The majority of public transport users in the
Bristol Urban Area
Greater Bristol is a term used for the conurbation which contains and surrounds the city of Bristol in the South West of England. There is no official "Greater Bristol" authority, but the term is sometimes used by local, regional and national aut ...
are transported by bus, although rail has experienced growth and does play an important part, particularly in peak hours. There were plans for a
light rail system, however this has now been dropped although it remains in the long-term local transport plan.
From 2017 the
Mayor of the West of England
The Mayor of the West of England is the directly elected mayor responsible for the strategic government of the West of England, including planning, transport and skills. For this purpose the West of England is defined as the local authority area ...
and 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 ...
have the primary responsibility for organising public transport in the Bristol area.
Bus
The
Bristol bus station
Bristol Bus and Coach Station serves the city of Bristol in the west of England. It is situated on Marlborough Street, near the Broadmead shopping area. The original bus station and onsite depot were opened in 1958 by the Bristol Omnibus Comp ...
, in Marlborough Street, was opened in 1958. It was redeveloped in 2006
There are five main bus companies operating across the Greater Bristol area. They are
,
National Express
National Express Group is a British multinational public transport company headquartered in Birmingham, England. It operates bus, coach, train and tram services in the United Kingdom, Ireland (National Express operates Eurolines in conjunction ...
,
Abus
ABUS August Bremicker Söhne KG, commonly known as ABUS, is a German manufacturer of preventative security technology based in Wetter, North Rhine-Westphalia. Its name is an acronym of its original name, August Bremicker und Söhne ("August Bre ...
, Bugler Coaches and
Stagecoach South West. They provide services around
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 ...
and in to
South Gloucestershire
South Gloucestershire is a unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of Gloucestershire, South West England. Towns in the area include Yate, Chipping Sodbury, Thornbury, Filton, Patchway and Bradley Stoke, the latter three forming ...
. The
University of the West of England
The University of the West of England (also known as UWE Bristol) is a public research university, located in and around Bristol, England.
The institution was know as the Bristol Polytechnic in 1970; it received university status in 1992 and ...
sponsors bus services (ULink) open to the public throughout the year, which are operated by Wessex Connect. National Express provides services including London,
Plymouth, Glasgow and
Swansea.
Megabus Megabus may refer to:
*Megabus (Europe), a low-cost coach service with services in Europe owned by ComfortDelGro.
*Megabus (North America)
Megabus, branded as megabus.com, is an intercity bus service of Coach USA/ Coach Canada operating in the ...
run services to London,
Newport and
Cardiff
Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...
.
City Sightseeing
City Sightseeing is an open-top, sightseeing tour bus operator. It provides tour bus services in more than 130 cities around the world. As City Sightseeing has grown and expanded, the company now also provides boat tours, sightseeing trai ...
Bristol operate tourist buses from all year except January.
MetroBus, a new
bus rapid transit system, begin in 2018 and consists of three routes:
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 ...
to
Bristol Temple Meads railway station,
North Fringe to
Hengrove
Hengrove is a suburb and council ward of Bristol, England, situated between Whitchurch, Knowle and Bishopsworth, running along both dual carriageways, Wells Road ( A37) and Airport Road ( A4174). The area of Knowle it adjoins is known as Kno ...
and South Bristol Link.
Rail
The main railway stations in Bristol are
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 ...
, near the city centre, and
Bristol Parkway in the northern suburb of
Stoke Gifford
Stoke Gifford is a village and parish in South Gloucestershire, England, in the northern suburbs of Bristol. It had around 11,000 residents at the 2001 census, increasing to 15,494 at the 2011 census. It is home to Bristol Parkway station an ...
. Although the latter is in the
Bristol urban area
Greater Bristol is a term used for the conurbation which contains and surrounds the city of Bristol in the South West of England. There is no official "Greater Bristol" authority, but the term is sometimes used by local, regional and national aut ...
, it is in
South Gloucestershire
South Gloucestershire is a unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of Gloucestershire, South West England. Towns in the area include Yate, Chipping Sodbury, Thornbury, Filton, Patchway and Bradley Stoke, the latter three forming ...
. There are services to UK destinations from both Temple Meads and Parkway stations. There are also smaller stations across Bristol on different railway lines, including the
Severn Beach Line,
South Wales Main Line
The South Wales Main Line ( cy, Prif Linell De Cymru), originally known as the London, Bristol and South Wales Direct Railway or simply as the Bristol and South Wales Direct Railway, is a branch of the Great Western Main Line in Great Britain. ...
,
Cross-Country Route,
Great Western Main Line and
Wessex Main Line.
