All aboard the Elizabeth Line and GWR! Get to Reading faster than you can do these 23 things

13th February 2025

With the Lizzy Line fully up and running on top of our already speedy GWR services from Paddington to Reading, getting the train to Reading has never been easier - or quicker (keep reading to find out how short the journey actually is)! Not only that, but the journey is FREE for Londoners with a Freedom Pass. To prove quite how fast the journey from Paddington can be, we've compiled a list of 23 Reading-themed things that you can't do as quickly, even if you tried!

You can take the train from London to Reading even faster than:

• Watching an episode of The Office (UK version, obviously!)—created by Reading’s Ricky Gervais 📺 

• Exploring Reading Museum and actually reading the exhibits 🏛️ 
• Ordering and finishing a full English breakfast at Café Yolk 🍳 
• Taking a boat ride along the River Thames from Reading to Caversham ⛵ 
• Visiting all the shops in the Oracle Shopping Centre (there are around 90... you’d have no hope beating the train on this one) 🛍️ 
• Staring at Reading’s famous Banksy until you’re ready to move on 👀

• The crisis of choosing between Five Guys or Honest Burgers for dinner 🍔 
• Watching Thor and reminding yourself that Kenneth Branagh, a Reading lad, directed this Marvel epic ⚡ 
• Enjoying a beer tasting session at the Double-Barrelled Brewery 🍺 
• Trying to figure out just how many celebrities have come out of Reading...Justin Fletcher aka Mr. Tumble AND Natalie Dormer to name only two 🎥 
• Walking around Forbury Gardens and stopping to admire the Maiwand Lion 🦁 

• Choosing a pastry at an independent bakery (including the extra 5 minutes to justify getting two) 🥐 
• Finding the exit at IKEA Reading, after only going in for a candle🕯️ 
• Watching a goose-related territorial dispute on the Thames Path (they take their time) 🦢 
• Trying to explain to someone that Reading isn’t actually pronounced like ‘reading’ 📖 
• Watching the trailers for exciting new movies at Vue Riverside 🍿 
• Taking part in a fun Escape Room challenge (unless you’re a beast at puzzles...) 🎲 
• Watching Reading’s Kate Winslet in Titanic (actually you could travel to Reading 8 and a half times before finishing that one!) 🚢

• Waiting for Reading FC to score a goal⚽ 
• Explaining to your London friends that yes, Reading is technically a town but it feels like a city 🏙️ 
• Finishing a pint at the Purple Turtle without running into someone you know (possibly just one for the locals!) 🍻
• Deciding which of Reading’s independent coffee shops near the station to get your flat white from ☕ 
• Scrolling through Reading Festival lineup history and realising just how many legends have played here 🎪 

That’s right – getting to Reading only takes 23 minutes from Paddington by GWR and about 50 minutes on the Elizabeth Line. There are loads of exciting things to do and events on in Reading this month, waiting for you just beyond the station. So, what are you waiting for?