Temple Meads Eastern Entrance

The new Eastern Entrance to Bristol Temple Meads station opened on 7^th September 2026.

This is one of three new entrances planned for the station. The Eastern Entrance gives direct access from the passenger subway to the University of Bristol’s Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus.

Plans for new southern and northern entrances are well-advanced. Together these will knit the station into the surrounding area, which is undergoing major development.

Three openings

This opening was timed to coincide with the opening of the University’s 38,000 square metre Sloane Robinson Building, directly opposite, and a new pontoon walkway. The walkway passes under the station’s eastern approach and provides a way for people to get from the University Campus to the north side of Temple Meads. The Eastern Entrance is only available to ticket-holding train passengers.

The new entrance cost £23 million to build. Work involved digging a trench to extend the existing subway under the tracks at platforms 13 and 15, and out through the retaining wall. Contractors had to temporarily remove part of the station canopy, then complete major work on the drains and foundations, and erect a 20m wide, 6m high steel frame to accommodate the glazed entrance. They finished most of this work in 2024, but delayed opening the entrance until the University building was complete.

No.8 bus changes

The University of Bristol has funded an increase to the frequence of the No.8 bus, which now calls at the Eastern Entrance instead of using the stop on Station Approach. The rerouted No.8 stops outside the station at Temple Gate and then turns into Cattle Market Road. After stopping at the Eastern Entrance, it turns on to Avon Street. The final route will continue along Avon Street with stops at Silverthorne Lane and Glass Wharf once roadworks there are complete. For now it uses a rather convoluted route to complete its loop around the station.

This route requires single decker buses due to the very low bridges in this area.

The new entrance will be open as follows:

Network Rail anticipate that by 2030, 2.5 million passengers will use this entrance each year.