Henbury Loop Train Service

[whole diary]

[grahame]

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

Is that supposed to say "St Andrew's Road", or is this "Park" the name of the junction where the loop joins the Severn Beach line?

[TonyK]

I reckon that's St Andrews Road. The junction is Hallen Marsh, IIRC^▸ (if I recall/remember/read correctly). The quote is from the Bristol Post, which probably reported the William Tell incident as " Woman Shoots Orange off Daughter's Head with Longbow in France"

[swrural]

I think I mentioned my Feb 1958 experience waiting an hour at St Andrews Road for the train to return from Severn Beach.  I was 'froze' as we Bristolians say.  The notion of 'Park' is difficult to raise in my brain.  I cannot imagine why Ms Leslie thinks anyone would want, voluntarily, to go there.  It wasn't near any work place when I was there but I think there are a few sheds there now.

[Chris from Nailsea]

St Andrews Road has a reasonable footfall these days - enough to keep it as an active station on the Severn Beach Line, even without the additional services that could be provided via the Henbury Loop. 

[JayMac]

The footfall this morning on the 0800 from St Andrews Road to Bristol Temple Meads was precisely two.

Me.

I have two feet. 

I've recently taken to catching this service from St Andrews Road for the sheer novelty of hailing a train. The local bus from where I live goes to the Avonmouth area via Shirehampton, but I always ended up twiddling my thumbs at Shirehampton Station for 20 minutes. So now, when I plan to catch the the 0754 ex Severn Beach, I pay the 50p extra on the bus and take it through to the the Avonmouth trading estate and do the 5 minute walk to St Andrews Road.

[TonyK]

I think the future for St Andrews Road could well be brighter than the past. There are (were) plans for Cabot Park to be the major intermodal goods hub that it isn't yet. The Deep Sea Container Port, when (if) built will employ a lot of people. I recall a study about 20 years back that suggested the station was in the wrong place because no-one worked by it, but businesses have come and gone before our winking eye, and no-one even cared enough to say goodbye. So long as Bignosemac doesn't lose a leg, though, the footfall will be at least two every now and then. Shame you have to buy a separate bus ticket, and can't one that includes the train, and I don't mean "Plusbus".

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Bristol Post - an opinion piece by David Wood, National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers, Bristol (written in a personal capacity):

Loop will solve our problems at a stroke

I attended a Henbury Loop rail meeting at the Greenway Centre, Southmead. It was hosted by Charlotte Leslie, MP^▸ (Member of Parliament) for Bristol North West, as the Henbury Loop line passes through her constituency.

The reason for the meeting was to address the growing concern about the excessive amounts of traffic on our roads. There were representatives from Network Rail, First Great Western, South Gloucestershire Council, Bristol City Council, the Local Enterprise Partnership, the West of England Partnership, the University of the West of England, Bridgehouse Capital Ltd and Osborne Clarke.

Traffic is clogging up our overburdened roads ^ and the problem is getting worse. The solution is to identify corridors which can be used exclusively for public transport. This will result in reliable services which will avoid congestion. And the Henbury Loop is one of those corridors.

It has been identified as a solution, giving people an alternative mode of public transport and easing the reliance on road transport that is clogging up the roads.

The Henbury Loop is now a freight-only line. However, it is already used as a diversionary route for passenger trains when any disruptions occur on the Filton Bank between Narroway's Hill Junction and Filton Abbeywood station. But it should be used full-time for passenger services.

The Henbury Loop runs beside Filton Airfield where up to 5,700 houses are being planned. So using the line for passenger trains and reopening North Filton and Henbury stations make perfect sense.

North Filton station is situated just off the A38 close to North Filton and South Filton colleges. Until the 1980s it was used to get workers to Rolls-Royce which is very close to the station. The station still has its two platform but they are overgrown with vegetation. This should be cleared and the neighbouring land used for a park-and-ride facility and a rail/bus interchange.

I understand the plan is to reopen the Henbury Loop to passenger trains by 2023. But, rightly, there have been calls to bring forward this date.

We really do need to invest in underused railway lines to help ease congestion on the roads.

