Bristol underground would cost up to £18bn, new report says

An overground network would cost between £1.5bn and £1.8bn, but an underground would cost £15.5bn to £18.3bn

An underground rail network in Bristol could cost up to £18bn, a new report has suggested.

Bristol's Labour mayor Marvin Rees has previously estimated the cost at £4bn.

A new report from the West of England Combined Authority (Weca), obtained by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, suggested the higher cost.

Mr Rees said he "totally rejects the report and its content" which he blames on a "flawed approach" by Weca, headed by Labour metro mayor Dan Norris.

The report's findings have not been made public but have been obtained by the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The study concludes that an overground mass transit network would cost between £1.5bn and £1.8bn, but an underground would cost £15.5bn to £18.3bn.

Costs 'far removed'

The findings come days after Mr Norris, who is in charge of the region's transport as head of Weca, said "no" when asked on BBC Points West for a one-word answer as to whether the city would ever get an underground.

Plans for a mass transit system for the city region with a mix of overground and underground networks were first announced by Mr Rees in 2017.

Back then, cost estimates were about £4bn and Weca allocated £1.5m three years ago on consultants to look into whether it was possible.

A spokesperson for Mr Rees said: "We totally reject the report and its content.

"The costs are far removed from previous estimates and are a response to the flawed approach that some in Weca have taken to this point."