Portishead Line reopening for passengers - ongoing discussion

[whole diary]

[Western Pathfinder]

It would indeed. 

However, just for the record, it's Port Said, and the road is the A369. 

Or PortZ if it's easier

[Chris from Nailsea]

According to Derek Robinson (who I met, many, many years ago), it's Port Said. 

[Noggin]

News of a mixed variety. According to the latest circular from north somerset parish council on the subject:

Delivering an Affordable Project

In March 2017 the scheme’s outline design including GRIP3 (Option Selection) for a half-hourly train service was completed along with an updated scheme capital cost estimate. The amount of works required for this frequency made the scheme unaffordable, consequently it was decided to deliver the scheme in stages with initially an hourly train service (and possibly some additional peak time trains). This reduces the amount of infrastructure works required, which in turn reduces cost and lessens the impact on the sensitive environmental areas whilst still meeting modern safety standards.   
 
The service will be operated initially using three carriage trains (with approx. 270 seats), and can be increased to five carriage trains in the future as the platforms for the new Portishead and Pill station will be sufficient for operating longer trains.   Our ambition to ultimately provide a half hourly train service remains, however this would be a separate project (after the current project to re-open the branch line with an initial hourly train service), and separate funding and consents would be required.

So an hourly service with a maximum line speed between Pill and Parson Street of 30mph it is, then. At least to begin with - maybe the idea is to get something in place which is likely to be heavily used, then use passenger numbers to justify expansion of the services.
 

Interesting - so in short:
- Portishead to Pill including both stations gets rebuilt as planned (with 5-car platforms)
- Everything else gets left as-is, with presumably a bare minimum of signalling work so it's fit for passenger service

In some ways it's good, it can presumably be delivered fairly easily and quickly, it doesn't require too much of NR^» (Network Rail - home page), other than possibly Filton Bank being finished and GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) having a full compliment of Turbos, so it could be done within 2-3 years.

On the down side, it's likely to mean that when the line inevitably becomes a victim of its own success, the work will be much more expensive and disruptive.

But then again, minimum work through the Gorge means that there's less chance of, say, the line being redoubled but not bothering with expensive track lowering to enable future electrification.

[Red Squirrel]

But then again, minimum work through the Gorge means that there's less chance of, say, the line being redoubled but not bothering with expensive track lowering to enable future electrification.

It was always single track after Clifton Bridge station, so you wouldn't be 'redoubling' it. Pill had a passing loop which, if memory serves me correctly, was in the plan for 2tph. The issue is the tunnels, which are a bit tight and bendy.

[Bmblbzzz]

Right now, I'd have thought electrification of the Portishead line is even less likely than doubling.

[Bmblbzzz]

Portishead line should be put on hold so as to allow Henbury Loop to go ahead, say Mayor of Woe and BCC^» (Bristol City Council - about) Conservative leader.
http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/portishead-rail-link-should-postponed-545119

Portishead rail link should be postponed in case it delays 'important projects' in north Bristol says Tory leader
Conservatives want it put on hold
he plan to create a train station at Ashton Gate and passenger services to Portishead should be postponed even further into the future – because it risks holding up ‘important rail projects in the north of Bristol’.

Conservative leaders in Bristol are calling on the city’s Labour mayor Marvin Rees to kick the Portishead rail link plan further into the long grass.

Costs are spiralling, and Bristol’s Conservative group leader Mark Weston said it is unlikely to happen anyway – and keeping it in a package of measures risks holding up all the things that are planned elsewhere in the city.

The £200 million MetroWest project to improve the Bristol region’s rail network comes in two phases, with the first phase due to be completed within a year.

That involves providing half-hourly passenger trains on the Severn Beach line, a new half-hourly service for Keynsham on the Bath to Bristol line, and an hourly service for a re-opened Portishead branch line.

The second phase, due in 2021, would be more ambitious, and includes new stations in Ashley Down, Filton North and Henbury, serving a new ‘Henbury spur’.

