Final funds agreed for Portishead to Bristol line

Harriet Robinson

BBC News, West of England

Construction is set to begin in summer to bring back a railway line axed 60 years ago after an agreement was reached with the government over funding.

North Somerset Council leaders previously approved measures to start work on the Bristol and Portishead Line, but last month council leader Mike Bell said the project was £30-50m short.

Now, the mayor of the West of England Combined Authority [Weca] Dan Norris has said the final funding has been agreed.

“This is great news for residents, businesses, and our environment,” he said.

The authority has invested £25m into the project to date, with an extra £30m, including a contribution from North Somerset Council, to be ratified at a Weca meeting in March.

Plans to bring the line back were previously under threat when the Labour government announced it was axing the scheme that was funding it.

Last week Mr Norris and the leaders of North Somerset, Bristol and South Gloucestershire councils met rail minister Peter Hendy in London to urge him to support the plans, a meeting Mr Norris described as “very positive”.

At its full council meeting on 14 January 14, North Somerset Council voted unanimously to approve measures to start constructing the Portishead railway this summer – if the final business case is approved by the government.

The council now hopes construction can begin in the summer and the first trains can run along the reopened railway in 2027.

Weca said reopening the line, which was shut in 1964, would halve travel times, reduce car commuting, and “unlock an estimated £43m in economic growth each year”.

“This is a massive moment for the West of England, one that generations have eagerly waited to see,” added Mr Norris.

“The Bristol & Portishead Line was a victim of historic rail cuts, but today, with a Labour government and a Labour mayor, we’re delivering the latest stage of my ‘reverse Beeching’ plan.

“I’m delighted to confirm that this project is now finally steaming ahead,” said Mr Norris.

The project will see new stations built in Portishead and Pill for services to run from there into Bristol Temple Meads.

Gareth Jones from the Portishead Railway Group committee said he was “absolutely staggered” when he heard the news.

“Very happy, very relieved after all this time.

“It’ll make a great difference taking all these cars off the road. It’ll be a lot easier for us to get into Bristol.”

He said Portishead was one of the largest towns without a railway in Britain.

Dave Chillistone, also on the committee, said “it has taken a long time” for the railway to get reinstated.

“We’ve never had wording like this before. The key was the extra money on the table.

He added: “All of the communities down the line are going to benefit from this.

“It’s what the town and other communities along the line have required really since the railway was closed.”

Mr Bell said: “The Portishead to Bristol rail line stands to be transformative for North Somerset and the wider area, connecting 50,000 people back into the rail network through regular and sustainable transport whilst offering access to the opportunities of growth across the South West.

“Working in partnership with Weca, the Department for Transport and Network Rail, we have put in the hard work and were the country’s first passenger rail scheme to secure a Development Consent Order to re-open a branch line.”