Ashton gate halt and the Portishead rail line (Merged)

[GrahamC]

6 minutes ago, Port Said Red said:

And so it continues.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-61155695.amp

It won’t ever happen, will it?

Can’t help but think if we were the other side of the bridge that unlimited funds would have been found to sort it long ago.

[Bat Fastard]

45 minutes ago, TomF said:

Grant Shapps is a ***. That’s all there is to say. 
 

The DCO application was fully costed and funded.   Shapps then needlessly delays his decision by 6 months citing he’s worried about the environmental issues and a possible JR.  In that 6 month delay he’s advised if the delay goes beyond the middle of Jan it will incur increased costs of around £13m.   He spent those 6 months right up the very last day making just *two* queries - one on the 6th carbon budget and one on the whitebeam trees. Both these points were extensively detailed in the DCO application. It was tedious and frivolous time wasting. 

He then decided after a six month delay that because of the muted increase in costs that he needs full clarification of where the extra money will come from and kicks it along another 10 months - caused by his own fuckwittery - citing that it won’t be from the DfT. 

..and 35% of people still want to vote for these pricks. 

It would be cheaper and more convenient to more people if there was decent parking and no silly restrictions.  Sadly life is not that simple and if taxes were to rise even further from their current record level, some people might find it a problem.  Whatever any national or local government try to do, they will piss off vast numbers of people.  Infrastructure and funding are complex issues and we will only see the issues that affect us and not the bigger picture.  From the point of view of fans, it would have been much better to have built the new stadium as originally planned and issues like parking and access could have been tackled with more of a clean sheet.  The few dog walkers put paid to that and we have to live with the consequences. With home working likely to feature more in the future, will there be so much need for a commuter service?

[Rich]

59 minutes ago, TomF said:

Grant Shapps is a ***. That’s all there is to say. 
 

The DCO application was fully costed and funded.   Shapps then needlessly delays his decision by 6 months citing he’s worried about the environmental issues and a possible JR.  In that 6 month delay he’s advised if the delay goes beyond the middle of Jan it will incur increased costs of around £13m.   He spent those 6 months right up the very last day making just *two* queries - one on the 6th carbon budget and one on the whitebeam trees. Both these points were extensively detailed in the DCO application. It was tedious and frivolous time wasting. 

He then decided after a six month delay that because of the muted increase in costs that he needs full clarification of where the extra money will come from and kicks it along another 10 months - caused by his own fuckwittery - citing that it won’t be from the DfT. 

..and 35% of people still want to vote for these pricks. 

Do you honestly think it would be any different without those "pricks". All previous governments have failed to deliver on any of the planned infrastructure to this area. Dawn Primarolo famously took away the funding of £100m for her own city's planned rapid transport link. I personally have not heard a whisper from any of "our" MP's over this issue, aren't they supposed to represent us?

Make no mistake, this funding will go to a perceived more deprived area than Bristol, guaranteed to oop north. We get sod all investment in relation to other areas, as I believe we're seen as a soft touch and easily fobbed off.

Meanwhile I believe that in Wales, there's millions being spent on new stations and upgrading lines across Cardiff and the valleys.

[TonyTonyTony]

31 minutes ago, Bat Fastard said:

It would be cheaper and more convenient to more people if there was decent parking and no silly restrictions.  Sadly life is not that simple and if taxes were to rise even further from their current record level, some people might find it a problem.  Whatever any national or local government try to do, they will piss off vast numbers of people. 

The issue here is wasting money and kicking it all down the road. Us locals have seen the line being cleared then allowed to grow back again, then cleared again over and over again. They could have had it built. Also concerns for the environment are nonsense when you see what’s been done in the same area for the infrastructure to the new Hinckley point. Meanwhile they continue to build houses a flats and just tinker with motorway access and at the same time cut bus routes.

