Ashton gate halt and the Portishead rail line (Merged)

[phantom]

A major scheme to reopen the Portishead to Bristol railway line has reached an important milestone.

The Planning Inspectorate (PINS) has written to North Somerset Council confirming the date for the proposals for the reopening of the Portishead Branch Line to be examined. The examination is part of the complex Development Consent Order (DCO) process.

Nationally-significant infrastructure projects require a DCO before they can be built. As part of the process, the Planning Inspectorate is required to hold the examination, which takes around six months.

The DCO application to reopen the Portishead line is part of the MetroWest Phase 1 scheme, a West of England Combined Authority and North Somerset Council project delivered in partnership with Network Rail. The project was accepted by the Planning Inspectorate in December 2019.

The scheme involves reopening over 5km of railway which will be added to the national network, the construction of two new stations at Portishead and Pill and works to upgrade 9km of freight only railway. This will enable an hourly passenger train service on a reopened Portishead Line, while maintaining the current freight train operation to and from Royal Portbury Dock.

In addition, the wider Phase 1 proposals (not part of the examination), will bring significant train service improvements to two other railway lines – the Severn Beach Line and the Westbury to Bristol Line –  and will deliver train service upgrades for 16 existing stations.

During the examination, the inspectors will look in detail at the DCO application which seeks powers to build and operate the disused section of railway from Portishead to Pill,  minor works to the existing freight railway through the Avon Gorge and for the compulsory acquisition of land needed for the railway to reopen.

The 46-page letter received from the Planning Inspectorate (known as a Rule 6 letter) confirms the appointment of the panel of inspectors who will be undertaking the examination, the date of the first meetings, and timescales for the six month process. The process begins with a preliminary meeting which is being held online because of Covid-19 restrictions and will be in two parts on Tuesday 6 October and Monday 19 October.

After these meetings, the formal examination process begins, with an open floor hearing on the evening of Monday 19 October when interested parties can give the panel their views on the project.

West of England Mayor, Tim Bowles said: “We are making major investments in our public transport network to improve rail services right across the West of England, including the reopening of the Portishead and Henbury lines, new stations and more frequent services to Bath, Westbury, Yate and Gloucester.

“I welcome the start of the examination process for the reopening of the Portishead Line that will take us a step closer to connecting more local people to jobs, education and leisure opportunities across the region. Creating more sustainable travel options will help cut congestion, improve air quality and make our area an even more attractive place for people to live, work and play.”

The Leader of North Somerset Council Cllr Don Davies said the council was delighted that the public examination process was about to begin.

“This is a hugely complex scheme that has to go through many stages in order to progress. The start of the examination process is one of those key milestones, and we anticipate it will be a very intense six months for the project.

“The Portishead line is a key priority scheme putting jobs and infrastructure into the heart of our economic growth strategy. Despite all of the current challenges we are pressing on with a nationally significant project that will deliver wide ranging environmental and economic benefits to our region, and all aspects need to be considered by the Planning Inspectorate.

“Once completed, MetroWest Phase 1 will connect an additional 50,000 residents directly to the national rail network and improve the level of service for a further 180,000 residents on the Severn Beach and Westbury corridors.”

The upgrade for the Severn Beach and Westbury lines are set to see improved train services start in 2021 with the Portishead line re-opening in 2024.

More information about the DCO examination process can be found at the Planning Inspectorate’s webpage: https://infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/projects/south-west/portishead-branch-line-metrowest-phase-1/

Benefits of the wider MetroWest scheme include:

• 181,000 fewer car trips in the opening year, increasing to 278,000 fewer car trips a year by 2036
• A reduction of 7.5 million car kilometres in the opening year
• 958,980 passenger trips by rail in the opening year increasing to 1,295,103 passenger trips by 2036
• Bringing more than 50,000 people within the immediate catchment of the two new stations at Portishead and Pill
• Providing better access to employment and educational opportunities
• Upgrading the existing train service at 16 stations across three rail corridors, directly benefiting 180,000 people within a 1km catchment
• Creating 514 new direct permanent jobs and temporary jobs during construction
• Providing £3 of quantified benefits for every £1 invested to deliver the scheme, putting the scheme in the high value for money category
• Enhancing the regional economy by £264m in the first ten years

TAKEN FROM: https://www.westofengland-ca.gov.uk/portishead-rail-moves-a-step-closer/

[TonyTonyTony]

6 hours ago, phantom said:

A major scheme to reopen the Portishead to Bristol railway line has reached an important milestone.

