Reading West Train station is set to undergo a major £3.3million transformation.

Reading Borough Council has announced today (July 12) that they have now handed the Reading West site to Great Western Railway after completing its preparatory works.

The project includes the construciton of a new modern train station building and ticket foyer.

Changes include new CCTV and station gates which will significantly improve safety.

A new station building on the Oxford Road forms the centrepiece of the improvements, which also include new ticket gates at the Tilehurst Road and Oxford Road entrances, new toilets and a retail facility, all of which will significantly improve safety and security at the station which has been blighted by anti-social behaviour in the past.

A new bus interchange and improved cycle parking also form part of the scheme, as do improvements to the Tilehurst Road entrance.

Tony Page, Reading Borough Council’s Lead Councillor for Climate Strategy and Transport, said: “With the Council’s preparatory works now complete, physical work on the modern new station building and ticket hall will begin imminently, which is where local residents and regular users of Reading West will really begin to see a difference."

The next phase will now see GWR’s contractor, Nationwide Rail, take over the site and begin digging foundations for what will be the new station building ticket hall.

Throughout this phase of work there will be a full pavement closure on the southern side of the Oxford Road, where the work is taking place. Pedestrians will be diverted to the northern side of the Oxford Road via two signalised crossings on either side to ensure people can cross safely.

Pedestrian access to both platforms 1 and 2 will be fully maintained from the Oxford Road. The west-bound bus stop has been relocated further along Oxford Road, near to Western Elms Avenue. The eastbound bus stop, towards the town centre, remains in service. The Council is not anticipating any long periods of traffic lane closures as part of these works.

Part of the upgrade work will be a new ticket gate-line at the access to platform 1, from Tilehurst Road, at the top of the ramp, which will also be delivered by GWR’s contractors. New ticket gates at both the Tilehurst Road and Oxford Road entrances will mean access to the station is limited to paying passengers only, currently not the case, which will improve safety at the station.

The train station is set to be complete by July 2023.

GWR’s latest estimate for completion is early in 2023.