[Rich]

25 minutes ago, TomF said:

Yes. Anyone with half a sense would have just given the go ahead back last year. It was fully costed and funded. Shapps just did what he does best, kicks it into the bushes.    He’s overseen the cutback to HS2 and the absolute joke that is the IRP mostly made up of already agreed projects.

I had an email from Liam Fox about this issue the same day as the decision and Don Davies was very vocal about it.

Im convinced if Nigel Ashton and co were still at NSC towers then this would have gone through… 

They're on a cost cutting mission after the country and it's economy have taken massive hits this last two years. The areas deemed less vocal will receive the biggest cuts, that'll be this area.

[cidered abroad]

1 hour ago, Bat Fastard said:

It would be cheaper and more convenient to more people if there was decent parking and no silly restrictions.  Sadly life is not that simple and if taxes were to rise even further from their current record level, some people might find it a problem.  Whatever any national or local government try to do, they will piss off vast numbers of people.  Infrastructure and funding are complex issues and we will only see the issues that affect us and not the bigger picture.  From the point of view of fans, it would have been much better to have built the new stadium as originally planned and issues like parking and access could have been tackled with more of a clean sheet.  The few dog walkers put paid to that and we have to live with the consequences. With home working likely to feature more in the future, will there be so much need for a commuter service?

About 25 years ago I heard a French man on Radio 2 saying that in France if the government wants to do things like build a high speed rail track from Paris to Marseilles, the government announces what it wants to do, give the people a few months to comment negatively.

Then they just go ahead and do it.

The programme was one of first about HS2. The Frogs finished their line about 20 years ago. Have we actually started HS2 yet?

[Rich]

2 minutes ago, TomF said:

Maybe they shouldn’t have wasted £40bn on track and trace and giving their mates contracts.

But the £30m they promised for the railway - the rest comes from WECA/NSC - was already there, safeguarded. 

Maybe not Tom, hindsight is a wonderful thing, a bit like organising new IT schemes which cost billions, only to be scrapped. In terms of government money, it's not masses, they can waste billions and every government has but, they have to be seen to be scrutinising anything that in reality is minor expenditure. 

We know they're getting their excuses in to scrap the funding. The ridiculous thing is the amount of money planned for a bus route alongside a perfectly good train line, between Bristol and Bath, £400 m is it?

 

[Monkeh]

4 hours ago, TomF said:

Grant Shapps is a ***. That’s all there is to say. 
 

The DCO application was fully costed and funded.   Shapps then needlessly delays his decision by 6 months citing he’s worried about the environmental issues and a possible JR.  In that 6 month delay he’s advised if the delay goes beyond the middle of Jan it will incur increased costs of around £13m.   He spent those 6 months right up the very last day making just *two* queries - one on the 6th carbon budget and one on the whitebeam trees. Both these points were extensively detailed in the DCO application. It was tedious and frivolous time wasting. 

He then decided after a six month delay that because of the muted increase in costs that he needs full clarification of where the extra money will come from and kicks it along another 10 months - caused by his own fuckwittery - citing that it won’t be from the DfT. 

..and 35% of people still want to vote for these pricks. 

It wasn't fully funded Tom, even with dft and council funding it was still 20% short,

[Slippin cider]

Very sad it’s been delayed again , I believe it’d be a huge success if reopened as well as taking a lot of traffic off of the roads into and out of Portishead. The Severn Beach line is indeed a shining example of this , it’s just a shame it’s not all linked up ….yet .

[Rich]

44 minutes ago, Slippin cider said:

Very sad it’s been delayed again , I believe it’d be a huge success if reopened as well as taking a lot of traffic off of the roads into and out of Portishead. The Severn Beach line is indeed a shining example of this , it’s just a shame it’s not all linked up ….yet .

Divided local authorities, all bickering amongst each other. WECA supposed to bring it together but one council opted out and the others disagree with the WECA Leader. We shoot ourselves in the foot every time there's a major decision to be made and, it'll happen again when we vote out the mayor system, back to bickering and no agreements and no investments as a result.

