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 was doing a roaring trade selling tickets to this new destination. The two-car unit was well filled with campaigners, enthusiasts, and families just wanting to experience the first train to stop at Ashley Down since 1964.

The atmosphere on board was joyous, with many familiar faces. Passengers cheered when the train’s public address system announced that ‘the next station is Ashley Down’. The driver popped out of his cab to take a bow. On the platform, the dispatcher flagged the train away with a broad grin.

Smiling dispatcher flags off first train to Ashley Down, 28 Sept 2024

Large crowds

There were large crowds awaiting us at Ashley Down when we arrived. This looked like a good indicator of how much goodwill the new station has generated. Although the station has few frills, it has everything it needs – it is accessible, and has shelters, ticket machines, bike parking, and platform space for a 5-car trains and even Wi-Fi. It was also good to see the Concorde Way cycle path open again.

BRC members celebrate first train to Ashley Down

Potential

The current hourly train service from Temple Meads to Filton Abbey Wood may disappoint some potential users. However services will be extended to Brabazon/North Filton and Henbury half-hourly once those stations are delivered. We think this station has the potential for a more frequent service to a bigger range of destinations, and will campaign for this.

We were given the opportunity make our case for our Plan for Rail to YouTuber Michael C – his video is here:

There is a disparity between fares on the Severn Beach line and other local stations, and will continue to campaign for a fairer, zonal fare system for the Bristol and Bath area.

We will carry on pressing for better integration with local bus services, and for a new station at Lockleaze to further unlock the potential of this railway. And of course we still need to carry on making the case for electrification.

And we haven’t forgotten Portishead, or Pilning, or the other stations in our Plan for Rail.

There’s so much still to do. But this was a good day!

Posted

28 Sep 24

News, Services, Stations

Tim Weekes

Tags:

Henbury Line

Comments

2 responses to “New station at Ashley Down”

Tim Weekes
14 Oct 24
Long-time FoSBR member Eric Wildman wrote to the Bristol Post. I am posting the text of his letter here:
“Metro West and Transport for Wales, a match made in heaven with electrification?
The opening of Ashton Down railway station has shown that Metro West can deliver in the same way that Transport for Wales has been doing for the past few years. The new (reopened) station has piqued the interest sufficiently of Principality’s southern transport authority that it included it as a station on a proposed South Wales to Bristol stopping service. (as seen in the Bristol Post)
Fingers crossed and with the momentum of the Ashley Down reopening behind it Metro West will get the green light for the Portishead railway reopening, a project on a par with those of Transport for Wales such as the electrification (discontinues for now) up the valleys to Merthyr Tydfil.
The real prize however will be for the two transport entities to work together to realise the full economic potential of the Severn/Bristol Channel region. A marriage that can only be consummated with the electrification of Filton Bank connecting Bristol Temple Meads and the rest of Metro West via an already electrified Severn Tunnel to the Cities of South Wales thus multiplying the benefits of the investments of both authorities many times over.”
Reply
Steve Watt
8 Jan 25
While campaigning for a half hourly service at ASD is extremely important, can I draw tour attention to the stopping pattern between 8:00-8:30 which is currently useless for the large number of students at Fairfield High School, who start school at 8:30. Even small tweaks in the current timetable would help.
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