The Planning Inspectorate (PINS) has written to North Somerset Council confirming the date for the proposals for the reopening of the Portishead Branch Line to be examined. The examination is part of the complex Development Consent Order (DCO) process.

Nationally-significant infrastructure projects require a DCO before they can be built. As part of the process, the Planning Inspectorate is required to hold the examination, which takes around six months.

The DCO application to reopen the Portishead line is part of the MetroWest Phase 1 scheme, a West of England Combined Authority and North Somerset Council project delivered in partnership with Network Rail. The project was accepted by the Planning Inspectorate in December 2019.

The scheme involves reopening over 5km of railway which will be added to the national network, the construction of two new stations at Portishead and Pill and works to upgrade 9km of freight only railway. This will enable an hourly passenger train service on a reopened Portishead Line, while maintaining the current freight train operation to and from Royal Portbury Dock.

In addition, the wider Phase 1 proposals (not part of the examination), will bring significant train service improvements to two other railway lines – the Severn Beach Line and the Westbury to Bristol Line –  and will deliver train service upgrades for 16 existing stations.

During the examination, the inspectors will look in detail at the DCO application which seeks powers to build and operate the disused section of railway from Portishead to Pill,  minor works to the existing freight railway through the Avon Gorge and for the compulsory acquisition of land needed for the railway to reopen.

The 46-page letter received from the Planning Inspectorate (known as a Rule 6 letter) confirms the appointment of the panel of inspectors who will be undertaking the examination, the date of the first meetings, and timescales for the six month process. The process begins with a preliminary meeting which is being held online because of Covid-19 restrictions and will be in two parts on Tuesday 6 October and Monday 19 October.

After these meetings, the formal examination process begins, with an open floor hearing on the evening of Monday 19 October when interested parties can give the panel their views on the project.

West of England Mayor, Tim Bowles said: “We are making major investments in our public transport network to improve rail services right across the West of England, including the reopening of the Portishead and Henbury lines, new stations and more frequent services to Bath, Westbury, Yate and Gloucester.

“I welcome the start of the examination process for the reopening of the Portishead Line that will take us a step closer to connecting more local people to jobs, education and leisure opportunities across the region. Creating more sustainable travel options will help cut congestion, improve air quality and make our area an even more attractive place for people to live, work and play.”

The Leader of North Somerset Council Cllr Don Davies said the council was delighted that the public examination process was about to begin.

“This is a hugely complex scheme that has to go through many stages in order to progress. The start of the examination process is one of those key milestones, and we anticipate it will be a very intense six months for the project.

“The Portishead line is a key priority scheme putting jobs and infrastructure into the heart of our economic growth strategy. Despite all of the current challenges we are pressing on with a nationally significant project that will deliver wide ranging environmental and economic benefits to our region, and all aspects need to be considered by the Planning Inspectorate.

“Once completed, MetroWest Phase 1 will connect an additional 50,000 residents directly to the national rail network and improve the level of service for a further 180,000 residents on the Severn Beach and Westbury corridors.”

The upgrade for the Severn Beach and Westbury lines are set to see improved train services start in 2021 with the Portishead line re-opening in 2024.