Avon was the best chance for the region but the name and the way it took authority from from those little local councils gave it little chance of longevity, it was disbanded and the bickering started again. We are just  such a politically divided region and governments know this, so take advantage.

I believe this is why we're a backwater in many respects.

[Monkeh]

1 hour ago, Rich said:

Divided local authorities, all bickering amongst each other. WECA supposed to bring it together but one council opted out and the others disagree with the WECA Leader. We shoot ourselves in the foot every time there's a major decision to be made and, it'll happen again when we vote out the mayor system, back to bickering and no agreements and no investments as a result.

Avon was the best chance for the region but the name and the way it took authority from from those little local councils gave it little chance of longevity, it was disbanded and the bickering started again. We are just  such a politically divided region and governments know this, so take advantage.

I believe this is why we're a backwater in many respects.

If North Somerset had joined the weca then it would of been fully funded

[GreedyHarry]

8 hours ago, TomF said:

The environmental excuse was the one that really boiled my piss, there was no opposition to the DCO other than Barry Cash’s unicorn busway.  The line used to have 2500 ton coal trains thunder along it for 15+ years supplying Aberthaw, Uskmouth and Didcot power stations  but all of a sudden Shapps think there could be objections to a small DMU running along the gorge hourly.  It was bullshit and everyone knows it 

Not to mention the car trains and the new rolling stock for TPE that was shipped to Portbury in the intervening years, and currently seeing steel coil being offloaded at Portbury for onward rail distribution. Yep, it was absolute bull crap.

[East End Old Boy]

9 hours ago, TomF said:Im convinced if Nigel Ashton and co were still at NSC towers then this would have gone through… 

Agreed, so North Somerset voted in the wrong bunch of “pricks”! 

[Dr Balls]

2 hours ago, Monkeh said:

If North Somerset had joined the weca then it would of been fully funded

And it was the Tories on NSC who refused to join, then Marvin blocked them joining when the council changed hands. As per usual around Bristol, it’s small-minded politicians playing party games rather than delivering for the local population. And Grant Schapps has just done the same again, ensuring that the Portishead line will likely never happen despite widespread local support, as the money is diverted by central government to “Red Wall” constituencies up North, in an attempt to pay off first time Tory voters.

Meanwhile down here, some people will continue to vote for the Tories no matter what, and even when it’s clearly against their own self interest. For instance, where else would the smug Rees-Mogg have managed to get 50% of the votes at the General Election other than sleepy North East Somerset? Too much forelock-tugging methinks!

[Monkeh]

8 hours ago, Dr Balls said:

And it was the Tories on NSC who refused to join, then Marvin blocked them joining when the council changed hands. As per usual around Bristol, it’s small-minded politicians playing party games rather than delivering for the local population. And Grant Schapps has just done the same again, ensuring that the Portishead line will likely never happen despite widespread local support, as the money is diverted by central government to “Red Wall” constituencies up North, in an attempt to pay off first time Tory voters.

Meanwhile down here, some people will continue to vote for the Tories no matter what, and even when it’s clearly against their own self interest. For instance, where else would the smug Rees-Mogg have managed to get 50% of the votes at the General Election other than sleepy North East Somerset? Too much forelock-tugging methinks!

Marvin doesn't have a say on weca, he's the mayor not thr leader of the council and weca is a democracy not a dictatorship, he can't over rule or imply his will on them

[East End Old Boy]

8 minutes ago, TomF said:

Honestly nobody deserved what we had for years in NSC. It was deplorable and it’s laughable that they think they’ll get back in next year. The scars of what they did in Portishead will remain for decades. 

It’s indicative of politics, unfortunately! With regard of the current bunch of independents, especially in Portishead, are appearing to be utterly clueless - in fact I’m thinking of standing next time!

[Never to the dark side]

Subject: FoSBR event to show support for Portishead rail re-opening - Saturday June 18th 11.15am in Pill

 

Dear Friend of Suburban Bristol Railways  

 

Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways is planning an event on Saturday June 18^th at 11.15am, meeting in Pill, on the greenspace between Underbanks and Watch House Road. We hope you will be able to attend.   