The Henbury Loop line meets the criteria required to improve public transport at a stroke and get more people out of their cars and on to trains.

[JayMac]

Rather than re-open North Filton station - the area is adequately served by Filton Abbey Wood - I think there should be a new station actually on the loop line.

Just to the West of Gloucester Rd North (A38) on former Filton Airfield land. With a link road across the former airfield to the newly built Hayes Way, giving access to Cribbs Causeway. Then a bus shuttle should run from this, 'Charlton Hayes - for Cribbs Causeway' railway station to the retail park bus station.

Some time ago, I suggested slewing the rail line so that it ran to the southern boundary of Cribbs Causeway, but that has been ky-boshed by the building of Hayes Way in preparation for the Charlton Hayes housing development.

[anthony215]

Considering the line is intact I wonder if  they could get a regular service before 2023  with trains running to/from Bristol TM^‡(resolve) until the line through to Portishead is re-opened.

We have seen how the branch to Ebbw Vale really helped that valley and since it serves a more  developed area I can see the Henbury loop being a even biger sucess. The line also passes close to Hitachi's depot so workers could also use the service.

[TonyK]

Considering the line is intact I wonder if  they could get a regular service before 2023  with trains running to/from Bristol TM^‡(resolve) until the line through to Portishead is re-opened.

We have seen how the branch to Ebbw Vale really helped that valley and since it serves a more  developed area I can see the Henbury loop being a even biger sucess. The line also passes close to Hitachi's depot so workers could also use the service.

This one will be the prime exemplar of the whole chicken / egg question. The plans for Avonmouth's Deep Sea Container Port would see the Henbury double line filled to capacity with goods traffic, but they are on hold. The plans for Filton Airfield, tragically ripped from my own usage, will see another 5,700 homes built alongside an already chock A38, whilst Highwood Road has been shut to private traffic to try to make Metrobust a better idea.

The clever man would have the developers of the airfield make use of its at grade rail crossing to build a spur to Cribbs, and a station within the new development, so that the effect is mitigated before a brick is laid. In practice, South Gloucestershire DC^▸ (Direct Current) will happily bill the new residents for an estimated ^6 to ^8 million pa, whilst doing little or nothing to ease their way to their jobs in Bristol until the latter can't cope with the congestion any more.

The relative positions of cart and horse remain to be decided.

[JayMac]

Last night there was a film presentation by Charlotte Leslie, MP^▸ (Member of Parliament) for Bristol North West, at Henbury Sports & Social Club. The film was made by a student of City of Bristol college and features some history of the line through Henbury as well as the thoughts of former railway staff and current campaigners.

Sadly, although the event was but a short bus ride from my house, I only got the email reminder for it from Charlotte the evening before, so wasn't able to attend.

The short documentary film is now available on youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlcTz-5p9RM

[John R]

A little disappointed with the film to be honest. Lots of reminiscing, but not very much in terms of a coherent argument as to why the Loop Line is a good idea.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Thanks, John R.

Having also watched that film, I was rather impressed with Charlotte's pieces to camera in particular, and with Dave Wood's comments: I thought they actually summed up the case for the reopening of the Henbury Loop very well - in the context of a fairly brief 7 minute film.

The other interviews contributed to the '... & Then' part, as a background to that "Henbury loop line 'Now & Then'" documentary, I thought.

[JayMac]

From the Bristol Post:

Bristol Rovers stadium could be key to extending rail line

TRANSPORT Ministers are likely to look more favourably on proposals to reopen the Henbury Loop line if Bristol Rovers' new stadium is built.

The admission was made by Transport Minister Stephen Hammond in response to a Parliamentary question by Bristol North West MP^▸ (Member of Parliament) Charlotte Leslie.

Speaking during transport question on the floor of the House of Commons, Tory MP Ms Leslie asked the Minister whether "such large infrastructure projects could have a massively positive impact on the business case for such a line".

Ms Leslie told MPs: "There are advanced plans for a large stadium development as well as significant housing in the area that the Henbury Loop would serve. Does the Minister not think that such large infrastructure projects could have a massively positive impact on the business case for such a line?"