More information about the DCO examination process can be found at the Planning Inspectorate’s webpage: https://infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/projects/south-west/portishead-branch-line-metrowest-phase-1/

Benefits of the wider MetroWest scheme include:

• 181,000 fewer car trips in the opening year, increasing to 278,000 fewer car trips a year by 2036
• A reduction of 7.5 million car kilometres in the opening year
• 958,980 passenger trips by rail in the opening year increasing to 1,295,103 passenger trips by 2036
• Bringing more than 50,000 people within the immediate catchment of the two new stations at Portishead and Pill
• Providing better access to employment and educational opportunities
• Upgrading the existing train service at 16 stations across three rail corridors, directly benefiting 180,000 people within a 1km catchment
• Creating 514 new direct permanent jobs and temporary jobs during construction
• Providing £3 of quantified benefits for every £1 invested to deliver the scheme, putting the scheme in the high value for money category
• Enhancing the regional economy by £264m in the first ten years

TAKEN FROM: https://www.westofengland-ca.gov.uk/portishead-rail-moves-a-step-closer/

I dunno why the don’t stop ******* about and get on with it 

[winsaw]

This meeting of the planning committee was ment to happen in May but was cancelled due to covid, its really delayed the reopening, the latest guess seams to be that it's now not going to be open until 2024, 

The only plus with this is that the work on making the main line 4 track between temple meads and Parson Street should hopefully be done by then so hopefully the new Portishead gains will be able to stop there, as until Parson Street is back to 4 platforms they can't, 

On another note and hopefully of interest to city fans from the Yate area the proposed Bristol metro half hourly service between temple meads and Yate has been dropped, they will now not be building a siding at Yate to turn trains back there, after  Gloucestershire council got involved and offered money to make it an hourly Bristol Gloucester service with a new station at Charfield dont think this can really be called a metro service anymore

[winsaw]

1 hour ago, TomF said:

Freight trains on Portishead line pretty much given up completely now. Remember how it was going to 10000 car transporters off the road each year. Ha.  The only thing that’s gone down lately is the weed killer train because it’s getting overgrown. No reason why 1/2 hour service couldn’t run if they double track at Pill like it was originally.  Get it built abs propose that later I guess 

Problem is they are only reopening one of the platforms at Pill, they are doing the whole job as cheep as possible, this will mean it can only ever be a hourly service to Portishead, 

You can bet that within a few years of opening they will be spending way more to update Pill to a passing station then if they just did it now, 

[pillred]

2 hours ago, winsaw said:

Problem is they are only reopening one of the platforms at Pill, they are doing the whole job as cheep as possible, this will mean it can only ever be a hourly service to Portishead, 

You can bet that within a few years of opening they will be spending way more to update Pill to a passing station then if they just did it now, 

If I was a betting man with the country in a right mess financially I would give long odds on this project ever going ahead, with more people supposedly working from home exactly where is the demand going to come from? it will probably be used more for tourists gazing at the suspension bridge. It would make a lot more sense to build a park and ride at Portbury.

Edited October 1, 2020 by pillred

[t_b]

5 hours ago, pillred said:

It would make a lot more sense to build a park and ride at Portbury.

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/bristols-new-train-station-delayed-4405716
 

I have no idea how it costs £3.5m and YEARS of discussion when they could just borrow the platform ramp design platform from the harbourside railway and start tomorrow. 

[Jeez]

3 hours ago, tommy_b said:

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/bristols-new-train-station-delayed-4405716
 

I have no idea how it costs £3.5m and YEARS of discussion when they could just borrow the platform ramp design platform from the harbourside railway and start tomorrow. 

Would help ease the rush hour traffic on portway but this stop wouldn’t help any match day traffic as the line goes up into Clifton & is wrong side of river to get anywhere near Ashton Gate or Hotwells.

[pillred]

5 hours ago, tommy_b said:

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/bristols-new-train-station-delayed-4405716
 

I have no idea how it costs £3.5m and YEARS of discussion when they could just borrow the platform ramp design platform from the harbourside railway and start tomorrow. 

We have previous in Bristol for this sort of thing other cities as you say just get on with it, our stadium plans for Ashton Vale are a typical case in point oh! and don't get me started on the "new" arena that 10 years later is still nowhere to be seen.

 

1 hour ago, Red Alert said:

Would help ease the rush hour traffic on portway but this stop wouldn’t help any match day traffic as the line goes up into Clifton & is wrong side of river to get anywhere near Ashton Gate or Hotwells.