Journey time to
Cardiff
Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...
is around 45–60 minutes and to
London Paddington
Paddington, also known as London Paddington, is a Central London railway terminus and London Underground station complex, located on Praed Street in the Paddington area. The site has been the London terminus of services provided by the Great ...
around 90 minutes.
There are three private rail companies that operate across the Greater Bristol area. They are
Greater Western Railway,
CrossCountry and
South Western Railway. Great Western Railway operate all the local and regional services and intercity services between London Paddington and
South Wales/Southwest England that pass through or terminate at Bristol. CrossCountry run cross-country intercity services that serve Bristol on routes between Southwest England and the Midlands, North of England and
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
. South Western Railway operate four services a day between Bristol Temple Meads and
Salisbury
Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath.
Salisbury is in the southeast of ...
, three of which continue to
London Waterloo
Waterloo station (), also known as London Waterloo, is a central London terminus on the National Rail network in the United Kingdom, in the Waterloo area of the London Borough of Lambeth. It is connected to a London Underground station of ...
.
There are several local,
suburban rail routes throughout Bristol but many have either been closed or seen massively reduced services. The Severn Beach line which runs from Temple Meads to Severn Beach is regarded as a particularly attractive route.
Following a successful campaign by
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 ...
, the
Severn Beach Line began to be served by an increased frequency from May 2008. It is hoped this will pave the way for better services across the conurbation. An additional train now operates on the line meaning services average around every 40 minutes. Fares are set over two zones, and the trip from Bristol Temple Meads to Severn Beach is £3.00 return. There is, for the first time, a Sunday service to Avonmouth. The result is a service that can actually be used to commute to Bristol centre from outlying areas. Information has been improved at all the stations, from a push-button link to a computer-generated voice link, to real-time display screen. There has been a dramatic increase in passenger numbers, giving rise to complaints about not be able to buy tickets for through train journeys from the onboard train crew.
MetroWest
MetroWest is a current initiative in the West of England area to improve local rail services by reopening disused rail lines and stations and improving existing services. Phase One includes reopening the
Portishead railway line to passenger traffic and improving services to the Severn Beach Line and
Bath Spa. Phase Two will see the
Henbury railway line reopen, along with half-hourly services between
Weston-super-Mare
Weston-super-Mare, also known simply as Weston, is a seaside town in North Somerset, England. It lies by the Bristol Channel south-west of Bristol between Worlebury Hill and Bleadon Hill. It includes the suburbs of Mead Vale, Milton, Oldmix ...
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. ...
. The phases are due to open in 2019 and 2021 respectively.
The West of England Local Enterprise Partnership also produced a Key Principles Report in November 2015 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.
Proposed light rail or rapid transit
In November 2016, the
West of England Local Enterprise Partnership began a consultation process on their Transport Vision Summary Document, outlining potential
light rail/
tram
A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...
routes from the
city centre to
Bristol Airport, the eastern and north west fringes of the city, and a route along the
A4 road This is a list of roads designated A4.
A4 is the name of several roads:
* A004 road (Argentina), a road connecting Buenos Aires-La Plata highway with the Juan María Gutiérrez circle
* A4 motorway (Austria), a road connecting Vienna and Nickels ...
to
Bath. By 2017, this proposal had changed to a mass transit network with potential for underground sections, linking the city centre with the northern and eastern fringes of the city and the airport.
Water
Bristol Ferry Boats operates passenger ferry boat services on Bristol Harbour in the centre of Bristol. Services are operated for the leisure market to and from both the city centre and Bristol Temple Meads railway station. Services are provided by a fleet of yellow and blue painted ferry boats.
In 2010 the city council supported commuter services formerly operated by the Bristol Ferry Boat Company were transferred to a new operator, Number Seven Boat Trips. This company also operates daily tourist services.
The
Bristol Packet operates guided tours throughout the year around the harbour, and in the tourist season also downriver to Avonmouth and upstream to Beese's Tea Gardens, the Chequers Inn at
Hanham and via the
Kennet and Avon Navigation to
Bath.
Landing stages used by all operators include:
*
City Centre
*
SS Great Britain
SS ''Great Britain'' is a museum ship and former passenger steamship that was advanced for her time. She was the largest passenger ship in the world from 1845 to 1854. She was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1806–1859), for the Great We ...
*
Bristol Marina
*Mardyke
*Hotwells-Pumphouse (for
Hotwells)
*Welsh Back
*
Castle Park
*
Temple Quay (for
Bristol Temple Meads railway station)
References
{{Use dmy dates, date=December 2015
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 ...
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 ...
Transport in Bristol