Bristol connections: Metro, Bus Rapid Transit, PTE, ITA and local councils - discussion

[whole diary]

[TonyK]

Apologies if I've been thick, but I've just realised that (presumably at FT, N!'s suggestion) the MetroBust logo now actually includes a stylised terminal 't':

It is, sadly, the only one of my ideas to have been adopted. The rest have been ignored, some for legal reasons, some on humanitarian grounds. A few more years, and I'll be saying "I told you so!".

[bobm]

A few more years, and I'll be saying "I told you so!".

You read it here first....

[Red Squirrel]

I note that the vegetation on Stapleton Road Viaduct has been cut back and that Heras 151 fencing has been installed, presumably to prevent workers falling off the sides. Still nothing published (that I can find) to explain how the viaduct is to be replaced. It'll be interesting, given the constrained nature of the site.

[TonyK]

I note that the vegetation on Stapleton Road Viaduct has been cut back and that Heras 151 fencing has been installed, presumably to prevent workers falling off the sides. Still nothing published (that I can find) to explain how the viaduct is to be replaced. It'll be interesting, given the constrained nature of the site.

I saw a few chaps in orange doing some gardening on that old bridge as I passed by yesterday. Nothing urgent, mind, but things are definitely happening.

As to how to replace the bridge - tricky! The normal method is to build it close to the gap that is to be filled, then roll it into place. This is happening in the case of the new bridge at the Bristol Arenal site, but that has the advantage of the old Bath Road diesel site, which is a lot of open space. That  is going to be tricky at SRD. Immediately east is Stapleton Road, to the south lies the stock yard for Amey and the new signalling equipment base, as well as the platform. To the west lies Stapleton Road again, as well as the existing railway, and to the north, we find the bridge over the M32. I am sure a solution has already been worked out - maybe the main girders will be craned in over a weekend, then the frame work built in situ? Stapleton Road would need to be closed for a month or so, but hey - no pain, no gain. We shall see.

[Bmblbzzz]

"Bristol Arenal" 

[TonyK]

"Bristol Arenal" 

'Swat they calls it in this areal, me babber.

[Red Squirrel]

Aye, but it sounds owt so queer wi't Northing accent...

[chuffed]

According to Todays railways issue 166, Arup have been awarded the contract to undertake the outline design for Phase 1 of the Metrowest project, This covers the entire design : track,drainage, civils,structures, telecoms, signalling power, points heating geotechnical engineering and environmental consulting. Wondered if anyone had any thoughts or comments about this.

[TonyK]

Wondered if anyone had any thoughts or comments about this.

Yes - get on with it, for pity's sake!

[SandTEngineer]

I assume then that Signalling Solutions Ltd (SSL^▸ (Short Swing Link bogies (125))) are going to do the actual signalling work as part of their overall Bristol contract.

[TonyK]

Aye, but it sounds owt so queer wi't Northing accent...

Yes - get on with it, for pity's sake!

Or wi't Northing accent:

Gi'o'er mitherin' tha soft ha'porth. Tha favvers one o'Clock half struck, an' shaps like puddin' waitin' fer treacle!.

Ee, Ah's go to t'foot of our stairs!

[Red Squirrel]

Just spotted that South Glos is proposing an extension to the MetroBus system. The new route will run from Bristol Parkway to The Mall, Cribbs Causeway, via North Filton Platform where, remarkably, an interchange has not yet been ruled out by value-engineering.

Essentially this is a set of bus lanes, some on new roads. Of interest is the plan to replace the railway bridge at Gipsy Patch Lane.

You can get details of this and comment on it by visiting http://www.southglos.gov.uk/transport-and-streets/transport-policy/planning-transport-policy/cribbs-patchway-metrobus-extension/.

Edit: It's be interesting to get a cost breakdown of MetroBus. The key elements are:

South Bristol Link Road
Stoke Gifford Transport Link Road
The Centre remodelling
AVTM Guided busway
Bus junction on M32
...and now Gipsy Patch Lane Bridge

The rest of it can be funded for the cost of a few gallons of paint.

Only two items on this list - the bus junction and the AVTM busway - are uniquely public transport projects; the rest appear to have used the MetroBus millions as a cash cow for long-aspired-to pet projects: the South Bristol Link Road has been on the stocks since at least the 1950s; Bristol has been wanting to do something about The Centre since a few days after the current layout was completed using millennium millions; and now South Glos has found a way to fund widening Gipsy Patch bridge, another long-held aspiration.

[TonyK]

Just spotted that South Glos is proposing an extension to the MetroBus system. The new route will run from Bristol Parkway to The Mall, Cribbs Causeway, via North Filton Platform where, remarkably, an interchange has not yet been ruled out by value-engineering.

Essentially this is a set of bus lanes, some on new roads. Of interest is the plan to replace the railway bridge at Gipsy Patch Lane.

You can get details of this and comment on it by visiting http://www.southglos.gov.uk/transport-and-streets/transport-policy/planning-transport-policy/cribbs-patchway-metrobus-extension/.


Only two items on this list - the bus junction and the AVTM busway - are uniquely public transport projects; the rest appear to have used the MetroBus millions as a cash cow for long-aspired-to pet projects: the South Bristol Link Road has been on the stocks since at least the 1950s; Bristol has been wanting to do something about The Centre since a few days after the current layout was completed using millennium millions; and now South Glos has found a way to fund widening Gipsy Patch bridge, another long-held aspiration.

