Residents Push For Shuttle To Twyford Station

Residents want a dedicated, fast shuttle from Wokingham to link with Twyford's Elizabeth Line to ease parking chaos - possibly starting at the Coppid Beech park and ride.

Twyford's single‑level car park is regularly full shortly after 7.15am, pushing commuters into nearby streets. Wokingham Borough Council is working on better bus and active travel links and a cross‑party group is reviewing options.

SoonYau Cheong said: "Commuting to London is already hard, who want to add another transport leg that is slow, unreliable (traffic), and we have to pay for. Might as well take the train to Reading, but the fare is more expensive than departing from Twyford. The solutions are: to build a multistorey car park in Twyford; to reduce the train fare from Wokingham, via Reading, to a level matching Twyford."

On a local Facebook thread most people said they already pick Twyford because it's quicker or cheaper - one summed it up as "cheaper and faster". Several said they'd use a shuttle only if it was reliable, frequent and cheap; some wanted buses at least every 30 minutes and arriving 10 minutes before the half‑hourly fast Paddington trains.

Others said they'd only switch if the return fare was "significantly cheaper than the station car park".

Opinion is split on where the shuttle should start. Suggestions included Broad Street and London Road in Wokingham, a stop at Cantley Park if routed via Hurst, or an out‑of‑town Coppid Beech park and ride service for drivers from Finchampstead and Barkham.

Jo Jo Hillier said: "The abandoned park and ride site would be great to utilize not just for a Twyford shuttle but for other places such as Oxford etc."

A substantial minority were sceptical about adding another leg to commutes, saying they'd rather change at Reading even if fares are higher. People warned delays, roadworks or a sick driver could leave them 40 minutes late. Others said commuters learn to aim to arrive early and accept occasional disruption.

Many still want a larger car park. Jaynage Thorn said: "While inconvenient, the best solution is to level Twyford completely, dig down and out, and then build up 3 layers." Conservative Cllr Charles Marghetts said: "For this idea to work services would need to be reliable, fast and very regular."

Gary Shacklady (Green Party) said: "One of our policies is to put a bus route through Woodley to Twyford Station. There's a lot of traffic goes through Woodley and Wokingham to Twyford. It would be a real shame if they only build more car park."

Wokingham's executive member for active travel and transport said improving access is a council priority and that plans were included in the recent bus services consultation. He added: "The council currently subsidises buses by around £2m a year, drawing on government grants, developer contributions, town and parish council contributions and council funding." He concluded: "I hope this will include enhancements to Twyford Station."

Bottom line: there's appetite to look beyond the car, but residents say a shuttle will only work if it's frequent, affordable and, above all, genuinely reliable.

Ted O'Neill, Local Democracy Reporter