But opening up the Portishead line to passengers, which would eventually include a new station at Ashton Gate to serve Ashton Vale and sports fans heading for Bristol City and Bristol Rugby, has proved more costly and difficult than first thought.


And Cllr Weston said he fears Phase Two will have to wait for Phase One to be completed, so the delays to the Portishead line will have a knock-on effect to stations in the north of the city.

He and Metro Mayor Tim Bowles said they want the Portishead Line plan dropped from Phase One and moved to Phase Two, or even further, but not dropped completely – and called on Labour Mayor Marvin Rees to agree to that.

“Everyone wants the Portishead Line to open to the public, but on the current costs this isn't feasible,” said Cllr Weston.

“So rather than delay Phase Two of the programme, lets pause the Portishead proposals whilst additional work is conducted to bring down costs and simplify the plan, continue with the Bath and Severn Beach line proposals, and bring forward the Henbury line as soon as possible.


“Let us keep the focus on rail improvements but simply alter the running order to complete the Henbury Line sooner,” he added.

The need for a passenger rail service for Portishead was further emphasised this week with the closure of the A369 Portbury Hundred road between Portishead and the M5 and Bristol, following the shooting of a motorist by police on Wednesday morning.

That followed another Tuesday evening match at Bristol City where some local residents complained of parking problems in the streets around the ground, and called for a new station for Ashton Gate.

Before the game, local firefighters even warned fans not to block roads to their fire appliances with dangerous parking.

The Bristol Post contacted the Mayor’s Office about Cllr Weston’s idea, but has received no response.

[Western Pathfinder]

Came across this earlier
Thought I'd leave it here
http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/portishead-rail-link-should-postponed-545119.amp

[chuffed]

Already posted on Sept 28th on the previous page.

[Red Squirrel]

New consultation launched on whether to reopen Portishead train line

A new consultation on whether to reopen the train line between Portishead and Bristol Temple Meads has been launched.

Spoken about for years, but first considered as a serious possibility in 2008 – the MetroWest project has rumbled on for almost a decade with seemingly little progress made.

The latest consultation – which will open on Monday, October 23 – seeks to gauge a reaction to the prospect of having an hourly train service between Portishead and Bristol Temple Meads, rather than the half-hourly service initially proposed.

It comes after an updated budget in March revealed the first phase of the project had trebled in cost from £58million to between £145 and £175million.

Transport Secretary, Chris Grayling, has previously promised the line will reopen and the West of England Combined Authority – which includes Bristol, South Gloucestershire and Bath & North East Somerset (B&NES) – Metro Mayor, Tim Bowles has made positive noises about the scheme.

While there is widespread support for the project, it is still unclear where the extra funding will come from, leading many to question whether the line will ever reopen.

The financial uncertainties have slowed down on works on the line - which was originally set to start operating in 2019 – and it now appears that works on the track will not properly begin until 2020 at the earliest.

Portishead is one of the fastest growing towns in the South West and its population has risen by more than 3,000 since 2001 and is expected to increase by a further 8,000 in the coming decade.

The A369 and M5 roads – the main commuter routes in to Bristol – are regularly congested during peak times, and when one or both are blocked it makes it almost impossible for people to drive to and from the city.

TravelWest – the umbrella organisation for Bristol City Council, South Gloucestershire Council, North Somerset Council and B&NES – estimate that the reopened line will provide a £264million boost to the local economy over the next decade.

The consultation document states: “MetroWest Phase 1 will reduce journey times which will not erode over time.

“MetroWest Phase 1 will also increase the number of people living within 30 minutes’ travel time of key employment areas such as the Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone and the sub-region’s Enterprise Areas.

“This will generate a series of wider economic benefits, such as helping to increase business confidence and assisting in job creation.”

The Portishead line was closed to passengers in 1964 under the Beeching cuts. Some 9km of the track is still used for freight services and only “minor works” are required to enable passenger services to run.

However 5km of the track – which are not currently in use – will need greater investment to make it operational.

