Morning! or rather, afternoon by my watch
but you know, what's hald an hour between friends
i'm at platform 13
at Reading station on a Basingstoke train
normally the train would go out of platform 1, 2 or 3 but the lunchtime one
has just come out of the depot
and starts here on platform thirteen just for fun
we did it in purpose, we're going to Britain's
newest railway station
to have a look at number 2 .. 5 .. 7 .. 5
it's Reading Green Park, and to help me Dan's turned up, hi Dan!
How you doing? - you got sunglasses on?
very cool
The new Reading Green Park station
is located on the Reading to Basingstoke line
built as a brand new station
it serves the Green Park business area
as well as a nearby station, which we'll see shortly
the fun part, is that it's also now possible to travel through
three consecutive stations
which have the same first word ... Reading
It's so bright!
i'm regretting my choice not to bring sunglasses
do you have any spare sunglasses?
i'm gonna be unable not to make some sort of
Hasta-La-Vista, Arnold Schwazzeneger
No?
hang on, were you wearing sunglasses OVER your glasses? * Laughs *
i only just got that
the station opened yesterday
on the Saturday, there's Dan
we've come on the day after, 'coz it's quieter
on the Sunday, when there's an hourly service
on a Monday to Saturday it's a half hourly service
the nice staff, and there does seem to be an abundance of station staff here for a Sunday
have just given as a Reading Green park badge but yesterday there were goody bags!
you gonna put your badge on?
put my badge one
put it on upside down yeah, mine's sort of falling over
ok, the bages are on, what i wanted to say
there's lifts behind us and we're clearly gonna go and do the lifts in a second
because it's a Sunday it's an hourly service, we came in on
Turbo 163 113
Dan doesn't call them Turbo's, Dan calls them ...
.. they're "Gwurbos"
'coz it's G - W - R Turbo, Gwurbo!
Dan also calls Basingstoke, "Basingrad"
i'm so sorry Dan's here, Dand coming up with all the terrible
phrases and puns, and what not
do you want to go and check out the facilities, instant lifts
litter bings, ticky ... list things GO GO Go Go GO GO!
* Doors Opening *
Footbridge?
Footbridge level, platform level, pretty standard right
i quite like ... that it's enclosed
'cause some of the other newer ... we were worred it was going to be too much
Cookie .. Cutter? Copyright Geoff Marshall that phrase
but it's enclosed!
look it's er ... - No wind. So it's windless.
hey there was another passenger there - they've gone missing
where's the passenger that was there?
[ Whispers ] there was one other person here [ Whispers ]
[ Whispers ] why are we whispering? [ Whispers ] - i don't know
I don't know either - it's very quiet. it is very quiet
DOORS OPENING. LIFT GOING DOWN.
DOORS CLOSING
DOORS OPENING
there are timetables, which please me greatly 'coz
i definetely though this might be a case of you turn up at a new station
and people don't bother to have timetable anymore
but GWR .. .well done
they've put up a full and comprehensive timetable
which is what you'd expect in a PDFor download format
and generally you can see
well it shows ...
the express Cross Country ones going through as well
and the non stoppers
Monday to Friday, it's a half hourly service
from like five in the morning, until eleven thirty at night
but on a Sunday ... when we've come
it's an hourly service
we're on the ground, 'cause that's the best position for videoing
because the shelterettes, as you call them
ah, the old Midgham Shelterettes
have kind like the half ... they're not full shelters
with kind of it's sloping ... it's rest-your-bums-seat
so not actual seats
so i prefer to sit on the ground
i feel like you've got something coming out, before we do though
there are little bins! Hurray!
i saw in a couple of opening day videos
people going, "there's no litter bins"
there are litter bins, litter bins are now here
Go on, i really hope you've got what i think you've - i can see
i can see it already, i know it's coming
yaaay! it's THE LAMINATED FACT SHEET
last seen at ... Horden? - Horden!
Dan's written a lot of stuff, i think the main
thing to take away from this is that
it's the first new station to open in Berkshire in 35 years
since Martin's Heron near Bracknell in 1988
in a minute we'll go walk round
the park itself, it's a business sort of trading park
not a park, green park
even though it's called ... - green park
in Reading
is there a park?
someone said there's a water feature
yeah there is, there's a big lake
but .. what else .. i can sense
you wouldn't have brought your Adidas schoolboy sachel
very Green, isn't it? Green park
it is green, i can see a green t-shirt
oh yeah - are we just promoting merch now?
no not really
it's just this, like, i think you'd like this one
ok 'cause you've got
you've got one like that already haven't you?
should i be wearing the Green t-shirt at Reading GREEN park?
i think you should really
would you like me to change into this? - go on then
if you ... snap you fingers
i can try - just do it Dan
thanks!
i've lost my badge!
what i want to know it, like 7am 8am tomorrow morning
how many people will be here getting the train to Reading
for Reading or for onwards connections
none! 'cause it's a Bank Holiday
on .. Tuesday! * laughs *
very good!
