The
new
station


at
Reading
Green
Park
will
open
to
passengers
tomorrow,
after
the
case
for
the
station
was
first
made nine
years
ago.

The
station,
in
the
south
of
the
Berkshire
town,
is
the
first
to
open
in
Reading
since
Reading
West
in
1906.

The
two-platform
station
on
the
line
from
Basingstoke
will
serve
an
existing
business
park
and
people
living
nearby,
as well
as
the
proposed
Royal
Elm
Park
development,
which
will
provide
more
housing
as
well
as
business
spaces.
The
station
has
a
bus
interchange,
taxi
rank,
cycle
spaces
and
two
car
parks.

Reading
Borough
Council
helped
to
obtain
approvals
for
the
project
as
well
as
funding
and
planning
permission.
It
also
managed
the
construction.

A
celebration
event
was
held
at
the
station
yesterday,
when
a
plaque
was
unveiled.

Reading’s
new
Mayor
Tony
Page
(pictured
with
GWR
managing
director
Mark
Hopwood)
said:
‘Reading
Green
Park
station
will
form
an
integral
part
of
Reading’s
ever-growing
sustainable
transport
infrastructure.

‘The
new
multi-modal
interchange
will
dramatically
improve
accessibility
and
connectivity
to
this
important
area
of
south
Reading.
The
future
expansion
of
the
business
park
and
residential
areas
on
Green
Park,
as
well
as
the proposed
Royal
Elm
Park
mixed
use
development,
will
all
benefit
from
the
new
station.

‘It
will
also
be
another
option
for
football
fans
heading
to
the
stadium
on
match
days,
again
taking
the
pressure
off
our busy
local
roads.’

Sir
Alok
Sharma
is
MP
for
Reading
West.
He
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
government
funding.
The
new
station
is
good
news
for
passengers
and
increased
connectivity
and
will
provide
a
boost
to
the
local
economy.’

Reading
Green
Park
is
the
first
of
three
new
Great
Western
Railway
stations
opening
this
year.
The
others
will
be Portway
Park
&
Ride
on
the
Severn
Beach
branch
in
Bristol
and
Marsh
Barton
on
the
Great
Western
main
line
in
the
southern
suburbs
of
Exeter.