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==Future extensions==
==Future extensions==
Extensions are proposed north from [[Yate railway station|Yate]] to [[Gloucester railway station|Gloucester]] and southeast from [[Bath Spa railway station|Bath]] to [[Westbury railway station|Westbury]], with WECA in talks with [[Network Rail]] to determine the necessary infrastructure.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com/Rail-News/bristols-metrowest-could-be-expanded-to-gloucester-and-westbury-|title=Bristol’s MetroWest could be expanded to Gloucester and Westbury|website=FOSBR|date= 5 March 2019|accessdate=26 April 2019}}</ref>
Extensions are proposed north from [[Yate railway station|Yate]] to [[Gloucester railway station|Gloucester]] and southeast from [[Bath Spa railway station|Bath]] to [[Westbury railway station|Westbury]], with WECA in talks with [[Network Rail]] to determine the necessary infrastructure.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com/Rail-News/bristols-metrowest-could-be-expanded-to-gloucester-and-westbury-|title=Bristol’s MetroWest could be expanded to Gloucester and Westbury|website=FOSBR|date= 5 March 2019|accessdate=26 April 2019}}</ref> [[Wiltshire Council]] are studying the potential of a MetroWest extension to [[Chippenham railway station|Chippenham]] which would see a reopened [[Corsham railway station|Corsham station]] between Chippenham and Bath Spa. <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.businessbiscuit.com/news/3197-corsham-station|title=CASE FOR NEW RAILWAY STATION AT CORSHAM IS STRONG – WILTSHIRE COUNCIL|website=Business Biscuit|date=2 February 2016|access-date=26 April 2019}}</ref>


===Airport rail link===
===Airport rail link===

Revision as of 15:02, 26 April 2019

MetroWest
Overview
OwnerNetwork Rail
LocaleGreater Bristol
Transit typeCommuter rail
Number of lines3 + 2 under construction
Number of stations26 currently, another 6-10 planned
Websitetravelwest.info/metrowest
Operation
Operator(s)Great Western Railway

MetroWest, formerly known as the Greater Bristol Metro, is a project to improve the rail services in Bristol, England, and the surrounding region. It was first proposed at First Great Western's Stakeholder Event in March 2008.[1] The aim of the project is to develop half-hourly services through central Bristol which will also serve the surrounding West of England region.[2] Transport campaigning group, Transport for Greater Bristol are actively supporting the proposal,[3] as are the four unitary authorities under the West of England Combined Authority.[4][5]

History

Background

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 when Advanced Transport for Avon was wound up with debts of £3.8 million.[6]

Rail usage in the West of England doubled in the 10 years between 1999 to 2009.[7] The campaign's website was officially launched in February 2012.[5] Improvement plans have been prepared by engineering consultancy Halcrow Group.[8][9] The scheme was estimated to cost £22 million at 2008/09 prices and could be completed between 2016 and 2021.[4]

Station reopening costs stated in 2012 had been estimated by Bristol City Council to be an average of £5 million each.[5] Related estimates for reopening of the Portishead Railway and for four-tracking between Parson Street and Filton Bank were reported as approximately £50 million and £30 million respectively.[5] It was subsequently reported that the Portishead Railway reopening would cost around £33 million.[9].

Planning and implementation

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.[10] Councillor Tim Kent stated in September 2012 that the first part of the scheme, on the Severn Beach Line, would be delivered "next year".[11]

Local politicians at the launch of the Metro campaign.

An opinion piece in the Bristol Evening Post in June 2011 called for the establishment of an Integrated Transport Authority for the West of England and for progress on the metro proposal.[12] 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.[13][14] 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.[15] Bristol MPs were lobbied in Westminster by Dawn Primarolo (MP for Bristol South)[16] and Steve Webb (former MP for Thornbury & Yate).[17] The Saltford Station Campaign Group and Bath and North East Somerset Council 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.[18][19]

By 2015, little progress had been made on the project, with the 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 region, including new rail transit based options referred to as MetroWest++. The options outlined include reopening the Thornbury Branch Line, a Yate to Bath route, the use of tram train technology, a link to the city centre and a connection to Bristol Airport.[20] A 2015 report was produced by Arup, appointed by Bristol City Council, to analyse potential cost of electrifying both phases of MetroWest, with Arup concluding a total cost of £175 million.[21]

