MetroWest, formerly known as the Greater Bristol Metro, is a project to improve the rail services in
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
, England, and the surrounding region. It was first proposed at
First Great Western
Great Western Railway (GWR) is a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup
FirstGroup plc is a British multi-national transport group, based in Aberdeen, Scotland.[West of England
West of England is a combined authority area in South West England. It is made up of the Bristol, South Gloucestershire, and Bath and North East Somerset unitary authorities. The combined authority is led by the Mayor of the West of England Dan ...]
region.
Transport campaigning groups
Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways
Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways (FoSBR) is a Bristol-based campaign group, calling for better rail transport in the Bristol area.
Formation
FoSBR was formed in 1995 as ''Friends of Severn Beach Railway'', to protest against the potential ...
(FoSBR) and Transport for Greater Bristol are actively supporting the proposal, as are the three unitary authorities under the
West of England Combined Authority
The West of England Combined Authority (WECA) is a combined authority within the West of England area, consisting of the local authorities of Bristol, South Gloucestershire, and Bath and North East Somerset. The combined authority is led by the ...
and North Somerset Council.
MetroWest services began on 13 December 2021, with the doubling of the frequency of services from Bristol Temple Meads to Severn Beach.
History
Early plans
Earlier plans for a metro system were promoted by then
MEP Richard Cottrell in 1986, and acts of Parliament were secured. This would have used existing track, with new build through the city centre. However, the scheme folded in around 2004 when Advanced Transport for Avon was wound up with debts of £3.8 million.
Initial planning
Rail usage in the West of England doubled in the ten years between 1999 and 2009. A campaign for a Greater Bristol Metro was launched in February 2012,
with plans prepared by engineering consultancy
Halcrow Group
Halcrow Group Limited was a multinational engineering consultancy company, based in the United Kingdom
Halcrow was one of the UK's largest consultancies, with origins stretching back to 1868. The UK-based consultancy specialised in the provision ...
.
The scheme was estimated to cost £22 million at 2008/09 prices and could be completed between 2016 and 2021.
The 2012 plans included station reopening costs, estimated by
Bristol City Council
Bristol City Council is the local authority of Bristol, England. The council is a unitary authority, and is unusual in the United Kingdom in that its executive function is controlled by a directly elected mayor of Bristol. Bristol has 34 ward ...
to be an average of £5 million each.
Related estimates for reopening of the
Portishead Railway
The Portishead Railway is a branch line railway running from Portishead in North Somerset to the main line immediately west of Bristol, England. It was constructed by the Bristol & Portishead Pier and Railway Company, but it was always operated ...
and for four-tracking between
Parson Street and Filton Bank were reported as approximately and respectively.
It was subsequently reported that the Portishead Railway reopening would cost around .
![Press Launch of Greater Bristol Metro Rail - Flickr - Greater Bristol Metro Rail (3)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e9/Press_Launch_of_Greater_Bristol_Metro_Rail_-_Flickr_-_Greater_Bristol_Metro_Rail_%283%29.jpg)
The scheme was given the go-ahead in July 2012 as part of the City Deal, whereby local councils would be given greater control over money by the government.
Councillor Tim Kent stated in September 2012 that the first part of the scheme, on the
Severn Beach Line, would be delivered "next year".
An opinion piece in the
Bristol Evening Post
The ''Bristol Post'' is a city/regional five-day-a-week (formerly appearing six days per week) newspaper covering news in the city of Bristol, including stories from the whole of Greater Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire. It was ...
in June 2011 called for the establishment of an
Integrated Transport Authority for the West of England and for progress on the metro proposal. During the Rail Priority Conference organised by the West of England Partnership in November 2011, delegates travelled on the
Portishead line, the
Severn Beach line and the
Henbury Loop, using sections of track not currently used for passenger traffic. In early 2012, during the consultation phase for the new Great Western rail franchise, Bristol City Council and local rail user groups launched Bristol Metro 2013 to ask bidders to incorporate metro plans into their bids. Bristol MPs were lobbied in
Westminster
Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster.
The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, B ...
by
Dawn Primarolo
Dawn Primarolo, Baroness Primarolo, (born 2 May 1954) is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Bristol South from 1987 until 2015, when she stood down. She was Minister of State for Children, Young People an ...
