Coastal trips to Portishead are about to become a lot easier. Following the government’s award of a multi-million-pound funding grant last year, major restoration works to reopen the long-defunct railway between Portishead and Bristol will commence this spring, after being closed for over 60 years.
The last time you could catch a train directly to the coastal town of Portishead from Bristol was in 1964. But the restored line will provide an hourly direct train from Temple Meads in around 25 minutes. The route will stop at two new stations in Portishead and Pill, running through the iconic Avon Gorge on its way.
The line will connect more than 50,000 people back to the railway and remove eight million car journeys from the roads by 2044. But it’s not just about offering a quicker, greener alternative. The fulcrum of the reopening is to unlock £43 million of annual growth for the local economy by opening more jobs, skills and leisure opportunities.
“Previously cut off passengers will have a rail service for the first time in over 60 years, opening up new opportunities and supporting jobs, economic growth, and communities in Portishead, Pill and the surrounding area,” said Lord Hendy, rail minister.
In the long-term, the Portishead Line is planned to connect directly to the Henbury Line via Bristol Temple Meads, connecting it to two more new stations being built: North Filton, serving the new arena, and Henbury. Potential new stations in Ashton Gate, St Anne’s Park, Lockleaze and Saltford have also been floated.
The main construction begins in April, with work compounds set up near Harbour Road in Portishead, Monmouth Road in Pill and off the A369 Portbury Hundred near Sheepway. Preparatory work began last autumn to remove trees for site compounds, car parks, the two new stations, and the railway line itself.
How can I learn more about the Portishead to Bristol railway?
Ahead of the major works this spring, the public is invited to find out more at two drop-in sessions:
- Thursday, March 26: Somerset Hall, Portishead
- Tuesday, March 31: Community Centre, Pill
Members of the project team will be on hand to answer any questions between 3.30pm and 7.30pm.
“The return of the railway between Bristol and Portishead has been long promised. With all of us working together in this new chapter for the West, we’re finally going to deliver it – cutting travel times in half for local people, helping unlock sites for new homes, and boosting the country’s fastest-growing regional economy,” said Helen Godwin, mayor of the West of England.
“Our new Transport Vision has rail at its heart, including new stations at Pill and Portishead, with wider ambitions for more frequent services and low-emission trains as part of a transport network you can trust. Trains on the Portishead Line will directly travel onto the Henbury Line at Temple Meads, helping connect communities across the West to the new Aviva Arena at Brabazon, Bristol, and North Somerset.”