The park and ride I was proposing was at PORTBURY, It wouldn't be ideal using the A369 but I suppose it could go over the Avonmouth bridge and use the Portway instead.

Edited October 2, 2020 by pillred
Add comment

[1960maaan]

1 minute ago, pillred said:

don't get me started on the "new" arena that 10 years later is still nowhere to be seen.

Marvin probably thinks he can squeeze out a few more 1st class flights and 5* hotel stays out of the prospective clients/owners/ Tennants 

[Jeez]

3 hours ago, pillred said:

We have previous in Bristol for this sort of thing other cities as you say just get on with it, our stadium plans for Ashton Vale are a typical case in point oh! and don't get me started on the "new" arena that 10 years later is still nowhere to be seen.

 

The park and ride I was proposing was at PORTBURY, It wouldn't be ideal using the A369 but I suppose it could go over the Avonmouth bridge and use the Portway instead.

Noted - The proposed train station the article is about is on the Severn beach line - so it serves no purpose for match day but would help reduce commuter traffic.

It amazes me how this city doesn’t have a proper connected rail transport infrastructure.

Get that right and the pollution in the city would fall quickly. It seems so obvious but nothing happens. Even run the local trains more frequently would reduce traffic.

This station will be pointless if the train frequency it serves remains the same.

[Never to the dark side]

See fourth story down on right hand side

 https://www.facebook.com/ConstructionEnquirer/

 

[exAtyeoMax]

https://www.constructionenquirer.com/2021/05/14/bid-race-for-70m-job-to-restore-disused-portishead-rail-line/

[Lanterne Rouge]

Great bit of rail news down here today. The Okehampton - Exeter service has been reinstated and initially from November there will be trains at two hour intervals seven days a week increasing to hourly from next year. I will now be able to get a train from six miles from my house to Parson Street and back if I want @Never to the dark side

The beginning of the reinstatement of the inland route from Exeter to Plymouth hopefully.

[lenred]

6 minutes ago, TomF said:

Decision delayed for another 6 months, so that's 2024 opening.. if it ever happens.  Starting to think never is the most lilkely. 

https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/portishead-branch-line-metrowest-phase-1-planning-update 

Excuse my ignorance Tom but has there been any update on Henbury line at all? Can’t see anything online other than they expect the Ashley Down station (one I’m particularly interested in) to open 2023? Does Phase 1 being pushed back affect Phase 2? Presume it does? 

 

[italian dave]

49 minutes ago, TomF said:

Decision delayed for another 6 months, so that's 2024 opening.. if it ever happens.  Starting to think never is the most lilkely. 

https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/portishead-branch-line-metrowest-phase-1-planning-update 

It's a complete joke, isn't it? They've been "considering" all those matters for 20 years or more. 

I agree Tom, I fear this is simply kicking the can down the road and deliberately so. It's not going to happen but they don't want the political fallout that realisation would cause. 

As Greta T said, "build back better blah blah blah" - although she probably didn't have Portishead in mind!

[Merrick's Marvels]

2 minutes ago, italian dave said:

It's a complete joke, isn't it? They've been "considering" all those matters for 20 years or more. 

I agree Tom, I fear this is simply kicking the can down the road and deliberately so. It's not going to happen but they don't want the political fallout that realisation would cause. 

As Greta T said, "build back better blah blah blah" - although she probably didn't have Portishead in mind!

Agree with you 100% although I'm not sure what political fallout they're worried about - North Somerset would continue to be a very safe Tory seat and the votes they might lose in Bristol are irrelevant anyway.

Imo, they don't want to stump up any money for it. Plain and simple. 

Perhaps Covid and working from home, which has changed the commuter landscape, means the car journey to and from Bristol during the rush hours is no longer beyond a joke? Which it certainly was for many years. 

[Never to the dark side]

Not to mention "the open to the elements" flat bed vehicles that carried pulped paper.

All I can say is,  IF you can use Parson Street to get to the Gate,please carry on and thank you

As I have said in the past if you are starting any train journey from BTM(which includes Bristol Parkway)get the train tickets issued from Parson Street

If you have friend or relatives visting you in Bristol and using the train,get the tickets issued to Parson Street.

