Isambard Kingdom Brunel gave Reading an inconvenient station with but a single platform; after four major rebuilds it now has 15. This book documents 175 years of growth; the proliferation of branches and connections; the 'railway mania' of the 1840s; the 'battle of the gauges'; competition between the Great Western, South Western and South Eastern lines; increasing speeds; and the current transformation to a safe, flexible and efficient interchange. It looks forward to electrification and the possibility of through trains to Heathrow, the City, Essex, North Kent, and even mainland Europe.