Costain have specified and supplied CSDs RISE Cable Duct Seal to provide guaranteed protection to 50 cable ducts at Reading Station. CSD RISE duct kits protect against gas migration and water ingress - Costain selected CSD’s RISE system having viewed their RISE Duct Seal Installation Video (See link) and discussed the benefits of RISEover traditional mastic type duct seals.

The remodelling of Reading station is one of the largest projects currently being undertaken by Network Rail. Currently the station is in the middle of its transformation and for those who knew Reading station of old, it is barely recognisable. Only the old building that was once the main entrance remains, this having listed status and is currently the Three Guineas pub. All the rest has been swept away and the platforms are full of temporary canopies and new construction works. A site visit was arranged recently courtesy of Invensys Rail to see what is going on and to learn the plans for the next two years.

Reading is seen as a ‘Breakthrough Project’ where client and contractors work as a single team. There is a single project site office and so by mutual agreement, there is avoidance of duplication by having a shared responsibility for construction engineers, planning engineers and other on-site responsibilities. This has enabled much greater integration and collaboration with any emerging problems being resolved by a quick meeting of minds on site. As such, the project is running around one year early. Reading has been an operational bottleneck for years and many trains get stopped outside the station waiting for a spare platform. All this will be a thing of the past and the new station and layout will also give a valuable capacity increase for any future growth.

Undertaking a major project like this is not cheap: the Reading scheme is budgeted at £895 million excluding the provision of the Thames Valley CC but including the electrification. The improved management practices should enable the final spend to be less than this, thus giving a role model for other large projects planned for elsewhere