Delays and cost overruns

By 2017, the planned opening date for the Portishead Line was aimed to be 2020.[22][failed verification] 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.[23] The original £50 million cost estimate had increased to £116 million. In 2018 the local authority placed a bid for funding from central government that was turned down, placing the project into uncertainty. [24] However £31 million of funding was promised in April 2019 by Chris Grayling, the Secretary of State for Transport.[25] The current revised date for the opening of the Portishead line is ‘by 2023’. [26]

Project description

The MetroWest Project is broken down into two phases. MetroWest Phase One involves the reopening of the Portishead Line, and half hourly services between Severn Beach and Bath Spa. MetroWest 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 include the reopening of the Portishead Railway, with stations at Pill and Portishead; and the Henbury Line with stations at Ashley Down, Filton North and Henbury to passenger traffic with services to Bristol Temple Meads, with the two new lines expecting to generate 0.4 million passengers each per year. In April 2016, it was reported by North Somerset Times that the North Somerset Council had agreed to buy two pieces of land for the creation of the Portishead and Pill stations at the cost of £880,000.[27]

Upgrades and new stations on existing lines

Upgrades to existing lines include the four-tracking of Filton Bank, the rail line from Bristol Temple Meads to Bristol Parkway, separating local journeys from express and long distance trains, with each operate on their own set of tracks, similar to the S-train principal. This was completed in 2018[28] and will allow two trains per hour between Bristol Temple Meads and Yate, 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.[29]

In 2017, £2.23 million was allocated for construction of the Portway Parkway railway station which had been under discussion since 2009, of which £1.67m came from the government's New Stations Fund, with additional funding coming from the West of England Combined Authority and West of England Local Enterprise Partnership.[30][31] Ground surveys began in 2017, with completion originally planned for 2019; however, planning permission was not granted until March 2019.[31][32] Further potential station reopenings include Ashton Gate, St Anne's Park, Saltford and Horfield.

Future extensions

Extensions are proposed north from Yate to Gloucester and southeast from Bath to Westbury, with WECA in talks with Network Rail to determine the necessary infrastructure.[33] Wiltshire Council are studying the potential of a MetroWest extension to Chippenham which would see a reopened Corsham station between Chippenham and Bath Spa. [34]

Main article: Bristol 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,[35] either branching from Parson Street following the A38 road, from Nailsea & Backwell, or from Yatton using the old trackbed of the Wrington Vale Light Railway. However, by 2017 it was confirmed the airport link was likely to form part of Bristol’s proposed mass transit network.[36]

Thornbury Branch Line

Suggestions were raised to reopen the Thornbury Branch Line. However, in 2017 the West of England Combined Authority found there would be several challenges in delivering this proposal,[36] 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 need to be located on the edge of Thornbury, a significant distance from the town centre, which would constrain the potential catchment area within walking distance. This would significantly constrain the potential number of passengers from a new station at Thornbury. 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. [37]

