Reading train station subway closes for £850m upgrade
Passengers at Reading train station will no longer be able to use the station subway due to an £850m upgrade taking place.
The work includes two new entrances and a passenger footbridge.
Five new platforms will be created to reduce the current bottleneck at the Berkshire station, where trains often have to queue for platforms.
The Department for Transport projects passenger numbers at Reading station will double by 2030.
Reading is one of the busiest parts of the UK's rail network and its complicated track layout constricts the number of trains that can run, according to Network Rail.
The upgrade will change the track layout to ease congestion on the railway line and improve passengers' journeys.
A new platform will be built for the station over Christmas, for trains to Wokingham, Waterloo and Gatwick.
All platforms will also be renumbered over the Christmas break, ready for further additional platforms in 2013.
As well as the new entrances and bridge, Network Rail plans to open new lifts and escalators and five new platforms by Easter 2013.