(MP for Bristol South)
and
Steve Webb
Sir Steven John Webb (born 18 July 1965) is a British pensions commentator who was previously Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament (MP) for Northavon from 1997 to 2010 and for Thornbury and Yate from 2010 to 2015. He was the Minister of St ...
(former MP for Yate).
The Saltford Station Campaign Group and
Bath and North East Somerset Council
Bath and North East Somerset Council is the local council for the district of Bath and North East Somerset in Somerset, England.
It is a unitary authority, with the powers and functions of a non-metropolitan county and district council combined ...
suggested in April 2012 that the reopening of
Saltford station could be part funded by means other than those included in the West of England Partnership's report.
By 2015, little progress had been made on the project, with the
West of England Local Enterprise Partnership producing a Key Principles Report in November 2015 reiterating the aspiration to reopen lines and increased train frequencies as well as discussing future potential transport projects for the
West of England
West of England is a combined authority area in South West England. It is made up of the Bristol, South Gloucestershire, and Bath and North East Somerset unitary authorities. The combined authority is led by the Mayor of the West of England Dan ...
region, including new rail transit based options referred to as ''MetroWest++''. The options outlined include reopening the
Thornbury Branch Line, a
Yate
Yate is a town and civil parish in South Gloucestershire, England. It lies just to the southwest of the Cotswold Hills and is northeast of Bristol city centre and from the centre of Bath, with regular rail services to Bristol and Gloucester. ...
to
Bath route, the use of
tram train
A tram-train is a type of light rail vehicle that meets the standards of a light rail system (usually an urban street running tramway), but which also meets national mainline standards permitting operation alongside mainline trains. This all ...
technology, a link to the
city centre and a
connection to
Bristol Airport. A 2015 report was produced by Arup, appointed by
Bristol City Council
Bristol City Council is the local authority of Bristol, England. The council is a unitary authority, and is unusual in the United Kingdom in that its executive function is controlled by a directly elected mayor of Bristol. Bristol has 34 ward ...
, to analyse potential cost of electrifying both phases of MetroWest, with Arup concluding a total cost of £175 million.
Delays
By 2017, the planned opening date for the Portishead Line was said to be 2020. In March 2017, MetroWest reported a substantial increase in the estimated costs of Phase 1, owing to the work required to upgrade the line in the Avon Gorge to achieve the line speeds required for a half-hourly service, and to reroute road traffic away from a level crossing in
Ashton Vale
Ashton Vale is a suburb located in the Bedminster ward of Bristol, United Kingdom.It Is located in the very south-western edge of the city. Ashton Vale has a mixture of residential and light industry.
It is served by Ashton Vale Primary Scho ...
. The original £50 million cost estimate had increased to £145 million, which was reduced to £116 million by changing the planned frequency to hourly. In 2018 the local authority made a bid for funding from central government that was turned down, placing the project into uncertainty.
£31 million of funding for the Portishead line was promised in April 2019 by
Chris Grayling
Christopher Stephen Grayling (born 1 April 1962) is a British Conservative Party politician and author who served as Secretary of State for Transport from 2016 to 2019. He has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Epsom and Ewell since 2001. ...
, the Secretary of State for Transport. After this the revised date for the opening of the Portishead line became 'by 2023'. In August 2019, North Somerset Council announced it would be submitting a request for a
development consent order to the government by the end of September, with a proposed 2023 opening being reiterated. The
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
then pushed back the opening of the Portishead Line by one year to December 2024.
Following further delays,
Secretary of State for Transport Mark Harper
Mark James Harper (born 26 February 1970) is a British politician who has served as Secretary of State for Transport since 2022. A member of the Conservative Party, he has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Forest of Dean since 2005.
Harper w ...
gave final consent for the Portishead railway in November 2022, with an aspired opening date of 2026. The Henbury line, in particular the
North Filton station, is due to open the same year after design changes.
Project description
The MetroWest Project has two phases. MetroWest Phase One involves the reopening of the Portishead Line, and hourly services between Severn Beach and Bath Spa. Phase Two consists of reopening the Henbury Line, with half-hourly services between Weston-super-Mare and Yate.