See also

References

  1. ^ "How transport decisions are made in the West of England". TravelWest. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
  2. ^ White, James (13 March 2009). "Item 04 Greater Bristol Metro" (PDF). West of England Partnership. Retrieved 28 December 2011.
  3. ^ "Transport for Greater Bristol : News". tfgb.org.uk. 2011. Archived from the original on 7 February 2012. Retrieved 28 December 2011. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ a b "CS10: Transportation and Movement (application/pdf Object)" (PDF). North Somerset Council. 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 September 2012. Retrieved 28 December 2011. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ a b c d "Campaign launched for a Greater Bristol Metro link". Bristol Evening Post. 23 February 2012. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
  6. ^ "Supertram vision at end of the line". Bristol Evening Post, archived at LexisNexis. Bristol United Press. 3 June 2004. Retrieved 28 December 2011. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |subscription= ignored (|url-access= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ "National Rail Trends 2009-10 Yearbook" (PDF). Office of Rail Regulation. Retrieved 19 December 2015.
  8. ^ "Campaigners for Greater Bristol Metro set out plans to transform rail services by 2018". Bristol Evening Post. 5 March 2012. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
  9. ^ a b "Greater Bristol Metro report: First phase would cost £40m". Bristol Evening Post. 9 March 2012. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
  10. ^ Ribbeck, Michael (6 July 2012). "£100 million Bristol Metro train network by 2016". The Post, Bristol. Northcliffe Media. Archived from the original on 8 July 2012. Retrieved 6 July 2012. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ "Popular Severn Beach line gets new late service". Bristol Evening Post. 18 September 2012. Retrieved 19 September 2012.
  12. ^ "Bristol's metro is not as far off track as you might think". Bristol Evening Post. Northcliffe Media. 30 June 2011. Retrieved 28 December 2011.
  13. ^ "Rail Priority Conference 2011". travelplus.org.uk. 2011x. Archived from the original on 5 February 2012. Retrieved 28 December 2011. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  14. ^ Pierce, Ellie; Terretta, Hayley (21 November 2011). "Proposed revival for Bristol Metro scheme". Epigram. University of Bristol Student Union. Archived from the original on 24 February 2012. Retrieved 28 December 2011. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  15. ^ Staff (17 January 2012). "A campaign to revolutionise Bristol's local rail service that could see trains from Temple Meads serving all local stations every half hour is being launched today". thisisbristol.co.uk. Northcliffe Media. Archived from the original on 20 January 2012. Retrieved 19 January 2012. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  16. ^ Primarolo, Dawn (23 March 2012). "News from Your Local MP". HearFromYourMP. mySociety. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
  17. ^ Sauvebois, Marion (18 April 2012). "Thornbury and Yate MP Steve Webb lobbies government for rail upgrade". Gloucestershire News, South Gloucestershire News - from the Gazette Series. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
  18. ^ "Hopes remaining high for Saltford Station". Bath Chronicle. 28 April 2012. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
  19. ^ "Saltford Station Campaign News". Retrieved 8 January 2012.
  20. ^ "Issues and Options for Consultation. Key Principles Report" (PDF). West of England Joint Transport Study. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
  21. ^ "West of England Partnership - West of England Suburban Rail - Business Case" (PDF). Arup. 25 February 2015. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  22. ^ "Consultation on the location for Portishead rail station" (PDF). North Somerset Council. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  23. ^ "Significant estimated cost increases for MetroWest Phase 1". Travelwest. 9 March 2017. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
  24. ^ "Is this the end of the Portishead to Bristol MetroWest rail line? Central government has refused to fund scheme". Bristol Live. 17 May 2018. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
  25. ^ "Portishead-Bristol line restoration gets funding boost". BBC News. 8 April 2019. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  26. ^ "Councillors confident trains to Bristol from Portishead will run 'by 2023'". North Somerset Times. 1 March 2019. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  27. ^ "Council's £850k deal for 'exciting' rail project". North Somerset Times. 20 April 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
  28. ^ NR agrees £33m contract for Bristol four-tracking Rail issue 761 12 November 2014 page 24
  29. ^ "Draft Joint Local Transport Plan 4 - 2019-2036" (PDF). West of England Combined Authority. January 2019. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
  30. ^ "Funding Boost for West of England Transport Projects". West of England Combined Authority. 28 June 2017. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  31. ^ a b Yong, Michael (15 August 2017). "Portway Park and Ride train station set to open in 2019 as work starts". Bristol Post. Local World. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  32. ^ Wilson, Kate (15 April 2019). "Portway Park and Ride train station on track after planning permission granted". Bristol Post. Local World. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  33. ^ "Bristol's MetroWest could be expanded to Gloucester and Westbury". FOSBR. 5 March 2019. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  34. ^ "CASE FOR NEW RAILWAY STATION AT CORSHAM IS STRONG – WILTSHIRE COUNCIL". Business Biscuit. 2 February 2016. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  35. ^ "Bristol South West Economic Link - Options Development Report" (PDF). westofenglandlep.co.uk. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  36. ^ a b "West of England Joint Transport Study - Executive Summary - October 2017" (PDF). West of England Combined Authority. 30 October 2017. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  37. ^ "October 2017 - Issue 95(V2)" (PDF). FOSBR. October 2017. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
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