Date set for opening of new Bristol train station

Construction work on Ashley Down train station began in March 2023

A long-awaited opening date has been announced for a train station which shut 60 years ago.

Ashley Down station, which has been in construction since March 2023, will open on Saturday, 28 September.

It is the second new station to open in Bristol in nearly a century, and will be a new stop on the hourly service between Bristol Temple Meads and Filton Abbey Wood.

It is part of a project to reopen the Henbury Line, which also includes the construction of new stations in Henbury and North Filton.

West of England Mayor Dan Norris said the new station will give residents more sustainable travel options to get into the city.

“We need to get more people travelling by train – that’s why I’ve committed funding to support more frequent services on popular local routes including the Henbury Line," he said.

"The last time people caught a train here, astronaut Neil Armstrong hadn’t walked on the moon.”

The station - which closed in 1964 - also includes cycle parking, lifts linking the platforms, and a footbridge which opened in December 2023.

The new station’s entrance is on Concorde Way, which will reopen after it closed to allow for construction work.

Dan Norris says the station opening is part of wider plans to get people out of their cars

Work has been carried out by Network Rail and funded by the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority (WECA), GWR and Bristol City Council.

It is the first of three stations planned as part of the MetroWest Phase 2 project, which will eventually serve the new YTL Bristol Arena.

North Filton station - planned to open in 2026 - has been set back due to YTL Developments increasing the proposed arena's capacity. Henbury is now scheduled to open in 2027 rather than 2026.