It does not matter if they use the ticket to PS but it push's up the footfall at PS.

Be interesting to see what the passenger usage is, when the passengers numbers for PS are published generally in December  

Edited October 20, 2021 by Never to the dark side

[pillred]

4 hours ago, Merrick's Marvels said:

Agree with you 100% although I'm not sure what political fallout they're worried about - North Somerset would continue to be a very safe Tory seat and the votes they might lose in Bristol are irrelevant anyway.

Imo, they don't want to stump up any money for it. Plain and simple. 

Perhaps Covid and working from home, which has changed the commuter landscape, means the car journey to and from Bristol during the rush hours is no longer beyond a joke? Which it certainly was for many years. 

I'm amazed they are still planning to go ahead with that white Elephant that will be HS2, by the time it's due to open working from home for a lot of the people they hope to attract will be the norm same as Portishead to Bristol, it's not going to be plumbers and welders using it I can't see where the demand for it is going to come from personally I have been saying for years it's just not going to happen every time there is a delay the cost of it seems to sky rocket the last estimate of the cost was £175 million and rising there are better things to spend that sort of money on.

[Lanterne Rouge]

2 hours ago, pillred said:

I'm amazed they are still planning to go ahead with that white Elephant that will be HS2, by the time it's due to open working from home for a lot of the people they hope to attract will be the norm same as Portishead to Bristol, it's not going to be plumbers and welders using it I can't see where the demand for it is going to come from personally I have been saying for years it's just not going to happen every time there is a delay the cost of it seems to sky rocket the last estimate of the cost was £175 million and rising there are better things to spend that sort of money on.

You say that but when I spent a couple of months commuting into London from Peterborough I was amazed by the amount of trades that were on the train (hi viz and hard hat on the table). Listening to conversations some were coming down from Leeds and places like that. I can only guess that the cost was cheaper than getting digs in London and the wages made it worthwhile.

[GreedyHarry]

5 hours ago, Never to the dark side said:

Not to mention "the open to the elements" flat bed vehicles that carried pulped paper.

All I can say is,  IF you can use Parson Street to get to the Gate,please carry on and thank you

As I have said in the past if you are starting any train journey from BTM(which includes Bristol Parkway)get the train tickets issued from Parson Street

If you have friend or relatives visting you in Bristol and using the train,get the tickets issued to Parson Street.

It does not matter if they use the ticket to PS but it push's up the footfall at PS.

Be interesting to see what the passenger usage is, when the passengers numbers for PS are published generally in December  

In guessing GWR could also do their part and actually check tickets on trains before and after matches, because they are generally very busy, but all we have seen is a Saturday afternoon service at a few minutes after five, heading to Taunton pulled from the timetable.

[miser]

Will probably see the A369 upgraded to a motorway before the railway gets approved. 

[pillred]

5 hours ago, Lanterne Rouge said:

You say that but when I spent a couple of months commuting into London from Peterborough I was amazed by the amount of trades that were on the train (hi viz and hard hat on the table). Listening to conversations some were coming down from Leeds and places like that. I can only guess that the cost was cheaper than getting digs in London and the wages made it worthwhile.

Sorry I meant welders and plumbers  from Portishead to Bristol and vice versa I just don't see the demand, as for using the HS2 into London I expect there will be a large premium for saving half an hour on the journey time. I can't see trades people going for it and with the advent of Zoom and other advances in the internet I feel a lot less of the office type workers will use it in the future.

[Never to the dark side]

GreedyHarry

Know what you are saying,but can you actually get to Parsoin Street by 17:01 from Ashton Gate?

unless you leave early

[GreedyHarry]

1 hour ago, Never to the dark side said:

GreedyHarry

Know what you are saying,but can you actually get to Parsoin Street by 17:01 from Ashton Gate?

unless you leave early

No, you do have to leave a few minutes early. I can do it in 16 minutes with warp drive enabled. 
Maybe it will get reinstated at some point, or the Down London, just after, gets an extra stop put in (here’s hoping).

