Tram-trains: Connecting Central Bristol

Main image: Temple Meads Station and The Friary, from Victoria St. This route has little traffic since Bristol Bridge closed to cars, and could be a good route for tram-trains from Temple Meads to The Centre.

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 rail network into a true rapid transit system for Bristol and Bath.

The Problem

Bristol Temple Meads train station is hard to get to – unless you’re already on a train! It is a twenty minute walk from the city’s entertainment and shopping areas. It is surrounded by waterways on three sides. And it is elevated on arches too low for a double-deck bus to pass under.

Buses can access it from Temple Gate. But to do this they have to take an out-and back diversion of up to 400m before queueing to get back onto busy Temple Gate. This slows them down, which is bad for passengers and bad for operators.

Bristol Temple Quarter Partnership (BTQLLP) is working to improve pedestrian access to the station. They are building new entrances to the east and south of the station, and improving the north and west entrances. But the basic access problem will remain: Temple Meads is very hard to serve well by bus.

A solution

Tram-train technology allows trams to run on both railway lines and tram tracks. It is tried and tested, and is now being rolled out around Cardiff. It offers an opportunity to give Temple Meads a high quality connection to central Bristol, and also to transform Bristol’s existing rail network into a proper regional rapid transit system.

Immediately to the north of Temple Meads station is a good potential place to connect a tram-train route into the rail network. This is next to Platform 1, where an old line to the City Docks once branched off. Tram-trains coming from the suburban rail network could switch to tram mode here. They would then run down Friary to connect with a city centre loop via Bristol Bridge, The Centre, Bond Street and Temple Way.

Map of central Bristol showing potential tram train route from Temple Meads to The Centre, Broadmead and Old Market

This could initially be single track, with tram-trains running in one direction around the loop. It would deliver many of the benefits of rapid transit at a lower cost and with less disruption than a double-track solution.

Where to start?

Most urgently, the Temple Quarter Masterplan must make sure the vital connection near Platform 1 at Bristol Temple Meads remains available.

Tram-trains could usefully be introduced on local services ahead of building the Bristol Central Loop. These services currently use unsuitable worn-out diesel trains, and are ripe for modernisation. An electrification scheme is required for the Bristol area, potentially using discontinuous electrification where this makes economic sense.

Tram-trains are suitable for use on a number of local services. The Severn Beach or the Henbury line, via Brabazon, could be good places to start.

Rapid transit requires dedicated rights of way, away from Bristol’s crowded roads. Our suburban rail network can provide these. Linking this network to Central Bristol is key to unlocking its full potential.

Posted

8 Jun 25

Tram trains, WECA

Tim Weekes

Tags:

Electrification, Henbury Line, Severn Beach Line

Comments

8 responses to “Tram-trains: Connecting Central Bristol”

David Redgewell
9 Jun 25
Tram train is the right solution the First line is Bristol city centre Bus and coach station Bristol Temple meads station to Bristol Airport may using the metro bus route to long Ashton Already built then the A38 .
A link to south Bristol via the Bristlington line .
Remember Transport for Wales is not a Railway company.
But a Transport Authority with bus Franchising Municipalation of Cardiff and Newport bus and coach services. We need intergrated Transport Authority in the west Greater Bristol and Bath city region bigger west of England mayoral combined transport Authority and North Somerset council as member but the Government looking at Gloucestershire Wiltshire Somerset and Swindon in the area .
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Anthony Thomas
11 Jun 25
Tram-trains like our class 398s would be brilliant yes for Bristol although like us you’ll probably have people complaining about the lack of toilets.
It would be interesting if this proposal could be linked to the Portishead line too. The 398s have level boarding. The battery range i think is less than 10 miles on our 398s so that will need to be thought about and take 15 minutes to charge under the wires.
For local services to Portishead and Severn beach they’d be great not sure about a long run to Weston-super-Mare though
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1. Jack Martin Leith
  11 Apr 26
  This is not an option as the line goes towards Bristol East Junction, and services could only run through Lawrence Hill or towards Bath.
  Reply
Geoff Kerr
9 Aug 25
It’s a shame that the railway routes abandoned in the 60s and 70s were not safeguarded for future use. Examples are the old Midland line to Yate/Warmley (now a cycle route) and the North Somerset line as far as Whitchurch. Both could have formed part of a light rail system but back then transport planning was all about cars. And there was the extensive system round the docks, of which a short section survives as a heritage railway. In particular the line past Temple Meads led to the tunnel under Redcliff churchyard and Merchant’s Quay, close to Prince Street bridge. There’s been so much development in the intervening years that little of this right of way remains.
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Brynmor Williams
7 Nov 25
YEEEEES, Trams are the answer!
Reliable, fast. All we need to do is follow successful European cities!
One central loop, One up whiteladies, one up Gloucester Road and One to southville/bedminster/aiport using old Brunel railway bridge.
Perfect!
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James
20 Jan 26
Bristol needs a tram network like Manchester connecting Cribbs Causeway, the airport, into the city and then using then converting the Portishead, Severn beach line, the old Midland railway line through Fishponds etc into a rapid transit system.
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James Morrissey
8 Mar 26
I feel interested in this mode of transport, as I am fed up with the lack of progression with the Metro scheme locally in Bradley Stoke and South Gloucestershire. I find another cycle path is tedious, a tramway is more enjoyable!
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Geoff Kerr
12 Mar 26
Tram-trains sound like a good solution but Network Rail or its successor would want the heavy rail lines electrified at 25kV, which, on safety grounds, cannot be used on street. That means street-running sections would be run on battery power, as is planned in Cardiff. The central area loop, as shown in your map, would be a good starting point, linked to the Severn Beach/Henbury service. Going to Yate and Warmley via the old Midland line would be even better but not likely to be agreed by WECA as it would mean losing the busy cycle/footpath. Not sure about the Airport, maybe a step too far on batteries.
Reply