

[T.R.O.L.I.]

Forget about trams, they're so last century. What we want is a Monorail!

I wondered how long it'd be......

That's a bit personal isn't it?

[Dirk Gently]

Same gauge, usually, but much slower so would really knacker up the existing service - why not use single coach trains and take a spur off tthrough Green Park?

Much simpler, but still not cost-justified for the use it would get.