The Bristol Railway Archive

From the Bristol Evening Post

Plans for a long-awaited rail link for commuters between Portishead and Bristol might be scrapped in favour of a bus system, it emerged today.

Talks have been in progress for months over upgrading the freight rail link between Portbury and Bristol to create a passenger service to cope with rapidly expanding Portishead.

But a planning blueprint produced by North Somerset Council reveals that highway engineers are now looking at some form of bus system instead of trains.

The blueprint, called the Core Strategy, says it will promote "reopening of the Portishead to Bristol line for passengers services, or its use for bus rapid transit".

The switch in thinking has already been condemned by the Greater Bristol Transport Alliance, a pressure group which promotes public transport in the former Avon area.

Alliance spokeswoman Pip Sheard said: "The idea of running buses alongside an existing rail line is bonkers and we are very much opposed to that.

"The transport link should not be decided on cost but how much benefit it would bring to people by providing a cheap and reliable service that will get them out of their cars. We want to see the rail link brought forward so that it is open in time for the new stadium at Ashton Vale and the new transport interchange at the Long Ashton park-and-ride site."

Dave Redgewell, spokesman for another pressure group, South West Transport Network, said reopening the Portishead rail link would have a much-needed ripple effect on other rail routes in the Bristol area.

He said it would encourage more people to leave their cars at home and use public transport to commute to work.

A rail link between Portishead and Bristol could slash journey times for commuters and turn peak-time traffic congestion for them into a thing of the past.

Passengers could use a rail link as far as Ashton Vale and then hop on a proposed bendy bus system into the city centre.

But the costs of upgrading the rail link to take passenger trains have escalated from original estimates of about ú7 million to a figure believed to be about ú40 million.

North Somerset deputy leader Councillor Elfan ap Rees said officials were assessing all options.

He said they were committed to a transport link between Portishead and Bristol but it did not necessarily have to be "hard rail" (a train running on tracks) that would provide the best solution.

He said: "It might be that a bus rapid transit scheme which runs every 15 minutes might provide a much better and cheaper solution than a train service which runs once an hour."

He said no decisions had been taken about the best bus rapid transit system that should be used if chosen instead of a rail link.

The crucial factor, however, was to utilise three miles of disused railway line which runs from Portishead to the Bristol side of the M5.

Some rapid transit schemes could use the bed of the old railway line and move onto roads.

The buses could then pick up passengers in Pill and travel along the A369 to a proposed new transport interchange at the Long Ashton park-and-ride site.

The interchange would provide a terminus for the new bendy buses, which would take commuters and shoppers into the city centre for most of the route along its own dedicated track.

Funding has already been allocated for the Portishead rail link by the West of England Partnership, a body which represents the four councils in the former Avon area.

The partnership's website says: "Reopening the rail link to Portishead is a priority for the West of England."

A spokesman said it was committed to the rail link but could not promise funding would be given by the Government.

In any case, the money would not be released before 2014 at the earliest by which time the political and economic climate could easily have changed. If funding was given as planned, the Portishead rail link would probably open in 2016.

If North Somerset's planning blueprint was adopted and the council wanted to pursue a bus system instead of a rail link, then this would need the agreement of the other three councils.

Talks are in progress between North Somerset and Network Rail, the owners of the rail track.

Before Network Rail would give its support, the council would have to win eight stages of approval. It has passed the first two stages and is negotiating on the third.

These stages mostly deal with the cost of upgrading compared to the benefit to passengers.

madhattie wrote: But the costs of upgrading the rail link to take passenger trains have escalated from original estimates of about ú7 million to a figure believed to be about ú40 million.

Funny how, now that the re-establishment of the link is actually close to happening, and money is being spread around, the cost has risen so dramatically...

Seems yet another crackpot idea. Just put trains back on a train line!
Really not sure how these bendy buses could share the rail line, didn't think it was wide enough?
Also, can't see how the buses could have their own lane on the A369 as again it isn't wide enough so the buses will just get stuck in the traffic trying to get into Bristol unless they think that all those car drivers will jump on the bus.

This is exactly why this country will remain in the dark ages so far as public transport is concerned compared to civilised European cities. Of course it is to be expected that such an idea would come from these worthless cretins at the town hall. Funny how these retarded plans are always associated with the name Elfin app rees, could the dark hand of Worst group also have had an influence in this backwards suggestion.

I totally agree with the comments made by Donkey and stationcat. It beggars belief that the idea of a bus "solution" should emerge at this stage when so much progress has been made towards reinstating the line. I just don't think this would be happening in another country. In the Irish Republic, for example, railways are being reopened to serve towns with a fraction of the population of Portishead. It's embarrasing enough that Portishead's "new" station was destroyed after little more than 10 years' service. OK, so even though most of the track is in situ and used for freight it is not trivial (or cheap) to upgrade the route for passenger use (I believe it needs proper signalling, for example), but now it seems the anti-rail lobby wants to make things even more difficult.

Now what do you expect from the nut house known as the HQ of North Somerset Council! They have great difficulty of doing anything right. Take note of the fiasco of moving the mad house to Clevedon. Every sane person must realise to re-instate the line is very expensive,but will pay for itself. To put buses on an already over loaded road is the madness coming from the funny house.

North Somerset Council have seriously lost the plot, if indeed they ever had custody of it.

First we had an ú85,000 bus lane, on the A370 going towards Weston, at St Georges, a location that NEVER suffers from congestion, but which now has regular road rage where the bus lane ends and other traffic just cuts in. Coming from Weston towards the same junction the queues are horrendous but nothing has been done.

Next they are building a 24 Hr bus lane in Congresbury on the A370, which will have just TWO buses an hour using it, at a cost of ú180,000.

They are blaming the recent snow and ice for the damage to the roads. Funny that, because the roads were ALREADY damaged BEFORE the snow and ice came. If they had done the repairs before......

Their "new" Clevedon base will save ú64,000 a year over 25 years and cost them ú15 million. All the staff currently based in Nailsea will no doubt add to the car journeys on an already busy road.

Oh sorry, this is the Rail Archive Forum...I best shut up, but you get my drift!

Why oh why wasn't the Portishead line rebuilt at the SAME time the Portbury link was built.