You can see where this Trojan Horse approach (vide Professor Steve Melia) could lead in the future. Imagine a meeting between South Glos DC^▸ (Direct Current) and the Department for Transport:

SGDC: "I'd like to build a six-lane motorway from The Mall at Cribbs Causeway to Cabot Circus, avoiding all railway stations. Can I have ^500 million please?"
DafT: "Not a snowflake in hell's chance, mate"
SGDC: "In that case, I would like to build a six-lane extension to MetroBust from The Mall to Cribbs Causeway, running at least three buses per hour for three years before quietly dropping them because they duplicate existing services, are not integrated with other transport forms, and are costing a fortune in subsidies. How about that ^500 million please?"
DafT: "Let's work to ^300 million"
SGDC: "But it will cost ^500 million - that will leave use ^200 million short"
DafT: "You're new to this game, aren't you? We'll give two thirds of the ^300m cost to the unelected unaccountable oligarchy that is West of England LEP^» (Local Enterprise Partnership - about). The agreement will have Bristol dip its hand to its pocket for 80% of both the other ^100m, and the unforeseen ^200m cost over-run. Your exposure will be a mere ^30m, which you will easily get in s106 payments as you build over the now-ruined countryside"
SGDC: "Sounds great! Can I have ^300 million please?"
DafT: "Not so fast - a couple of questions first. Will it solve the problems of congestion in the area?"
SGDC: "You are joking. It will, however, transfer it across the invisible border into Bristol's patch. The other question?"
DafT: "Is there strong public support for this six lane super highw- sorry, extension to MetroBust?"
SGDC: "Good God no, they hate it. It's almost embarrassing. They got every one of the questions on our heavily biased consultation exercise wrong. It's as popular as diarrhoea in a space suit"
DafT: "Then no problemo, amigo! Kerching!"

Edit: It's be interesting to get a cost breakdown of MetroBus. The key elements are:

South Bristol Link Road
Stoke Gifford Transport Link Road
The Centre remodelling
AVTM Guided busway
Bus junction on M32

Your wish is my command! *BAFB is the "Best and Final Bid upon which the government's contribution was assessed. That contribution is fixed forever. Costs above the government contribution are shared unequally - North Somerset 10%, South Gloucestershire 10%, Bristol City Council (BCC^» (Bristol City Council - about)) 80%.

South Bristol Link Road:                        BAFB* price ^43.3m Current cost ^47m         Bristol contribution ^16m (^3m over BAFB estimate)
Ashton Vale - Temple Meads                  BAFB* price ^45m    Current cost ^54.6m      BCC contribution ^16m (^8m over)
Frozen Wastes to Nowhere (NFHB)         BAFB* price ^92.9m Current cost ^102m       BCC contribution ^40m (^8m over)

From memory, the M32 bridge was first costed at ^11m, and was last seen north of ^14m.

The current cost figures are taken from West Of England LEP's Joint Transport Board's website - choose items 9 -12 from the agenda for 23 Oct 2015. The Best and Final Bid figures and government support were sourced from DafT's website via GOV.UK^▸ (United Kingdom). The original figures proudly trumpeted by what was then WEP and Bust Rabid Transit's then cheerleaders seem to have moved from prominence. I shall continue to search for them, and may update these figures. Suffice to say that the costs have not been controlled well, and may increase further despite the award of contracts for construction.

The rest of it can be funded for the cost of a few gallons of paint.

Thirty million quid? Or thereabouts?

Edit to correct link - GrahamE

[TonyK]

I received an email asking me to take part in a consultation on how Bristol City Council is to reduce the carbon footprints. It contained a document called Our Resilient Future - A framework for climate and energy security. Within that, I read:

Metro-Bus Implementation
^265m for construction of the three Metro-Bus routes: Ashton Vale to Temple Meads and Bristol City Centre, North Fringe to Hengrove and the South Bristol Link.

That would signal an increase of another 34.5% on the last reported cost. Bristol's exposure is now therefore in excess of ^121 million.

We had a minister in town, saying how wonderful MetroBust is, "like the Cambridgeshire BRT^▸ (Bus Rapid Transit)". The only way it resembles the Cambridgeshire BRT is in the spiralling cost and delay. Unlike the oft quoted scheme, less than 2 miles of the route is guided busway, and that is in 9 separate bits.

[Red Squirrel]

I'm pinning this onto this thread in the interests of keeping things together, though I wonder if this MetroBus stuff belongs somewhere else these days?

Anyway, I took a couple of photos today of progress on MetroBus. They may interest some, and will revolt others.

The first shews how far you can strech the concept of public transport funding in a world turned upside down. This is the South Bristol Link (at its junction with the A370), a road which (if you wanted to and could find an operator) you could drive an occasional bus along.

The second shews the Ashton Swing Bridge pretending to be (who knows, maybe actually being) a Christo and Jeanne-Claude sculpture. Lots of orange-clad folk beavering away in there though, and as none of them were chanting 'om' I have to assume they were patching it up ready for one of the few actual bits of guided busway in this scheme.

The third shews the rebuilding of the retaining wall between Cumberland Rd and the Bristol Harbour Railway. Quite a task this; they've got to do the whole length of the Chocolate Path and then fit it with heritage-styly railings.