Category: MetroWest Phase 1b
Portway Park & Ride Station opens
Portway Park & Ride Station opened to the public on Tuesday 1st August 2023. A few FoSBR members caught the first train to stop there.
MetroWest: slow progress
In FoSBR’s Autumn 2022 newsletter , FoSBR member John Walker wrote a “Tale of two metros” comparing the Devon Metro with the Bristol area’s MetroWest project. He made the point that the Devon Metro has raced ahead, whilst MetroWest plods forward making slow progress. MetroWest continues to plod, and since September there have been updates…
Funding agreed for Portishead Railway
On Friday 29th July the West of England Combined Authority (WECA) voted to allocate an additional £10m funding for MetroWest Phase 1 (Portishead Line). This money, from the Investment and Transforming Cities Fund, will bridge the latest funding gap and allow the project to proceed. Escalating costs Projected capital costs for the re-opening of the…
Summer 2021 engineering works – Bristol East Junction and Temple Meads
Network Rail are remodelling Bristol East Junction, and fixing the roof at Temple Meads. This means changes to the summer timetable.
Rapid and Mass Transit news
In the last few days WECA and Bristol City Council have made public more details about transport planning in the area, including a bus-based rapid transit network and the as yet mode-agnostic mass transit system.
WECA Strategic Rail Investment Plan
WECA approved their 10 year delivery plan for Strategic Rail Investment at a meeting on 4th December 2020.
GRIPping News!
The Network Rail project project development process GRIP is being replaced by an improved process called PACE, according to Rail Magazine.
Latest JLTP4 – what does it mean for rail?
At the end of January WECA released the latest iteration of the Joint Local Transport Plan (JLTP4 2020-2036 January 2020). This document steers transport policy across Bristol, South Gloucestershire, Bath and North East Somerset and North Somerset until 2036. The document attracted publicity for its apparently conflicting aims. It mentions the climate emergency declared by…
“Nationally significant” rail scheme on track for Portishead
Getting the train to Bristol is another step closer for people in Portishead. The application for a Development Consent Order for the £116m MetroWest phase 1 scheme is being submitted to the Planning Inspectorate by North Somerset Council along with a formal letter of support from West of England Mayor Tim Bowles. The DCO application…