Bristol underground: Plans for tunnels firm up

The West of England Combined Authority (WECA) committee discussed plans for an underground system

A Bristol underground transport system has taken a tentative step forward following a committee meeting.

Political leaders formally acknowledged that "tunnels may well be needed" in the city.

City Mayor Marvin Rees has long championed a tube network saying it would open in "eight to 10 years".

Opposition councillors have repeatedly dismissed it as a pipedream with work costs estimated to be £4bn.

The West of England Combined Authority (WECA) committee has agreed to firm up costs, dates and key milestones for the region's mass transit by their next meeting in April.

Shortly after being elected West of England Metro Mayor last May, Dan Norris, whose remit includes transport, struck a note of caution over the estimated £4bn costs, saying his "instinct is that undergrounds cost a lot of money", although he did not rule it in or out.

Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees has said he wants the city to have an underground system within a decade

Mr Rees told the meeting at Bath Guildhall that mass transit would be key to getting people out of cars and to decarbonising public transport, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

He said: "Progress must be quicker. There is no time to fail, no time to delay."

He said decarbonising transport as well as buildings was critical to meeting the city's and the region's carbon zero targets.

Mr Rees said he hoped that a "planned programme of work with clear indications of those dates, costs and milestones, with a clear commitment to the financing set against it" would be presented in April.

"If we're going to commit to delivering a mass transit system for the city region, we must be working over multiple-year timeframes, and the finances have to match that framework."