Two new stations at Portishead and Pill are proposed under MetroWest phase one plans, and train services will also serve Parson Street, Bedminster, and Bristol Temple Meads stations.

If successfully reopened, the branch line will be owned and maintained by Network Rail and the train service will be operated by the local train operator which is currently Great Western Railway.

Alongside the Portishead line, phase one of the MetroWest project includes running half-hourly trains on the Severn Beach Line and to Keynsham and Bath Spa.

Phase two of the project will see the Henbury Spur route reopen and improvements made to the Yate corridor.

Once the consultation has concluded on Monday, December 4, a final plan will be drawn up for the Metro West scheme. If additional funding for the scheme is secured, the plan will then be submitted to central government in the spring.

It will take around 18 months for the plan to be assessed and formally approved or rejected by government. If approved works could begin in early 2020.

Information about the consolation

The consultation will open on Monday, October 23 and close on December 4.

Consultation documents and questionnaires are available on the TravelWest website or can be requested by calling 0117 922 4513.

A number of public exhibitions on the scheme will take place on the following days:

Friday, November 10 – Between 12.30pm and 7.30pm at Somerset Hall, The Precinct, Portishead,

Wednesday, November 15 – Between 12.30pm and 7.30pm at the Engine Shed, Station Approach, Bristol, BS1 6QH

Tuesday, November 21 – Between 1.30pm and 7.30pm at Trinity Anglican Primary School (Community Hall), Marjoram Way, Portishead, BS20 7JF

Wednesday, November 22 – Between 12.30pm and 7.30pm at Ashton Gate Stadium, Ashton Rd, Bristol, BS3 2EJ

Thursday, November 23 – Between 3.30pm and 7.30pm at Long Ashton Community Centre, Keedwell Hill, Long Ashton, BS41 9DP

Friday, November 24 – Between 12.30pm and 7.30pm at the Community Centre, Church Place, Pill, BS20 0AE

Following the exhibitions, the plans will go on display from:

Monday, November 27 – Between 9am and 5pm at 100 Temple Street, Bristol, BS1 6HT

Source: Bristol Post

To pull out two nuggets from this:

It comes after an updated budget in March revealed the first phase of the project had trebled in cost from £58million to between £145 and £175million.

...and:

...the reopened line will provide a £264million boost to the local economy over the next decade... MetroWest Phase 1 will reduce journey times which will not erode over time.

The arithmetic would suggest that it is still a good idea. Can we drop GRIP^▸ (Guide to Railway Investment Projects) and replace it with JFDI^▸ (just flipping do it (polite version)) please?

[SandTEngineer]

Perhaps this could be the test case for the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) proposed 'new way' of delivering projects to bring costs back to more realistic levels (i.e. take the project delivery away from NR^» (Network Rail - home page))

[JayMac]

I'm another advocate of stop talking, stop consulting, and JFDI^▸ (just flipping do it (polite version)).

[chuffed]

Never in the history of rail reopenings, has so much hot air, reams of paper and millions of pounds been wasted,by so many, for so few and for so little result.
The CONsultants must be laughing all the way to the bank and back again.

[Timmer]

Never in the history of rail reopenings, has so much hot air, reams of paper, and millions of pounds been wasted.by so many. for so few and for so little result.
The CONsultants must be laughing all the way to the bank and back again.

One of the posts of the year on this forum!

[PhilWakely]

I'm another advocate of stop talking, stop consulting, and JFDI^▸ (just flipping do it (polite version)).

I remember, in a previous guise, having to explain JFDI to a very stiff upper lipped, starched suit and it produced an interesting response when he finally cottoned on....... "Oh no, we cannot do that, I would lose control - and mind your language lad!"

[Oberon]

Anybody got the date when Portishead re-opening was first mooted? It seems like decades ago to me. The cost has spiralled hugely and nothing on the ground appears to have been done apart from cutting back some foliage.

I suppose the real question is, is anything else in the UKL run this badly?