Henbury Loop Train Service

[whole diary]

[anthony215]

I was having a talk with a freind today about this line. He did make a suggestion about  possibly having a  hourly shuttle service between Yate & Avonmouth  and allowing interchange with trains to Bristol TM^‡(resolve) at Bristol Parkway and Avonmouth

I did read a proposed timetable for a loop service running from Portishead - Bristol Tm - Avonmouth - Filton - Bristol Tm - Potishead, does anyone have a copy of this? as i cant seem to find it on google.

If not are there any documents which have a proposed copy or does anyone know how long  journey times  would be between Avonouth & Bristol Parkway over the Henbury loop as i am trying to come up with my own proposed timetable for a half hourly service over the severn beach branch with a train between Avonmouth & Severn Beach every hour

[eightf48544]

Whilst a Yate via Avonmouth BRI^» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains) service via Parkway would be a very good idea, where would teh stock come from.

FGW^▸ (First Great Western) is currently pushed to get enough units every day to run existing services.

I've always thought Bristol and District would be an ideal place to run proper dual voltage tram trains.

The system would be Portishead BRI Avonmouth and Stapleton Road to Yate maybe Thornbury all heavy rail electrified at 25KV to allow electric freight hauled trains, plus a street running loop from the Portishead line through the docks to the town centre and picking up the heavy rail somewhere near Lawrence Hill. Electrified at 600V DC^▸ (Direct Current) for street running.

This is what happens in Saarbrucken the trams leave the heavy rail line East of the town run through the streets past the Hbf and rejoin an old heavy rail branch East of the town.

The trouble is we've got no imagination in this country. We know the cost of everrything and the value of nothing.
 

[ellendune]

The BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) is reporting that extra seats are being provided on the Henbury Loop.  I was sure it closed to passengers in the 1960's but I must have imagined it.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-16142037

Trains in the Bristol area have been fitted with six extra carriages, First Great Western has announced.

The company said the extra space, which was introduced on Monday, would provide another 800 seats on the Severn Beach line and the Henbury loop.

[inspector_blakey]

Weird. In the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page)'s favour, however, they have managed to illustrate the article with a picture of appropriate traction working on the route itself, rather than a generic "SWT^▸ (South West Trains) services at Waterloo"-type shot.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Odd, indeed. 

What the First Great Western press release actually said is:

FGW^▸ (First Great Western) INTRODUCES ADDITIONAL CARRIAGES TO BRISTOL

First Great Western will welcome six additional train carriages to train services across the Bristol area, from Monday, December 12.

Earlier this year First Great Western secured a deal with the Department for Transport to deliver six additional vehicles to improve capacity in the Bristol area.

Two additional Class 150 units (four vehicles) and two Class 153 units (two vehicles) were received from London Midland, and First Great Western has been working hard to have the units ready for the launch of the December timetable.

The trains are expected to provide an extra 800 seats on services around the city at peak times alone.

This latest strengthening comes in addition to last month's announcement of First Great Western successfully secured investing in 48 additional carriages to come into service across the network between February and September 2012.

First Great Western Managing Director Mark Hopwood said:
^Passenger growth in and around Bristol has risen throughout our franchise. While that demand is gratifying in one respect, it can lead to overcrowding on peak services, which is why we^ve been working for some time to secure additional carriages.

"I^m delighted customers can now benefit, and I applaud the Department for Transport, Members of Parliament, local authorities and other key partners who supported our efforts.^

Rail Minister Theresa Villiers said:
^These extra carriages are great news for passengers. The Government is determined to tackle overcrowding and provide better, more comfortable journeys, which is why we are funding this extra capacity.

^We are now embarked on one of the biggest programmes of rail capacity expansion since the Victorian era. In total we plan to introduce 2,700 new rail carriages on to the network by May 2019. These vital improvements will support economic growth and make life better for passengers.^

Bristol West MP^▸ (Member of Parliament) Stephen Williams said:
^I am delighted that my constituents will benefit from increased capacity around the city. I frequently receive complaints from constituents about busy trains to and from Temple Meads; this is a much needed and welcome addition. I will continue to work with my Coalition colleagues and First Great Western to ensure that we improve transport for passengers in Bristol.^

[JayMac]

Another e-mail sent. 

I know the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) have faced many budget and staff cuts this year, but there really is no need for such sloppy journalism. London Midlands (sic) getting 172 new trains and now extra seats on a freight only line!

One call to a TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) Press Office is all it takes. Or just properly reading press releases.

Come on BBC you can better than this.

[ellendune]

May be I was wrong to assume that it was that the closure had been imagined. Perhaps they were ahead of the game on re-opening as the Brisol Evening post is reporting

HOPES of re-opening two railway stations have been given a boost with the inclusion of Henbury and the old Filton Halt in a planning blueprint for South Gloucestershire.

