The re-opening of the railway station at Ashley Down last week after 60 years is just the beginning of the city’s railway expansion, according to a local campaign group. Bristol Rail Campaign (FoSBR) Secretary Mark Maggs, has expressed his support for the new station but says it’s simply “the first step” on the MetroWest line.
Revised plans for a new station at Henbury have recently been submitted with a decision to be made on October 9 and although planning approval has already been granted for a brand new North Filton station stop, the original submission needs redesigning which has led to delays.
The railway campaign group would like to see not only more trains but a faster and more frequent service for passengers. The group responded to a consultation put out by transport for Wales in January 2024 which could see two trains per hour stopping at every station between Bristol Temple Meads.
“An advantage to that is that the current service could be speeded up so we get a faster and more frequent service which is what we all want. Although currently the station will be useful for going to Bristol Rovers, the cricket ground and a few local people, it’s the first step on the whole MetroWest line and something’s got to start first,” added Mark.
Hopes for a new Portishead Station remain in limbo after the new Labour government announced a cut to the Restoring Your Railway scheme – which was set to fund the Portishead railway. Chancellor Rachel Reeves told Parliament in August: “If we cannot afford it, we cannot do it.”
Vice Chair of Rail Future for South West England, David Redgewell told Bristol Live that he is confident that all planned stations will be built and should be unaffected by the recent announcement of funding cuts. “It’s all part of a MetroWest network which includes this route and the line to Pill and Portishead, where we are currently waiting for government approval.
“This project has been around for 20 years so it predates any Restoring Your Railways project. I’m very optimistic that we will continue to build MetroWest and reopen the Charfield station (Gloucester line), Henbury, Filton North and Pill and Portishead within the next three or four years.”
Local Labour politicians remain hopeful about the prospect of more new stations but did not make any commitments in their speeches last week. Speaking to a crowd of invited guests at the Ashley Down station opening event last week, Dan Norris said: “We are going to redouble our efforts to make sure we are on track with the other stations in the pipeline. It’s very easy to knock local governments but actually local and regional governments are hugely important and we can see the fruits of all our labours, including our partners and the trade unions who have worked together to make it happen.”
Despite Rachel Reeves’ recent announcement of cuts, Bristol North West MP Darren Jones, who holds the position in Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s cabinet of Chief Secretary to the Treasury, joked about Reeves being jealous of him attending a station opening and said he had spoken to both her and the Prime Minister who believe that rail has an important role to play in “generating growth and unlocking growth across the country.
He said: “As we try to unlock investment from business, and also as we work to deliver our net zero targets, we know that surface transport is one of those big issues that we need to make progress on over the years ahead.”