ON THURSDAY, May 25, Green Park Station was officially unveiled by Reading Borough Council and Great Western Railway.
The newly-appointed mayor of Reading, Cllr Tony Page, was among those who spoke at the grand opening, making his first official engagement in the role.
Cllr Page, through his work as lead for transport at the council, has seen the Green Park Station project through from its inception.
Now the station in the heart of Reading’s Green Park is due to open to the public from Saturday, May 27, the first new train station Reading has seen for 116 years.
The facility includes two 150m platforms connected by a fully-accessible overbridge complete with lifts.
The station building itself is fully accessible and features a bus interchange, taxi ranks, and cycle and car parking space.
It connects Reading Station, as well as Reading West, to Basingstoke, seeing half-hourly services in both directions throughout the day.
Mark Hopwood, managing director at Great Western Railway, welcomed guests to the station and said that it had been a “long-held aspiration” for the people and businesses of Reading.
“We are going to show people what railways can achieve in the local community here… connecting people for work and education, and for family and friends.”
Cllr Page said in his address at the event: “It’s been a long time coming.
“I was very pleased that this is my first mayoral engagement: the opening of a project with which I have had associations going back over a quarter of a century through various roles at the borough council.”
He thanked his fellow councillors for their contributions and collaboration on the completion of the project.
“I first came to Green Park looking at the potential over 25 years ago… and what a beautiful area we have turned it into.
“Our excellent local bus services will be connecting the station as well, with GreenWave services connecting to the station in the future.
“It will really add to the attractiveness of Green Park, for ongoing residential and business investment.”
The event saw the first official train service calling at the station with the 10.07 train from Reading Station.
Following the event, Cllr Page said: “I’m delighted that this is my first engagement, having been involved with the project for over 20 years, it feels fitting.
“We’ve invested a lot of time, along with council officers and partner officers, over the years to bring this to fruition.
“There is still work to be done: the full electrification of this line didn’t come about– that is now the big challenge.”
He also explained that the rail forms a “fundamental” part of the council’s green travel plans through its connections with Reading Buses’ services.
Cllr Jason Brock said: “More and more people are living in this area, there are lots of businesses based in this area– it’s a great way of getting from central Reading to down Green Park.”
“It’s cleaner, greener, and quicker than all of the modes of transport we’ve had before, and of course an opportunity for people going over to the stadium.”
On whether he thought that the station would alleviate traffic concerns in Reading, Cllr Brock said: “It’s important that we offer this kind of transport option.
“We want people to use their cars less, so we have to make it as easy, quick, and convenient as possible to travel around, and this new station does exactly that.”
Reading West MP, Sir Alok Sharma, said: “Having first made the case for Green Park station in Parliament in May 2014 and lobbied government ministers over the years, I am delighted that the station is now finally opening thanks to millions of pounds of government funding.
“The new station is good news for passengers and increased connectivity and will provide a boost to the local economy.”
Berkshire LEPO Chief Executive, Alison Webster, said: “Reading Green Park station is a significant project for the LEP having been awarded £9.7m Local Growth Funds as part of Berkshire LEP’s first Growth Deal in 2014.
“We have been working with partners, Reading Borough Council, GWR and Network Rail to deliver this fantastic new station for Reading and the surrounding area.
“Green Park Station has already supported nearly 2,000 new jobs, 1,500 homes, and over 20,000mq of commercial floorspace.
“We are delighted to have supported such an important development for the Berkshire area.”
Green Park Station will be open to the public on Saturday, May 27.