[Red DNA]

1 hour ago, TomF said:

There hasn't that I've seen, I don't think the loop has any baring on the Portishead Branch situation. It's more about it actually getting funding possibly.  Certainly the SB line is getting busier by the year, they will have to consider bringing back the double tracking before long. 

I’ve used the SB line a lot recently to get to areas I wish to cycle from.
 

There are so many bikes that try to get on the train it’s carnage!
The majority of passengers get off at Clifton Down station - as it’s such a short journey from BTM (even if you do the entire route to SB it’s only 39 mins) they should introduce at least one carriage in the same style as a Tube train. 
It won’t hurt to stand up for the short time the journey takes - and so much more space would be available for cycles .

[lenred]

2 hours ago, TomF said:

There hasn't that I've seen, I don't think the loop has any baring on the Portishead Branch situation. It's more about it actually getting funding possibly.  Certainly the SB line is getting busier by the year, they will have to consider bringing back the double tracking before long. 

Cheers. I’ll take no news as good news then! Really hope it all gets the green light and soon. Needed so much across the city.  

[stortfordred]

Is the Ashton Gate Halt the place where any non-Bristolian football team stops for 90 minutes and then steams away with three points?

[northsomersetred]

On 12/10/2021 at 20:47, Lanterne Rouge said:

Great bit of rail news down here today. The Okehampton - Exeter service has been reinstated and initially from November there will be trains at two hour intervals seven days a week increasing to hourly from next year. I will now be able to get a train from six miles from my house to Parson Street and back if I want @Never to the dark side

The beginning of the reinstatement of the inland route from Exeter to Plymouth hopefully.

That'll never happen and the only reason Oke has been re-opened is HS2

[Lanterne Rouge]

8 minutes ago, northsomersetred said:

That'll never happen and the only reason Oke has been re-opened is HS2

I don`t know. The line`s already there as far as Meldon and from Plymouth you can get to Bere Alston so there`s `only` about twelve miles missing. It won`t follow the old route I know as it would cost an absolute fortune just to buy back the land - and quite a few owners have already said they will not sell under any circumstances - but there are options. Via Launceston for instance, most of the old track route is still there and used as a bridleway (a bit of it is only a mile or so from my house) so potentially Okehampton - Launceston - Callington - Gunnislake (where there is a line to Plymouth) is a possibility.

I doubt it will happen in my lifetime though.

[northsomersetred]

24 minutes ago, Lanterne Rouge said:

I don`t know. The line`s already there as far as Meldon and from Plymouth you can get to Bere Alston so there`s `only` about twelve miles missing. It won`t follow the old route I know as it would cost an absolute fortune just to buy back the land - and quite a few owners have already said they will not sell under any circumstances - but there are options. Via Launceston for instance, most of the old track route is still there and used as a bridleway (a bit of it is only a mile or so from my house) so potentially Okehampton - Launceston - Callington - Gunnislake (where there is a line to Plymouth) is a possibility.

I doubt it will happen in my lifetime though.

LR i'm not having a dig at you, please don't take it that way, i'm from Plymouth and I used to go upto Bere Alston regularly as a kid and teenager as my best mate's family were from there and we used to go up and see his grandparents. I also used to travel from Plymouth to Aberdeen/Gt Yarmouth when i used to work in the offshore oil and gas industry 30yrs ago i know first hand the issues around Dawlish

Have you been on the line from Plymouth to Gunnislake? That line is only suitable for DMU or similar, i'm no train buff but i think the biggest engine that ever went up that route was a Class 31. At a couple of places on the route the driver has to physically get out of the cab and retrieve a token to gain entry to that section of the line.

The cost would be huge to construct something suitable to take the new Hitachi trains, something the money for HS2 should be spent on, not building HS2

I to hope it gets built but realistically i cant see it.

Have look at this, the train upto Princetown back in the day, fantastic film, i'd recommend watching it all if you have 1/2hr to spare

 

Edited October 21, 2021 by northsomersetred