With thousands of homes set to be built on and around Filton airfield, bringing passenger services back onto the Hallen loop would be a major help in improving public transport.

South Gloucestershire Council said it was working with Network Rail and other interested parties on the proposal, which would be subject to a satisfactory business case being developed.

Those who have campaigned for years to use the line for passengers welcomed the approach.

Two-thirds of the airfield ^ due to be closed by owner BAE Systems at the end of 2012 ^ had been allocated for some 2,500 homes in the council's draft core strategy to help meet a larger level of new housing demanded by a planning inspector.

Despite a campaign to keep the airfield operational, consultants said it had no commercial future as an airport and the aviation industry would not be adversely affected by its closure.

The wider Filton, Patchway and Cribbs Causeway area is also set for housing expansion and roads will have to be built or upgraded to cope with more traffic.

But opening the Hallen loop to passenger trains ^ it is currently used to carry freight ^ would get more people off roads and on to public transport.

The council said the scale of development in the area gave an opportunity to look at opening the stations.

.....

http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/story-14154248-detail/story.html

[JayMac]

I'd like to see the existing 'Henbury loop' realigned so that it runs closer to the Cribbs Causeway retail complex (ie to the north of the current Filton runway), with a Parkway/public transport interchange station built as close as possible to Lysander Road.

Such a condition could be stipulated by the local authority when the time comes to grant planning permission for the redevelopment of Filton airport.

I'm not holding my breath though.....

[XPT]

LOL^▸ (laughing out loud) several years ago now I was really into Microsoft Train Simulator on the PC.  And I created a route(it didn't have any scenery though and is certainly not up to todays standards of MSTS routes) featuring a section of the Great Western mainline from Chippenham-Taunton.  As well as the Severn Beach branch and Portishead branch with all former stations re-opened, and Ashley Hill, Horfield, North Filton, and Henbury stations re-opened.  And a branch off from Henbury extending to Cribbs Causeway The Mall.  It was good fun to design timetables and drive DMU^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit)'s on these services featuring the re-opened stations and the Cribbs Causeway branch. 

(an at the time WIP screenshot)



However in the real world, will we ever see the Portishead branch re-opened for passenger services and such stations as Horfield, North Filton, and Henbury stations re-opened for passenger service?  I too am not holding my breath.....

[TonyK]

Anthony, if you are still looking for information, the Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways have done some excellent work. http://fosbr.org.uk/network.
I have travelled over the Henbury loop from Patchway once, during the closure of the mainline when Filton Abbey Wood was having its third platform built. I think it was about 15 minutes to Avonmouth, where a Voyager train was waiting for us to clear the single track. There was another train, IIRC^▸ (if I recall/remember/read correctly) an Intercity 125, at Clifton Down. Journey times from Parkway would be similar.
Severn Beach to Portishead, and SVB to Bath, both come in very close to an hour, ideal for a clock-face service with 2tph SVB to BRI^» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains). That will be nice!
eightf, How right you are about our imagination. I noticed for the first time that the bridge over the floating harbour into Temple Meads has room for a right-hand turn by platform 1. That would be perfect for a tram line running across Plot 6, next to the Brunel shed, through a demolished Grosvenor Hotel, and down Redcliffe Way to follow the original ATA route to the centre. A return loop via Cabot Circus, and Temple Way, or even down Old Market, rejoining between Lawrence Hill and the Dings.
But it needs imagination and money, both in short supply.

[Chris from Nailsea]

No need to even demolish the Grosvenor Hotel, surely? Just follow the line of the old Bristol Docks Railway towards St Mary Redcliffe church along Redcliffe Way?

[anthony215]

Anthony, if you are still looking for information, the Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways have done some excellent work. http://fosbr.org.uk/network.
I have travelled over the Henbury loop from Patchway once, during the closure of the mainline when Filton Abbey Wood was having its third platform built. I think it was about 15 minutes to Avonmouth, where a Voyager train was waiting for us to clear the single track. There was another train, IIRC^▸ (if I recall/remember/read correctly) an Intercity 125, at Clifton Down. Journey times from Parkway would be similar.
Severn Beach to Portishead, and SVB to Bath, both come in very close to an hour, ideal for a clock-face service with 2tph SVB to BRI^» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains). That will be nice!
eightf, How right you are about our imagination. I noticed for the first time that the bridge over the floating harbour into Temple Meads has room for a right-hand turn by platform 1. That would be perfect for a tram line running across Plot 6, next to the Brunel shed, through a demolished Grosvenor Hotel, and down Redcliffe Way to follow the original ATA route to the centre. A return loop via Cabot Circus, and Temple Way, or even down Old Market, rejoining between Lawrence Hill and the Dings.
But it needs imagination and money, both in short supply.

Thank you for the link I will have a look on that site

[TonyK]

No need to even demolish the Grosvenor Hotel, surely? Just follow the line of the old Bristol Docks Railway towards St Mary Redcliffe church along Redcliffe Way?

