Crossrail Reading Station Upgrade
Reading, Berkshire, UK · 2011-2014 · £850 million - £897 million
The judgement call
Account-gated at launchSuccessful delivery of a major capacity upgrade for a critical railway hub. - Implementation of a value engineering exercise to optimize costs. - Improved passenger experience and connectivity for Reading and the wider network.
Key engineering challenges
Improving track layout to ease congestion and increase capacity. - Construction within an operational railway environment. - Integration of new Crossrail services with existing lines. - Managing complex interfaces and maintaining passenger flow during upgrade.
Project facts
- Client / owner
- Network Rail / Crossrail
- Lead contractor
- Galliford Try (as per prompt); HOCHTIEF (in joint venture for major upgrade)
- Lead designers
- Atkins (as per prompt); Grimshaw (for new station design)
- Project type
- upgrade
- Scale
- Six new platform faces; two new entrances; new transfer deck; doubled station capacity; up to 30 trains per hour capacity.
- Disciplines
- Civil engineering; railway engineering; structural engineering; architecture; project management
- Standards & frameworks
- Network Rail standards; UK railway standards.
Sources: https://www.bechtel.com/projects/reading-station/; https://grimshaw.global/projects/rail-and-mass-transit/reading-station/; https://www.railwaygazette.com/passenger/2014/07/17/queen-opens-rebuilt-reading-station/; https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-berkshire-28334188; https://www.rssb.co.uk/sustainability/reading-elevated-railway-value-engineering; https://hochtief.co.uk/project/reading-station-upgrade/