Has anyone done the journey to the Madejski by train?

Seems like a complete pain in the rear to get to/from the railway station?

I did it for the last game of the 2013/14 season and after a breakfast and a couple of pints of Moorhouses in the pub by the station, got a cab to the ground. After the game we walked back due to the huge queue for buses, but it is a fair trek and not many stop off points until you get back to the centre.

One way to get to the ground is to catch the F1 Football Special bus, itleaves just down from the Railway Station on Station Hill, it starts around 1pm and is around a fiver return

Croydon Claret wrote: ↑

Wed Feb 22, 2023 2:17 pm

Has anyone done the journey to the Madejski by train?

Seems like a complete pain in the rear to get to/from the railway station?

My Dad and I did it for the 13/14 season. Just get a cab or one of the buses that run on a matchday and/or run as part of the standard schedule.

Herts Clarets wrote: ↑

Wed Feb 22, 2023 2:46 pm

I did it for the last game of the 2013/14 season and after a breakfast and a couple of pints of Moorhouses in the pub by the station, got a cab to the ground. After the game we walked back due to the huge queue for buses, but it is a fair trek and not many stop off points until you get back to the centre.

How long is the walk roughly?

there is a new station reading green park planned to be open "early" 2023 near the stadium but cant find a more definite date for it , maybe worth keeping an eye on this

JohnDearyMe wrote: ↑

Wed Feb 22, 2023 2:50 pm

How long is the walk roughly?

Direct from the stadium to the train station is about an hour walk.

Here's hoping for a Saturday 3pm KO!

I've been to the stadium dozens of times (to watch various Reading v Clarets games + watching London Irish rugby club before they moved to Brentford). I've always arrived at Reading station, had a beer or two around that area and then got the football/rugby special busses from near the station (likewise returning to the station by special bus).

Not been there for a couple of years now but these buses seem to be still running - see https://www.reading-buses.co.uk/matchda ... s-football
If you scroll down to "Times" for F1 (the rail station rout) and link, you'll see https://images.reading-buses.co.uk/down ... 0times.pdf

The pub by the station (in a Brunel designed building) was gentrified somewhat a few years ago but used to be a good watering hole pre-game (and may still be) but there are also 5/6 half decent pubs within 5/10 mins walk of the station/buses.

Cheers for the replies, I'll have a ponder.

AGENT_CLARET wrote: ↑

Wed Feb 22, 2023 2:49 pm

One way to get to the ground is to catch the F1 Football Special bus, itleaves just down from the Railway Station on Station Hill, it starts around 1pm and is around a fiver return

It is a fair old walk so a fiver return represents decent value.

claretburns wrote: ↑

Wed Feb 22, 2023 2:53 pm

Direct from the stadium to the train station is about an hour walk.

If you measure it in the same way as chill factor, that hour seems way more than an hour as you walk through unrelenting characterless architectural nothingness. There is a small section where you think you've suddenly hit Newcastle, which is a marked improvement, but it is soon back to banality. It's like Swindon Centre but on a continual loop.