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LET'S GET BRISTOL TRAINS ON THE RIGHT TRACK
BY TORBEN LEE T.LEE
07:00 - 10 June 2008
Campaigners will today urge councillors to "reunite the city" by
reopen- ing a railway station which was closed in the 1980s.
The Friends
of Suburban Bristol Railways (FOSBR) believe the reopening of Ashton Gate
station, pictured, would be a major step towards the revival of the rail link to
Portishead.
And, they say, it could also act as a transport hub, greatly
improving access to the rest of the city for people in south
Bristol.
FOSBR members will be presenting their case at tonight's meeting of the city council at the Council House on College Green.
Ashton Gate station - which is under Brunel Way where the A369 road to Portishead feeds into the A370 Long Ashton bypass - was last used in 1984.
It is a stone's throw from Ashton Gate stadium, home to Bristol City.
Freight trains from Portbury Dock run past it today. However, its old platforms still exist.
FOSBR says the scheme for the station could eventually improve transport links across the West by allowing trains to travel from North Somerset to South Gloucestershire, for instance, without terminating at Temple Meads.
FOSBR members are also keen to see the freight line between Avonmouth and Filton opened up for passenger traffic.
The campaign group wants the Ashton Gate scheme paid for with funds diverted from other transport projects, such as bus rapid transit (BRT) routes and the proposed south Bristol ring road link.
Commuter Eric Wildman will explain to councillors how the authority's recently-announced three-year investment of £1 million in an improved service on the Severn Beach line could be developed south of the river.
He told the Evening Post: "A great improvement for Bristol rail services can be achieved by extending Avonmouth and Severn Beach trains to a reopened Ashton Gate, calling at Bedminster and Parson Street. This would give a large part of the south of the city easy access to the north."
A reopened Ashton Gate would also free up capacity at Temple Meads station by allowing local trains to continue through.
And it would lay the foundations for reopening the Portishead line to passengers, said Mr Wildman.
FOSBR campaigner Julie Boston said: "The catchment area of trains running from Ashton Gate to Severn Beach via Temple Meads will be huge.
"Not only will it reunite the city but it will in the longer term connect three counties: South Gloucestershire, Bristol and Somerset."
Former FOSBR chairman Peter Gould said that, with political will behind the project, a Portishead route linked to others going through the city would be possible within a decade.
And he said that Ashton Gate station could reopen with two years' work on signalling and other improvements. He said: "The track is there. Freight trains are already running on it."
The current freight link connects with mainline services at Parson Street station, passing through Bedminster station on its way to Temple Meads.
The route from Portbury follows the line of the Avon Gorge.
And out to Portishead disused track could be opened up again, said Mr Gould.
"Once you start putting a decent transport system into south Bristol, you can develop it," he added.
"The river is the problem and this would get round that."
Councillor Mark Bradshaw, who is in charge of transport planning, said: "It's right that FOSBR continues to challenge the council and our partners on how we make best use of our rail infrastructure.
"We are exploring a number of ways to improve the services but also at the same time to get investment to improve Temple Meads."
Reader comments
| Colleagues living in Portishead tell me that commuting the last couple of weeks is even worse than normal, with the rat-run up through Clapton closed for road-works. So even more traffic is queuing on the Portbury Hundred to get across the M5 junction. Another real proof that Portishead needs a rail link to Bristol; even in the short terms a park and ride at Portbury would help! |
| Chris 2, Bristol |
| A good idea! BCC please listen/read to what people want and make it happen! The link from Avonmouth to Filton/Parkway needs to be put in place. Little work needs doing, as most is double track already. Then FGW could run services in a loop from Temple Meads via Redland/Clifton to Avonmouth, Henbury to Parkway and back to Temple Meads. That would give good connections to the two main lines stations and give access to the dreaded Mall at Cribbs. |
| Chris, Bristol |
| I left in 1964 but come back to Bristol every year, I travel by train whenever I can, I think it is a great idea to open up the old lines,every one of them. BARBARA KING |
| BARBARA KING, CALIFORNIA USA |
| BCC are not going to give this any money, the reason being that if they did, people would use it and First Bus could lose some of there enormous profits, This would make First Bus very unhappy with BCC and might threaten to withdraw other bus services from various parts of the city, so as great an idea it is, the Council will reject it as they do any idea that has its foundations in common sense. |
| Alan, Bristol |
| An excellent, common sense, affordable, popular idea. Is it in the Joint Local Transport Plan? No. Is it in the "Our Future Transport" document? Nope. Is it supported by the West of England Partnership? Err, no? Would the Government fund it? Absolutely not. Will it happen? of course not! We live in a city where rank amateurs like Mark Bradshaw decide transport policy, where they can only think as far as their chums at First Bus and where they want to bring in a Congestion Charge as a tax-raising measure without a viable alternative. The Labour Govt. won't fund any decent transport improvements in Bristol because all the money's gone to Manchester to expand their tram system and bring in a Congestion Charge. Fair play to FOSBR for consistently coming up with imaginative solutions to Bristol's transport nightmare but I'm afraid that their idea hasn't got a snowball's chance in hell. This is Bristol after all. |
