Trains to a newly built railway station in Bristol “should run more often” than once an hour according to local councillors. The Ashley Down train station opened to the public last month but passengers have to suffer long waits in between each service.
Trains only run once every hour to the new station. So if a passenger misses their train, it would be quicker to walk to either Filton or Temple Meads than wait for the next one.
The services are operated by Great Western Railway, but funded by the West of England Combined Authority. Calls to increase the frequency of the services at Ashley Down were made during a member forum meeting at Bristol City Council.
Green Councillor Emma Edwards, representing Bishopston and Ashley Down, said: “This is not currently going to serve the cricket ground very well. They need more frequent trains. We also need to be looking at modal shift so that we’re getting people to use the train as a matter of course, and I think for that we need more frequent services.”
Liberal Democrat Cllr Stephen Williams, a former MP for Bristol West, added: “It’s taken an awfully long time to get to this point, from first campaigning for it in 2010, to it finally opening in 2024. But it is disappointing that given all the political capital, with two MPs and numerous ward councillors, there’s only a perfunctory hourly service in between Filton Abbey Wood and Bristol Temple Meads, which is not really using the huge potential of the catchment area.”
He added that more services should stop at Ashley Down, including going to Cardiff, Bristol Parkway and Gloucester. Direct trains run to Filton Abbey Wood as well as Stapleton Road, Lawrence Hill and Temple Meads, with connections to link to the wider rail network. It is anticipated that in the future trains to and from Ashley Down will also stop at North Filton and Henbury once these stations have been opened.
Green Cllr Ed Plowden, chair of the transport policy committee, said: “The answer is to keep raising it wherever you can, particularly with the metro mayor, currently Dan Norris, and with the government. We’ve got this new station, and the trains to stop there are actually being funded by the mayoral combined authority. It’s not been taken on as business as usual.
“I hope we could point out to our MPs and the government that as we move to Great British Rail and start taking over progressively more and more of this, stations such as this should be seen as an asset rather than an annoyance to business as usual. Keep petitioning, and I’ll continue to do that as well.”