Except that route went over the now demolished bridge by the Grosvenor, then along a path no longer accessible behind Redcliffe Way. The portal to the tunnel is still visible if you look over the wall opposite the south-east corner of the church grounds, behind Townsend House. You would need to demolish more than just the Grosvenor to get at it, unless light rail up Prewett Street could do the business. The Grosvenor, of which I could tell a story or two (privately), looks doomed, the George and Railway less so. There is in any case room for light rail across the Temple Circus roundabout, then down a re-aligned Redcliffe Way. Not likely to ever happen.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Bristol Post:

Share memories of Henbury Loop railway line

Rail enthusiasts and Bristol residents are being invited to share their memories of the Henbury Loop railway line, which went out of service in 1964.

It is part of a campaign ^ spearheaded by Bristol North West MP^▸ (Member of Parliament) Charlotte Leslie ^ to bring the loop back into use as part of the Bristol Metro.

Under current plan put forward by the West of England Partnership, the city's Metro rail system would have a spur at Henbury, meaning trains would return the way they came.

Ms Leslie says this is a huge missed opportunity and places like Henbury and Filton need to be connected to Shirehampton and large employment areas like Avonmouth. Now she wants residents to tell their stories by submitting photos, home movies, memorabilia and also taking part in interviews.

She said: "The Henbury Loop was an integral part of Bristol's rail network in the past and it needs to be part of it in the future. It would be great to hear stories from people who used the loop and those who worked on it. The city needs this fully functioning Henbury Loop otherwise we run the risk of having a half-baked rail system which is not fit for purpose in the 21st century. With Henbury being a vital link for Cribbs and all the seemingly inevitable development in Filton, the city will come to a halt without a proper rail network. We managed to have a proper Henbury Loop line in the past ^ we should have one for our future."

Ms Leslie has been in discussions with mayor George Ferguson about the need for the loop and Government ministers have indicated they are willing to support investigation into work to make it happen.

If you have memories to share, please email henburyloop@charlotte leslie.comor write to Charlotte Leslie MP, Henbury Loop Campaign, 5 Westfield Park, Bristol BS6 6LT.

There is also a petition at www.henburyloop.bristolpetitions.com.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From The Post (Bristol):

Hundreds sign petition for Henbury loop train line to be included in Bristol Metro plans

Bristol North West MP^▸ (Member of Parliament) Charlotte Leslie has lobbied rail minister Simon Burns to make the case for the proposed Henbury Loop line to actually be a loop.


The Bristol Metro. The current plans would end the line at Henbury, but campaigners want them to continue to St Andrew's Park and complete the loop

Hundreds of supporters have already signed Ms Leslie's petition calling for the proposed new rail track to be extended. The campaign, being organised by Ms Leslie and local councillor Chris Windows, is calling for the so-called Henbury Loop to be extended from a spur to make a full loop.

The new line is part of the plans for the Bristol Metro network and under the current scheme service would end at Henbury rather than connecting to the Severn Beach line and the rest of the network.

The existing line is currently used by freight traffic but campaigners want it to also be opened to passengers.

As previously reported in The Post almost ^1.8 million of investment has been approved by Bristol's mayor George Ferguson to prepare for work on reopening lines and stations in and around Bristol by the end of 2015. The rest of the project will be funded by central government and it is estimated it will take up until 2023 to complete in its entirety.

Phase One of the Bristol Metro ^ including half-hourly trains to Severn Beach and the reopening of the Portishead line ^ could be completed by 2017/18.

Reopening the Henbury line and additional stations at Horfield and Ashley Down is expected to be completed in Phase Two.

Ms Leslie said: "We believe that a Henbury spur would be a disastrously missed opportunity of a generation. A Henbury Loop would not only be well used, it would transform Bristol's transport infrastructure."

She added: "We should be making the strongest possible case for the need for a loop rather than a spur line."

Several hundred people have already signed the petition and there is growing support for the campaign.

Ms Leslie said: "Petty party politics have held Bristol back for too long. We organised a meeting for the city and region's MPs with Rail Minister Simon Burns to specifically make the case for a 'loop not a spur' line."

She added: "I have been fighting for this with local campaigners for so long. So I was absolutely delighted that the minister listened to the case I put forward, and as a result will do a proper feasibility study for the case for the Henbury Loop line. But now we need to demonstrate there really is huge demand for this. I am pressing our mayor, George Ferguson, to use his influence too in the matter. We all need to speak with one voice ^ residents, businesses, young people, the elderly, to say we need a Henbury Loop Line."

The campaigners say the loop would connect Henbury with Avonmouth, Shirehampton, Sea Mills and North Bristol. And they claim communities such as Shirehampton have lost out on facilities and need to travel to use swimming pools and leisure centres. They also claim the rail line would help to ease congestion on the roads of north Bristol and South Gloucestershire.