Reading railway station
Reading 
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Aerial view of Reading station in August 2014
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| Location | |
| Place | Reading |
| Local authority | Borough of Reading |
| Coordinates | 51°27′32″N 0°58′20″W / 51.4590°N 0.9722°WCoordinates: 51°27′32″N 0°58′20″W / 51.4590°N 0.9722°W |
| Grid reference | SU714738 |
| Operations | |
| Station code | RDG |
| Managed by | Network Rail |
| Number of platforms | 15 |
| DfT category | B |
| Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections from National Rail Enquiries |
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| Annual rail passenger usage* | |
| 2011/12 |
 15.267 million |
| 2012/13 |
15.413 million |
| 2013/14 |
15.673 million |
| 2014/15 |
16.340 million |
| 2015/16 |
16.756 million |
| History | |
| Original company | Great Western Railway |
| Pre-grouping | Great Western Railway |
| Post-grouping | Great Western Railway |
| 30 March 1840 | Opened |
| National Rail – UK railway stations | |
| * Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Reading from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year. | |
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Reading railway station is a major transport hub in Reading, England. On the northern edge of the town centre, near the main retail and commercial areas and the River Thames, it is next to a bus interchange served by urban and rural services.
Reading is the ninth-busiest station in the UK outside London, and the second busiest interchange station outside London, with over 3.8 million passengers changing trains at the station annually. Reading is one of 19 stations managed by Network Rail.
The station is served by three train operating companies: Great Western Railway, CrossCountry and South West Trains.
The first Reading station was opened on 30 March 1840 as the temporary western terminus of the original line of the Great Western Railway (GWR). The time taken to travel from London to Reading was reduced to one hour and five minutes, less than a quarter of the time taken by the fastest stagecoach. The line was extended to its intended terminus at Bristol in 1841. As built, Reading station was a typical Brunel-designed single-sided intermediate station, with separate up and down platforms situated to the south of the through tracks and arranged so that all up trains calling at Reading had to cross the route of all down through trains.
In 1844, the Great Western Hotel, was opened across the Forbury Road for people visiting the town. It is thought to be the oldest surviving railway hotel in the world. New routes soon joined the London to Bristol line, with the line from Reading to Newbury and Hungerford opening in 1847, and the line to Basingstoke in 1848.
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