Edit!
* laughter *
yeah, it it too windy for the drone
and too sunny, the exposure was crazy
but also, can you see the gate
there, goes up to that bridge there
but also, talking to Google you can use their street view
to go back in time, and the car's been past there like ... six seven times?
in the last ten yeasr and you can see progressively how
there was no station, and then slowly the station was built
and built up and built up and you can progressively go through time
and see the station slowly being built
and was mean to open back in like 20, 21
but it's taken until 23 for it to open
but it is now, finally, open
do you want to have a wander round? let's have a wander
like, what's actually here?
there's business - there's a CostCo and a
there's a Tesco, is the tesco open?
it's quite windy
a loud motorbike? - there is a loud motorbike
thank heavens there's no, strimmer or leaf blower
my favourite of all the noises - chainsaws?
we've come for a walk - yup
into what i call the USA part of Reading Green Park
'cause there's ... New Hampshire street
and Maine Street, and Conneticut Place
and ... the houseing here if i just do a 180 on the camera
looks to me like very ... USA
style, housing
sort of those white fence verandahs
you think it's more like, not USA but what?
very Scandanavian i think as well
very like the dark boards, and white trim
but have a look on at all the street names on google maps in this area
and there all named after US places, states
which must mean there's some sort of link to history that i don't know about
why would you do that, you wouldn't do it for no reason?
but there is a nice lake over there
there is very nice - ducks and geese
milling about - yup
do you want to get a quick look at the football stadium?
let's go look at the madstad - The Mad Stad?
what? it's know locally as ... ... the mad stad
which is where Reading play - yes
so you've got Basingrad, Mad Stad
and .. GWR Turbos? what were they
Gwurbos - Gwurbos!
i'm learning so much - don't forget there's Churbos as well
what's a Churbo?
well it's a Chiltern Turbo * laughs *
oh ... if only Youtube did polls
we could do, what's better ... a Gwurbo, or a Churbo
put it in the comments anyway
you know what? that's a bit of a trek isn't it, to the
stadium, which is there
are you saying ... we've met a local, there's a number 50 bus
from the town, that drops you right here
might the bus be quicker than the train?
or is the train quicker than the bus do you think
so after all that, the bus is quicker than the train if you're coming to the
coming to the football, and Dan you said there was a shuttle !?
if you're a local to Reading
let us know, please ... s'il vous plait
in the comments, what you're preferred method is
of getting to .. the stadium is
so, bus stop right outside, very close to the entrance
EV charging
and Car Park pay and display, how many spaces Daniel?
54, plus 3 for staff
does that make 57? say it properly, say it properly!
Fifty .. SEVEN!
there's also a bike rack here
and we've noticed there's a gate here
which looks like a sliding gate
which on an event day
like when the football is on, you could open up to let
large crowds of people through rather than line up
at the ticket barriers
i do worry about the headways, no i do
this is the sort of thing i worry about
you know, late at night in my dreams
see the 1524 to reading is already late, 1527
it's three minutes down, i'm reminded of
of the Ipswich to Felixstowe Branch
which has got the same ...
thing, it's like a 27 / 28 minute trip
you've only got to take one minute on one journey
for it to become two minutes late on another journey
and it has a knock and a knock on and a knock on effect
and you just worry on a Sunday
you know if it gets like 10, 12, 15 minutes down
do they get go, we'll cancel the next one
just to bring it back up on time, is it
too short, a turnaround
it has too ... during the week
there has to be trains that just one unit
but on a Sunday it is just the one unit
on a very tight headway
shuttling up and down
so ticket barrier, accessible baby change
toilet
which are very clean, extremely
clean, toilets!
this toilet might even be unused
no one's used this loo yet, maybe ... maybe
Daniel! - yes sir?
what were you saying off camera? just repeat what you were saying off camera, on camera
for the benefit of youtube who weren't
listening when i had the camera off
i said, it's a nice station
it's a vanilla station
but, we need railway stations
even if it is a bitcookie cutter, lego
it's a new station, we want more of them!
and stations are good
they are - alright, what's next on the opening list?
do you not know?
well, i could refer to your video
which would be a link up there, somewhere
Thanet Parkway is coming
Marsh Barton is coming
Portway Parkway is coming
Brent Cross West is coming
somepoint this year
somepoint! that's all i know
keep your eyes peeled, do you wanna
and cross your fingers apparantly
do you want to get the train? we're gonna get the 1535
out. back, north
up to Reading and we'll head back to home from there
that's it! that's your new station
so 165 113 is still ...
... here
what was it again? a Gwurbo?
dutifully
plying its trade
three cars
up and down the line today between Reading and Basingstoke
come and visit, your new station
or not! if you want
that's Reading. Green. Park.