From the Leader: Twyford Station challenges

Twyford’s mainline railway station is a great asset. It offers fast services to London and will soon be the most used station in Wokingham borough.  Unsurprisingly, it acts like a magnet for people from far and wide.

But most users of the station try to access it by car, and there is insufficient parking available at the station car park. That long-standing problem has been exacerbated by the building out of the North Wokingham housing development, which is bringing more commuters from south of the station. Another factor is the much greater cost of parking and commuting from Reading as compared with Twyford. Passenger surveys show a significant growth in the number of people driving to Twyford from Reading, Woodley, and Earley. A third ingredient is the coming of the Elizabeth line, though its importance should not be exaggerated, as far more commuters leave Twyford on faster GWR services.

The lack of parking at the station has created a major problem of on-street parking, some of it inconsiderate or even dangerous, and most of it a nuisance to local residents.

Diagnosing the problem is much easier than fixing it. Wokingham Borough Council has since 2013 recognized that there is a capacity problem at Twyford station car park. But various attempts to address it have failed to have much impact.

A decking proposal received planning consent locally but was rejected by the secretary of state on safety grounds (users of the car park have to cross the Henley branch line to reach the station - increasing the number people parking at the car park increases the risk of injury or even death while crossing the branch line). GWR is not willing to revisit decking, though it is committed to adding more than fifty spaces by utilizing the old coal yard site. I recently wrote to the rail minister, urging him to prioritize funding for this project.

The borough council is introducing new parking restrictions in local roads to address the problem of dangerous commuter parking, and more restrictions will be necessary. We are also working on various schemes to secure parking sites in third-party ownership outside the station curtilage, from where commuters could walk to and from trains. At the same time, we are trying to offer viable alternative means of getting to the station for those who can use them. We are improving bus connectivity to reduce the need for car travel from places such as Woodley and Wokingham town (the latter with help from the town council). Schemes are also being pursued for better and safer cycle and pedestrian access, as well as secure cycle storage. The station forecourt is being remodelled to reduce current conflicts between different users – cars dropping off or collecting commuters, bus passengers, cyclists, and pedestrians.

Reaching a better place will take time - much more than some people suggest. The borough council is not the only player involved, and not in a position to dictate to others. Bringing the interested parties into alignment is a major piece of work and requires patient negotiation, much of which must remain confidential for commercial reasons. But be assured that the borough council is doing all it can to address the challenges of access to Twyford station.