Portishead to Bristol rail line gets final approval

An application for the scheme was originally submitted in November 2019

A long-awaited train line has moved a step closer after it was given final approval by the government.

Preparation work can now begin on the £152m Portishead to Bristol line after it was signed off by the Secretary of State for Transport.

The West of England Combined Authority (Weca) approved its financial contribution to the project in August.

The scheme includes bringing disused rail line back into use and building a car and bus interchange at Portishead.

A new station will also be built at Portishead, which has not had a rail service to Bristol since the line was closed to passengers in 1964.

There will be an hourly service into Bristol Temple Meads, with trains stopping at a new station at Pill.

Trains will then join the Exeter to Bristol line at Parson Street Station in the south of the city.

Secretary of State for Transport, Mark Harper, announced on Monday that he had approved a development consent order for the line, which will run from Bristol Temple Meads to Portishead via Pill, to be built.

Old parts of the line will be brought back into use, and new track laid

A Department for Transport statement said he had concluded there was a "compelling case" for bringing the line back into use, taking into account the "substantial public benefits" it would be likely to achieve.

Rail users lobby group Railfuture Severnside said it was "delighted" with the news and praised the contributions made by local MPs and councillors.

The reopening of the line has been much-delayed, having originally been planned to be completed by 2019.

Reopening the track, which it is hoped can now be completed by 2026, is part of the MetroWest Phase 1 project covering Bristol and the surrounding area.

MetroWest also includes a new train station at Pill, and upgraded train services on the Severn Beach line and improvements between Bath Spa and Bristol Temple Meads.

Huw James, who represents Portishead South on North Somerset Council, said: "Residents of Portishead, Pill, and surrounding areas would be forgiven for thinking this will never happen given the delay after delay we have seen.

"But this is a turning point for the project. Portishead is back on track."