The reopening of the Portishead Line will go ahead, West of England Metro Mayor Dan Norris has announced today.
Mr Norris said: “This is a massive moment for the West of England: one that generations have eagerly waited to see. This is great news for residents, businesses, and our environment — and a truly red-letter day for our fantastic region.
“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.”
The project will see new stations built in Portishead and Pill and the line, which closed to passengers in 1964, connecting the town and village to Bristol Temple Meads once again. The final £30m investment will be ratified in March at the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority Committee, including a contribution from North Somerset Council.
North Somerset Council leader, Cllr Mike 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 southwest.
“Working in partnership with West of England Mayoral Combined Authority, 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. Together, we have risen to challenges of rising costs, understanding the value that these train services will offer to our communities. I’d like to thank everyone involved for their effort to date and look forward continuing our work to get the first trains up and running.”
People have called for the reopening of the line since the 1970s and major progress had been made in recent years with the scheme being taken forward as part of the Metrowest project. But in July the government axed the fund set to cover its contribution to the project, putting the project in limbo while the government reviewed whether to continue with the scheme. Now the government has given the scheme the green light.
The railway line was closed in 1964 amid the “Beeching cuts.” Restoring the railway only requires just over three miles of new track. The line as far as Pill has already been restored — although work would need to be carried out on this stretch of the line to make the track suitable for passenger trains and not just freight.
Just last week, Mr Norris and the leaders of North Somerset, Bristol, and South Gloucestershire councils travelled to London to urge rail minister Peter Hendy to support the plans. Mr Norris described it as a “very positive” meeting.
At its full council meeting on January 14, North Somerset Council voted unanimously to approve a huge raft of measures to start constructing the Portishead railway this summer — if the final business case is approved by the government. The council hopes construction can begin in the summer and the first trains can run along the reopened railway in 2027.
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