Plans submitted for dedicated Green Park station

Operator First Great Western says new station is not likely to open until December 2018.

A dedicated station in Reading’s Green Park has moved a step closer to reality.

The railway station will be located on the Reading to Basingstoke line, close to Madejski Stadium, and requires approval from both Reading Borough Council and West Berkshire Council.

Expected to cost in the region of £6.4m, the scheme will create a new railway station, bus interchange, multi-storey car park, taxi drop-off, disabled parking facilities and landscaping, as well as associated works at Green Park, including an entrance to the station from Longwater Avenue.

Some funding will be provided through the Berkshire Local Transport Body.

Planning permission for the scheme was first granted by Reading Borough Council in December 2007, followed by out-of-district approval by West Berkshire Council one month later.

Renewal permission was granted in December 2010 and January 2011 respectively.

However, with permission having expired again, and with construction not underway within three years of the permission being granted, new plans have been lodged.

These are largely identical to the lapsed permissions, although they have been altered to accommodate the electrification of the railway line, increased car parking and a simpler design for canopies on the station platforms.

If approved, the new station will be built in four stages, with the service road and bus stop to be completed first, followed by interchange and drop-off parking, surface car park and, finally, completion of the station and multi-storey carpark.

The expected opening date is unclear, with plans suggesting completion in 2017 but a statement released by train operator First Great Western stated it would not open until December 2018.