New rail lines
The two major components of the MetroWest project are the reopening of the disused
Portishead Railway
The Portishead Railway is a branch line railway running from Portishead in North Somerset to the main line immediately west of Bristol, England. It was constructed by the Bristol & Portishead Pier and Railway Company, but it was always operated ...
, with stations at
Pill
Pill or The Pill may refer to:
Drugs
* Pill (pharmacy), referring to anything small for a specific dose of medicine
* "The Pill", a general nickname for the combined oral contraceptive pill
Film and television
* ''The Pill'' (film), a 2011 fil ...
and
Portishead; and the reopening to passenger traffic of the
Henbury Line with stations at
Ashley Down
Ashley Down is an area in the north of Bristol. It lies on high ground east of Bishopston, north of St Andrews and St Werburghs, west of Muller Road and south of Horfield. The main artery is Ashley Down Road. Since May 2016 it is part of the ...
,
Filton North and
Henbury
Henbury is a suburb of Bristol, England, approximately north west of the city centre. It was formerly a village in Gloucestershire and is now bordered by Westbury-on-Trym to the south; Brentry to the east and the Blaise Castle Estate, Blaise Ha ...
. The lines would have services to/from
Bristol Temple Meads
Bristol Temple Meads is the oldest and largest railway station in Bristol, England. It is located away from London Paddington. It is an important transport hub for public transport in the city; there are bus services to many parts of the city ...
, and were each expected to carry 0.4million passengers per year. In April 2016, it was reported that the
North Somerset Council
North Somerset Council is the local authority of North Somerset, England. It is a unitary authority, having the powers of a non-metropolitan county and district council combined. It provides a full range of local government services including Cou ...
had agreed to buy two parcels of land for the creation of the Portishead and Pill stations at the cost of £880,000.
Upgrades and new stations on existing lines
![2018 at Horfield - relaying the main line (02)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ab/2018_at_Horfield_-_relaying_the_main_line_%2802%29.JPG)
Upgrades to existing lines include the four-tracking of
Filton Bank
Filton Bank is the name given to a section of the Bristol to Birmingham line in Bristol, England, roughly between and stations.
Description
The line runs from Dr Days Junction where the Great Western Main Line branches off from the Brist ...
, the line from Bristol Temple Meads to
Bristol Parkway, in order to separate local journeys from express and long distance trains, similar to the
S-train
The S-Bahn is the name of hybrid urban-suburban rail systems serving a metropolitan region in German-speaking countries. Some of the larger S-Bahn systems provide service similar to rapid transit systems, while smaller ones often resemble c ...
principle. This work was completed in 2018 and will allow two trains per hour between Bristol Temple Meads and
Yate
Yate is a town and civil parish in South Gloucestershire, England. It lies just to the southwest of the Cotswold Hills and is northeast of Bristol city centre and from the centre of Bath, with regular rail services to Bristol and Gloucester. ...
, and two trains per hour from the
Severn Beach Line to
Bath Spa, which are expected to generate 0.25 and 0.6 million passengers per year respectively.
In 2017, £2.23 million was allocated for construction of the
Portway Parkway station on the Severn Beach Line, which had been under discussion since 2009. £1.67m came from the government's New Stations Fund, with additional funding from the
West of England Combined Authority
The West of England Combined Authority (WECA) is a combined authority within the West of England area, consisting of the local authorities of Bristol, South Gloucestershire, and Bath and North East Somerset. The combined authority is led by the ...
and
West of England Local Enterprise Partnership.
Ground surveys began in 2017, with completion originally planned for 2019; however, planning permission was not granted until March 2019.
Further potential station reopenings include
Ashton Gate,
St Anne's Park
Saint Anne's Park ( ga, Páirc Naomh Áine) is a public park situated between Raheny and Clontarf, suburbs on the northside of Dublin, Ireland. It is owned and managed by Dublin City Council.
The park, the second largest municipal park in Dub ...
,
Saltford
Saltford is a large English village and civil parish in the Bath and North East Somerset unitary authority, Somerset. It lies between the cities of Bristol and Bath, and adjoins Keynsham on the same route. Saltford Manor House (built about 116 ...
and
Horfield
Horfield is a suburb of the city of Bristol, in southwest England. It lies on Bristol's northern edge, its border with Filton marking part of the boundary between Bristol and South Gloucestershire. Bishopston lies directly to the south. Monk ...
