Reading Station

Reading station is one of the top ten busiest rail stations outside of London and manages more than 15 million passengers a year.

Reading’s railway has increased in importance since 1840. It is the gateway to the West of England, and is a hub for passengers travelling from the South coast to the North of England.

The project

In 2008, Network Rail announced a £400 million regeneration of the station. This extended the platform configuration to support more effective train transition, as well as a complete refurbishment of the station concourse, to support increased passenger numbers. Since its original announcement, the programme has extended to deliver major improvements to both the station and the surrounding areas. Five new platforms were created alongside major redevelopment work around the station hub.

What we did

We were commissioned to provide lighting for all the station platforms that were not under cover. This is critical - if power was to be lost to any of these platforms, the lighting needs to provide an instant backup to direct passengers safely. We created a bespoke solution to provide battery backup in case of emergency.

An additional aspect of the project included Reading station’s main car park. We provided an LED solution with Passive Infrared Sensor (PIR).This solution enables LED lighting to be ‘dimmed’ when the car park is empty, but enables the lighting to gradually increase in brightness when people return to their cars or when other cars arrive. This therefore saves on energy costs as well as creates a safe and secure environment for people using the car park.

Reading Borough Council has used the redevelopment of the station as a launch pad to create new and improved areas around the station complex. These includes, pleasant walking and cycling routes to the station, better access to and through the station and the improvement of facilities in the surrounding areas.

Benefits : 

• The experience of commuters and visitors alike has been transformed in a positive way

• Reading’s strategic importance in the rail network is now ensured

• This environment will serve commuters for another 30 years

• Our lighting solutions have been a pivotal part of ensuring that Reading station is a bright and safe place to transit through