| Mr B Ristol, Bristol |
| These positive responses are inspiring. Thanks specially to Eric Wildman for writing up the Ashton Gate station plan & sending it to Bristol City Council in time for their meeting on Tuesday 10 June, to Evening Post journalist Torben Lee who spent a frustrating day getting the background information in time for the deadline to make this a main feature, to FOSBR members who're working on the funding and to the FOSBR Half Hour Train Campaign last year. Bristol taxpayers are committed to investing in the Temple Meads / Avonmouth line for the next three years. PLEASE keep up the pressure on councillors in Bristol, North Somerset & South Gloucester. Visit our website www.fosbr.org.uk and add your energy and ideas to campaigning for an affordable, reliable and frequent railway system. Julie Boston |
| Julie Boston, St Andrews, Bristol |
| Blimey ( Alan Derby from Florida )our City looking great,are you sure you were in Bristol England? if you were might I suggest a visit to Specsavers, I am sure they would be able to help you. |
| Maureen, Filton |
| Sorry folks,this is a grand idea,but I am afraid you have all forgotten,we live in Bristol, the most backward looking city in Great Britain, no Europe. |
| Terry, Bristol |
| I was brought up in Bristol and left in 1976 and well remember the rush hour congestion. In February, I stayed a couple of nights and noted the traffic had increased further, but little had been done to ease the congestion. Bristol has a great rail network that has is under-utilised, but it is still mostly there - go for it - your Grandchildren will thank you. By the way, your city is looking great! |
| Alan Darby, Florida, USA |
| Ah !!!.Steam excursions,yet another good idea and a spin off from reworking the lines.Private Railways at Bitton,Shepton Mallet and Taunton/Minehead are hugely popular and think of the extra revenue on weekends when workers may not be using the system??.Steam trips from the industrial museum down the fantastic Avon Gorge to Portishead,just think of it !!!. |
| John Berry, Bristol |
| This looks like common sense, so the powers that be should take up the idea. If anyone from the council is reading please listen to what people on this site are saying. 13 out of 13 comments on this story ALL in favour of the proposal. That should say something - BRISTOL WANTS MORE TRAINS. If you at the council really want to provide Bristolians with what they need, then your job is not a difficult one. It could not be spelled out more clearly than here. |
| Jeremy Hill, Bristol |
| It's clearly a fantastic idea and trains are much faster than buses! Is this the new age of the train? The existing Labour Council could use the money from their idiotic BRT plans. Otherwise the LibDems should pick this up as its a sure majority vote for them next year. |
| Martyn, Bristol |
| ref to ashton gate halt and the portishead line,in the early 70s myself ian bishop john brownlow founded the bristol suburban railway socioty .to keep the lines in situ for yate and bath, for commuting but our then council did not back us the only good thing to come out of this is the avon valley welldone you people time has proved the blinkered aproach of the councils.mike creed honary life member avon valley railway. |
| mike creed, downend |
| What a splendid proposal, just think of the road traffic congestion that would be eased! Living on the main Portway in a listed building tht is being shaken to death, the easing of the traffic here would be fantastic, my home could actually last another 200 years or more! I really hope that this gets all the backing and finance needed to ensure that Bristol is a leading city in easing traffic congestion, noise and pollution.GO FOR IT!! |
| Margaret Wilson, Bristol |
| brilliant idea, but the numpties at the council won't read this and they'll decide its too cheap an option and could spend millions more elsewhere for no benefit - lets watch them spend our money on First again the LAST transport we'd pick! |
| peter, st andrews |
| I can't wait to see Steam trains running in and out of Bristol as a tourist attraction and the track used to reduce congestion. Bristol People should tell our councillors what we want and not let them do what they want! |
| Matthew Savage, Southville |
| Great idea. The Portishead route has been talked about for years & was killed off by the powers that be. Don't hold your breath though this proposal generally has some real benifits & like anything to seemingly improve things I expect the Council to kill this off as well. |
| Graham, Bristol |
| Brillant idea, lets hope it happens. |
| Tim, Bristol |
| Agree this is an excellent idea - but there is a catch.....and its our old friends the City Council. They were offered private finance to update and rebuild the line from Long Ashton to the City Centre via the proposed route, and along the old line next to Cumberland Rd, in front of the Ind. Mus, and then over Prince St Bridge to the centre, using light railway transport. Guess what - yet again they couldn't agree on a route, and the finance was taken off the table. Lets hope these amateurs don't get in the way again, even if it means that us tax payers have to finance it. |
| Brizzler, Bristol |
| What a fantastic proposal! Get these people to stand as councillors? |
| Steve Hirst, Bristol / Exeter |
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