 

We are concerned about the latest twists and turns in the saga of Portishead railway. This is in the context of delays to the other MetroWest schemes and extensive rail funding cuts imposed by the Department for Transport.  

 

We want to send a clear message to WECA, the local authorities and government that we need the scheme to happen, along with the other parts of MetroWest.  

 

We have invited stakeholders and interested parties from North Somerset and Bristol, including councillors from the route, campaigners and MPs.  

 

We will take some pictures for media and social media, and the event will last less than an hour.  

 

Please feel free to forward this invitation to other interested parties – better that people are invited twice rather than not at all.  

 

The X4 Excel bus between Bristol & Portishead stops near the Co-op on Heywood Road, which is a 5 minute walk from Underbanks.  First Bus timetables can be found below, but please catch an early bus as we have noticed some cancellations on this route in recent weeks.  

[archie andrews]

28 minutes ago, TomF said:

Very good article about it this weeks Rail magazine (958) - sums up the increasing unlikelihood of it going ahead with costs now estimated to top £160m

if it had been germany or japan it would have been built years ago......

[phantom]

5 minutes ago, archie andrews said:

if it had been germany or japan it would have been built years ago......

I wonder how many developments that could be said about in and around Bristol over the years 

[archie andrews]

6 minutes ago, phantom said:

I wonder how many developments that could be said about in and around Bristol over the years 

the underground would be up and running too phants......

[Lanterne Rouge]

When the tsunami destroyed about 20km of coastal motorway in Japan a few years back they had it rebuilt and open within two months.

We`d still be appointing a contractor.

[RedRock]

The good news is that the powers that be can now concentrate all their brain and financial powers on the Long Ashton Park and Ride fiasco. 

You never know, it may be within a couple more decades, agreement might be reached to allow several hectares of empty car park positioned right next to the south west’s premier sport and entertainment venue to be made available to stadium users.

 

Lummydaze, I despair of this Country sometimes. 

 

[Tinmans Love Child]

1 hour ago, archie andrews said:

if it had been germany or japan it would have been built years ago......

This country has well and truely gone to the dogs in so many aspects.  Transport in Bristol has been terrible my whole lifetime, and it’s embarrassing that pre WWII they had a team system, and pre 70’s still had local train network.  How many millions have been wasted on new bus routes etc over the years!

Dont get me started on GP surgery’s!
 

‘Great’ Britain is a contradiction in terms! Why couldn’t I have been born in the south of France or the Tuscan coast!

Edited May 31, 2022 by Tinmans Love Child

[RedRock]

55 minutes ago, Tinmans Love Child said:

This country has well and truely gone to the dogs in so many aspects.  Transport in Bristol has been terrible my whole lifetime, and it’s embarrassing that pre WWII they had a team system, and pre 70’s still had local train network.  How many millions have been wasted on new bus routes etc over the years!

Dont get me started on GP surgery’s!
 

‘Great’ Britain is a contradiction in terms! Why couldn’t I have been born in the south of France or the Tuscan coast!

Bizarre isn’t it? 

Go on holiday to any European country and they build tunnels, new roads, super fast rail lines at a staggering rate. Think it was on Madeira a few years back where there was a brand new 1 mile long tunnel serving one friggin house and a small tourist car park! 

Don’t blame the planners, like the Government always do, it’s dithering politicians - something the Mayoral system was supposed to fix. The Long Ashton Park and Ride doesn’t even involve any planning or development and the inept, useless politicians still can’t sort it! Truly pathetic. 

[reddoh]

On 22/10/2021 at 12:16, BTRFTG said:

Every man woman and child in Wales receives an additional £5,200 per annum under the Barnett Formula which they can splurge on whatever they want, not necessarily anything they need. Scots receive about twice that.

Which recalls the most expensive football matches in history.