.
Future extensions
Extensions are proposed north from
Yate
Yate is a town and civil parish in South Gloucestershire, England. It lies just to the southwest of the Cotswold Hills and is northeast of Bristol city centre and from the centre of Bath, with regular rail services to Bristol and Gloucester. ...
to
Gloucester
Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...
and southeast from
Bath to
Westbury, with WECA in talks with
Network Rail
Network Rail Limited is the owner (via its subsidiary Network Rail Infrastructure Limited, which was known as Railtrack plc before 2002) and infrastructure manager of most of the railway network in Great Britain. Network Rail is an "arm's leng ...
to determine the necessary infrastructure. In 2016,
Wiltshire Council
Wiltshire Council is a council for the unitary authority of Wiltshire (excluding the separate unitary authority of Swindon) in South West England, created in 2009. It is the successor authority to Wiltshire County Council (1889–2009) and the ...
were studying the potential of a MetroWest extension to
Chippenham which would see a reopened
Corsham station between Chippenham and Bath Spa.
Bath and North East Somerset
Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES) is a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority district in England. Bath and North East Somerset Council was created on 1 April 1996 following the abolition of the county of Avon. It is part of the Cer ...
also commissioned a study into the reopening of
Bathampton station in 2015.
In 2020 WECA published its 10 year rail delivery plan, which included the potential reopening of
Charfield railway station and "Temple Meads to Parson Street capacity building to allow more frequent services".
Airport rail link
A report produced by the West of England LEP into improving access to
Bristol Airport from the city centre studied the potential of a heavy rail link to the airport, either branching from
Parson Street following the A38 road, from
Nailsea & Backwell, or from
Yatton
Yatton is a village and civil parish within the unitary authority of North Somerset, which falls within the ceremonial county of Somerset, England. It is located south-west of Bristol. Its population in 2011 was 7,552. The parish includes Clav ...
using the old trackbed of the
Wrington Vale Light Railway
The Wrington Vale Light Railway was a railway from Congresbury on the Cheddar Valley line to Blagdon, and serving villages in the Yeo Valley, North Somerset, England. Construction of the line started in 1897 and it opened in 1901. Never more tha ...
. However, by 2017 it was confirmed the airport link was likely to form part of
Bristol's proposed mass transit network.
Thornbury Branch Line
Suggestions were made to reopen the
Thornbury Branch Line. However, in 2017 the
West of England Combined Authority
The West of England Combined Authority (WECA) is a combined authority within the West of England area, consisting of the local authorities of Bristol, South Gloucestershire, and Bath and North East Somerset. The combined authority is led by the ...
found there would be several challenges in delivering this proposal,
as the former rail alignment into
Thornbury is now occupied by an industrial estate and there is no practical routing into the town. The station would therefore have to be located on the edge of Thornbury at a significant distance from the town centre, making it less attractive to passengers. The Grovesend tunnel would also need to be reopened, with its current condition unknown, and there would be capacity constraints at Westerleigh Junction. This led to the Authority deciding not to pursue reopening the line. FOSBR continue to advocate reopening the line in the future.
In 2020, the line was mentioned by ''
Railway Gazette International'' as having potential for future funding from the Department for Transport's "Restoring Your Railway" initiative.
See also
*
Greater Bristol
*
MetroBus (Bristol)
MetroBus (stylised as metrobus) is a bus rapid transit system in Bristol, England, created as a joint project between Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire councils. The first route, service m3, began operations on 29 May 2018, follo ...
*
Transport in Bristol
Bristol is a city in south west England, near the Bristol Channel coast, approximately 106 miles (170 km) west of London. Several factors have influenced the development of its transport network. It is a major centre of employment, reta ...
*
Urban rail in the United Kingdom
Urban or suburban rail plays a key role in public transport in many of the United Kingdom's major cities. Urban rail refers to the train service between city centres and suburbs or nearby towns that acts as a main mode of transport for travelle ...
*
Rail services in the West of England
References
External links
*
MetroWest: Investing in our local rail network June 2014
Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways (FOSBR)
{{Transport in Bristol
Rail transport in Bristol
Proposed railway lines in England
Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (United Kingdom)