The line to the Severn Tunnel. Future use for the area it passes through

[whole diary]

[Lee]

Worth pointing out that the SEWWEB proposal does not advocate closing or relocating Patchway station, and the sample timetables on the website show a potential 2 trains per hour during the daytime for Patchway.

[grahame]

Worth pointing out that the SEWWEB proposal does not advocate closing or relocating Patchway station, and the sample timetables on the website show a potential 2 trains per hour during the daytime for Patchway.

Although the two stations will be quite close to each other, they will serve distinct and different catchments.

I may have inadvertently caused confusion here by not listing in the 15 stations that I saw as the ones that people would use for their journeys to the Aztec West station.  I left it out intentionally because, whilst the catchments of the two stations differ, I would expect most people who live close to Patchway station and work at Aztec West to continue to cycle or walk to work rather than making a short train journey.

[johnneyw]

I worked at Aztec West for a few years in the early 00's and the only form of transport that seemed to make any sense was the bicycle: Buses took impossibly long, convoluted routes, it was too far to walk, and while the controlling assumption is that 'everyone drives' this in practice didn't work very well either. Despite huge car parks there weren't enough spaces (where do you go if you can't park? Almondsbury?), and despite high-capacity signal-controlled junctions the congestion was really bad.

A friend who's based at the BRI^» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains) told me about a meeting he had at Aztec last week, or rather the bus journey. As it happens he normally cycles to work (from south Bristol) but decided he wouldn't cycle to the meeting "in order not to arrive as sweaty mess". Bus journey back to the BRI took two hours, which he calculated at an average of 7.5km/h. Perhaps 50% quicker overall than walking...  And that wasn't even rush hour, he got back to his office about 4:30. But even if there were an Aztec West station, it's not clear where he might have got the train from. Presumably (the other) BRI, but that requires an additional journey whereas the bus station is just opposite.

A quick look shows 11 stations in the commute area that would offer a decent direct service to Aztec West (I have not listed Patchway as you would walk that!) and 4 more that you would connect from.   Nor full coverage of the City but a goos start ... and that's before you add commuters from World, Newport, Yatton, Oldfield Park, Swindon ...

Abbey Wood, Bedminster, Clifton Down, Keynsham, Lawrence Hill, Montpelier, Nailsea and Backwell, Parkway, Parson Street, Pilning Westgate, Redland, Sea Mills, Severn Tunnel Junction,  Stapleton Road, Temple Meads

And hopefully you can add Portway Parkway to the list by then.

[Bmblbzzz]

I worked at Aztec West for a few years in the early 00's and the only form of transport that seemed to make any sense was the bicycle: Buses took impossibly long, convoluted routes, it was too far to walk, and while the controlling assumption is that 'everyone drives' this in practice didn't work very well either. Despite huge car parks there weren't enough spaces (where do you go if you can't park? Almondsbury?), and despite high-capacity signal-controlled junctions the congestion was really bad.

A friend who's based at the BRI^» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains) told me about a meeting he had at Aztec last week, or rather the bus journey. As it happens he normally cycles to work (from south Bristol) but decided he wouldn't cycle to the meeting "in order not to arrive as sweaty mess". Bus journey back to the BRI took two hours, which he calculated at an average of 7.5km/h. Perhaps 50% quicker overall than walking...  And that wasn't even rush hour, he got back to his office about 4:30. But even if there were an Aztec West station, it's not clear where he might have got the train from. Presumably (the other) BRI, but that requires an additional journey whereas the bus station is just opposite.

A quick look shows 11 stations in the commute area that would offer a decent direct service to Aztec West (I have not listed Patchway as you would walk that!) and 4 more that you would connect from.   Nor full coverage of the City but a goos start ... and that's before you add commuters from World, Newport, Yatton, Oldfield Park, Swindon ...

Abbey Wood, Bedminster, Clifton Down, Keynsham, Lawrence Hill, Montpelier, Nailsea and Backwell, Parkway, Parson Street, Pilning Westgate, Redland, Sea Mills, Severn Tunnel Junction,  Stapleton Road, Temple Meads

And hopefully you can add Portway Parkway to the list by then.

Not direct surely, unless the Henbury Loop actually happens.

[Lee]

grahame's list criteria were 15 stations, 11 direct, 4 by connection, so Portway could make the "connection" list.

[grahame]

grahame's list criteria were 15 stations, 11 direct, 4 by connection, so Portway could make the "connection" list.

Very much so ... make that 16, 11, 5 ... my connections were Redland, Montpelier, Clifton Down and Sea Mills.  Going too much further out on "the beach", a train trip to Aztec West would be pretty circular!