Author: Tim Weekes
Temple Meads Eastern Entrance
The new Eastern Entrance to Bristol Temple Meads station, which gives direct access from the passenger subway to the University of Bristol’s Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus. opened on 7th September 2026.
Portishead Railway – January 2026 Update
Preparatory work for the new Portishead railway is now underway, with main construction work due to start in Spring 2026. Bristol Rail Campaign went to see how things are progressing.
Western Gateway – then there was one!
For several years there have been two organisations called ‘Western Gateway’ operating in our area, both seeking to improve transport. Now there is only one. Why were there two, and why has one now closed?
Tram-trains: Connecting Central Bristol
Bristol Rail Campaign welcomes the news that the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority has received £200 million of funding to develop mass transit for the region. We hope they will recognise that tram-trains could transform Bristol and Bath’s rail network. We strongly believe that a central loop in Bristol could change the existing suburban…
Bristol Rail Campaign AGM 2025
Bristol Rail Campaign (FoSBR) will be holding our Annual General Meeting on Friday, 24th January 2025. The venue for this year’s AGM is: UHBW Education and Research Centre (opposite Bristol Royal Infirmary), Upper Maudlin St, Bristol BS2 8AE. The AGM will start at 7.15pm and end at 9.15pm. The venue will be open from 6.45pm. Please try to arrive…
Battery powered trains
Battery powered trains could allow electrification on some parts of the network where overhead 25kV power is hard to achieve. GWR and Network Rail are testing this technology on a branch line near London. They invited us to see the results. The problem Much of GWR’s network is served by old diesel trains which will…
Rail passenger numbers 2024
The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has published its official rail passenger numbers for the year 2023/24. They show that many local stations are now used by more people than before COVID-19. Across the UK, there has been an overall rise in passenger journeys of 16%. In our area, the biggest stations (Bristol Temple Meads,…
Zonal fares
Bus and train fares around Bristol and Bath need sorting out. Fares on Severn Beach line are cheaper than other local journeys. Bus fares are, for now, capped. But some local train journeys have much higher fares. We think a system of zonal fares would be fairer, and would encourage more people to use trains…
New station at Ashley Down
We have a new station at Ashley Down! The station opened for fare-paying passengers on Saturday 28th September 2024. This station, built at a cost of around £12 million, is the second to open as part of the MetroWest programme. First train The first train left Bristol Temple Meads at 07.25, where the ticket office…
Portishead Railway needs your support
The Portishead Railway offers shovel-ready mass transit for a town that desperately needs it. But with the stopping of ‘Restoring Your Railway’ funds, the project is once again in the balance. The Portishead Railway needs your support now more than ever. Portishead is an essential part of MetroWest, the plan to open up existing railway…