Portishead rail link update
Posted: Wed Jan 28, 2009 5:56 pm
taken form evening post
The restoration of a passenger rail link between Portishead and Bristol has moved a step closer.
North Somerset Council has appointed Network Rail to carry out a technical evaluation of reopening a three-mile section of currently redundant track between Portishead and Portbury, which would create a link to Bristol.
The move follows a feasibility study last year by consultants Halcrow which said it would be possible to open the line and that trains could be running out of the town by 2014.
The study, commissioned by the council, also reported that opening the track would cost about ú15 million.
It was estimated that between 500,000 and one million passengers would use the service each year.
Click here!
As a result of the study, North Somerset Council started negotiations to buy the section of track at a cost of around ú80,000.
If the deal goes ahead, money to purchase the land would come from the Local Transport Plan fund.
Authority leaders feared that if the council did not buy the land, developers could snap it up and build on it, dashing hopes that the line could be reopened.
Council leaders have agreed a long-term objective to reopen the Portishead to Bristol railway line to passengers after concerns about the bottleneck caused on the A369 by commuters trying to get out of the town to work.
If a decision to reopen the line is made, a bid for funding to carry out the work will be submitted to the Department of Transport.
The news that the technical evaluation is to be carried out has been welcomed by campaigners who have been pressing for the line to be opened for several years.
Portishead Railway Group chairman Alan Matthews said: "This is absolutely brilliant news and another step forward to getting the line reopened.
"I am delighted that North Somerset Council is now going through this process and working with Network Rail to work on getting this section of track open."
Portishead councillors have also welcomed the news and said a railway link to the city was vital for the sustainability of the town.
Councillor David Pasley said: "It is vital that Portishead has an operational rail link into the city as by the time all the new developments are completed, the town's population will have grown by 40 per cent.
"With all the new developments in place, it is vital we have the right infrastructure as currently it can take people more than an hour to get out of the town and into Bristol.
"A new rail link would also attract new businesses to the town and lead to employment opportunities for local people."
The evaluation, which will cost ú164,000 and be paid for by contributions from developers, will look at what is operationally feasible and identify any operational conflicts with existing passenger and freight trains.
North Somerset Council executive member for strategic planning, Councillor Elfan Ap Rees, said: "This is another important step forward."
The line was closed to passenger traffic in September 1964 and freight in 1981 and lay unused apart from the occasional steam specials.
The restoration of a passenger rail link between Portishead and Bristol has moved a step closer.
North Somerset Council has appointed Network Rail to carry out a technical evaluation of reopening a three-mile section of currently redundant track between Portishead and Portbury, which would create a link to Bristol.
The move follows a feasibility study last year by consultants Halcrow which said it would be possible to open the line and that trains could be running out of the town by 2014.
The study, commissioned by the council, also reported that opening the track would cost about ú15 million.
It was estimated that between 500,000 and one million passengers would use the service each year.
Click here!
As a result of the study, North Somerset Council started negotiations to buy the section of track at a cost of around ú80,000.
If the deal goes ahead, money to purchase the land would come from the Local Transport Plan fund.
Authority leaders feared that if the council did not buy the land, developers could snap it up and build on it, dashing hopes that the line could be reopened.
Council leaders have agreed a long-term objective to reopen the Portishead to Bristol railway line to passengers after concerns about the bottleneck caused on the A369 by commuters trying to get out of the town to work.
If a decision to reopen the line is made, a bid for funding to carry out the work will be submitted to the Department of Transport.
The news that the technical evaluation is to be carried out has been welcomed by campaigners who have been pressing for the line to be opened for several years.
Portishead Railway Group chairman Alan Matthews said: "This is absolutely brilliant news and another step forward to getting the line reopened.
"I am delighted that North Somerset Council is now going through this process and working with Network Rail to work on getting this section of track open."
Portishead councillors have also welcomed the news and said a railway link to the city was vital for the sustainability of the town.
Councillor David Pasley said: "It is vital that Portishead has an operational rail link into the city as by the time all the new developments are completed, the town's population will have grown by 40 per cent.
"With all the new developments in place, it is vital we have the right infrastructure as currently it can take people more than an hour to get out of the town and into Bristol.
"A new rail link would also attract new businesses to the town and lead to employment opportunities for local people."
The evaluation, which will cost ú164,000 and be paid for by contributions from developers, will look at what is operationally feasible and identify any operational conflicts with existing passenger and freight trains.
North Somerset Council executive member for strategic planning, Councillor Elfan Ap Rees, said: "This is another important step forward."
The line was closed to passenger traffic in September 1964 and freight in 1981 and lay unused apart from the occasional steam specials.