In planning the London Olympics both the SNP and Scottish Labour Party played their anti English cards highlighting that north of the border there were to be no events, they'd been forgotten/ ignored even though it was the 'London Olympics'. English riding rough shod over the Scots blah, blah, blah. Being thick the bigoted politicians missed the bigger picture and allowed Westminster off the hook. So in a blaze of publicity both Government and organisers publicly announced they'd conceded to Scottish criticism and awarded 8 football fixtures to be played at Hampden Park (both men's and women's tournaments.) The Scottish wouldn't backtrack for fear of losing face and claimed this a great victory for everything tartan. They didn't mention it's pyrrhic nature.

First fixture fewer than 9k saw Salah net for Egypt in their demolition of Belarus. Stadium was less than half full to see Japan scrape past an impotent Spain (not so you'd recognise most of their line up.)

And as to what the politicos failed to tell the electorate? Had those 8 matches not taken place on Scottish soil the Olympic Organisers ( aka UK Government's bankroll,) would have had to pay the Scottish Government somewhere in excess of £900m in Barnett compensation. Each ticket sold 'cost' the Scots £7,500 in 'lost' income. Strange Wee Jimmy Krankie never mentions that.....

where's mine?????????????????????????????? 

[Pezo]

9 minutes ago, RedRock said:

Bizarre isn’t it? 

Go on holiday to any European country and they build tunnels, new roads, super fast rail lines at a staggering rate. Think it was on Madeira a few years back where there was a brand new 1 mile long tunnel serving one friggin house and a small tourist car park! 

Don’t blame the planners, like the Government always do, it’s dithering politicians - something the Mayoral system was supposed to fix. The Long Ashton Park and Ride doesn’t even involve any planning or development and the inept, useless politicians still can’t sort it! Truly pathetic. 

 

[Barrs Court Red]

1 hour ago, Tinmans Love Child said:

This country has well and truely gone to the dogs in so many aspects.  Transport in Bristol has been terrible my whole lifetime, and it’s embarrassing that pre WWII they had a team system, and pre 70’s still had local train network.  How many millions have been wasted on new bus routes etc over the years!

Dont get me started on GP surgery’s!
 

‘Great’ Britain is a contradiction in terms! Why couldn’t I have been born in the south of France or the Tuscan coast!

Bristol gets the leadership it deserves, as that’s what it votes for. 

Im surprised that for what is a city full of talented, intelligent and politically people, no one’s has thought to start up an independent party locally to try and take control of the council. 

[Monkeh]

It's too expensive, there are higher profile projects where the funding is heading too then this,

1 hour ago, RedRock said:

Bizarre isn’t it? 

Go on holiday to any European country and they build tunnels, new roads, super fast rail lines at a staggering rate. Think it was on Madeira a few years back where there was a brand new 1 mile long tunnel serving one friggin house and a small tourist car park! 

Don’t blame the planners, like the Government always do, it’s dithering politicians - something the Mayoral system was supposed to fix. The Long Ashton Park and Ride doesn’t even involve any planning or development and the inept, useless politicians still can’t sort it! Truly pathetic. 

The problem isn't local government, its central government, there's never been enough funding for the project 

[pillred]

I think the WFH phenomenon will be the death of this project, the vast majority of people that would have used it to commute into Bristol would have been just the type that can do their job at home in Portishead, this rail link cannot now be justified, the world of work especially office and finance has changed for ever, and well the cost alone £180 million+ is enough to finish it off.  

[pillred]

14 minutes ago, TomF said:

Portishead is the area with a skills shortage, it was more envisaged that people would travel that way.   

There are a few office and industrial areas but I don't think there is enough employment opportunity to justify spending the amount the rail line would cost. I have always said they should either build the station at portbury and have a park and rail there or just build a park and ride by the Gordano services if they want to take traffic off the roads, both schemes would be a hell of a lot cheaper, my opinion is that the whole project is an idea who's time has passed.