In response, Mr Hammond said that stadium developments were "exactly" the type of scheme that would be looked at when considering the area's transport needs.

He said that Ms Leslie "would not expect me to comment on a specific scheme, but stadium developments such as those are exactly the sort of thing that local enterprise partnerships and local authorities will want to look at".

Mr Hammond said he had been made aware of details of the Metro- West transport scheme for the Bristol area and met representatives of the West of England LEP^» (Local Enterprise Partnership - about) last month.

Earlier Ms Leslie pressed the Minister on what steps he was taking to invest in local railway branch lines.

In response, Mr Hammond said it is for local authorities, working with local enterprise partnerships (LEPs), to determine whether investment in a local branch line is the best way to meet local transport needs.

"Local enterprise partnerships have been invited to bid for the local growth fund, and we encourage them to bid for funds to invest in transport schemes," he added.

Earlier this month, Ms Leslie attacked campaigners trying to stop a Sainsbury's supermarket being built on the site of Rovers' existing ground, the Memorial Stadium. The Sainsbury's development is vital to the funding of the stadium planned for University of the West of England land near Abbey Wood.

The Henbury Loop is a stretch of line which runs from the disused Filton station and across the northern fringe of the city to Avonmouth.

It is seen as a crucial element of MetroWest ^ the opening of disused lines and stations at North Filton, Henbury and Chittening to provide a full network of local rail services to ease traffic congestion in the Bristol area.

[JayMac]

From the Bristol Post:

MP Charlotte Leslie calls for talks with Bristol Port over missing rail link

BRISTOL MP and transport campaigner Charlotte Leslie is calling for urgent talks with the Bristol Port after it emerged the company is ^hostile^ to the reopening of so-called Henbury Loop Line.

At the moment the line, which skirts the Filton area, is used by freight traffic but the plan is to open it up to passenger trains.

The line is seen as crucial for the multi-million Bristol Metro plans which would connect rail services across the city.

But in an open letter to the Bristol Post the Port Authority admitted to being hostile to the scheme.

The port^s director of communications Sue Turner said reopening the Henbury Loop to passenger traffic would affect access to the site for around a quarter of the working day.

The Bristol Port is one of the most influential businesses in the Avonmouth area and helps to create an estimated 8,400 jobs in Avonmouth and beyond.

Conservative MP Charlotte Leslie is a long-term supporter of the Henbury Loop and she was astonished to hear the Port is opposed to the scheme.

Ms Leslie said two previous letters from the Port had talked of a desire to negotiate for ^mutually beneficial ways forward^.

She is now asking for complete clarification on where the port stands on the issue. She is also calling for a meet with port officials and transport experts to explore a positive way forward.

Ms Leslie^s letter has also challenged the Port over a recent survey by Severnet ^ a group of organisations and individuals promoting the area around Avomouth and Portbury - which refused to include the Loop as part of a recent survey of Avonmouth businesses.

Ms Leslie said: ^The Henbury Loop is much bigger than any employer, organisation or individual. There is a bigger picture here which will bring benefits for the whole city and a stance of being ^hostile^ to a scheme which is so widely desired and needed is, frankly, astonishing.

^I do understand there are concerns about road access but we should be sitting round a table discussing them, not digging our heels in if we don^t get our way.

^The Port is in an almost unique position in believing that rail is not the answer for the area, with the vast majority of businesses, residents, charities and civic organisations believing exactly the opposite.^

Ian Smith of the Avon Business Club - which serves the whole Bristol area ^ has also written to Ms Turner expressing his shock over the Port^s ^irrational^ stance on the scheme.

He said: ^The only negative aspect I can see to the proposals is the ^hostility^ of Bristol Port. The benefits meanwhile will bring better public transport for the whole of Bristol, affordable transport access for both business and employees, and commuting benefits for train users and motorists alike

^In my opinion and in the opinion of the vast majority of local business, it's time to get reservations regarding the loop resolved and some firm action taken to move the project forward.^

In her letter to the Post Ms Turner, stated: ^The reason that we are hostile to the Henbury Loop is because it would mean the road entrances into Avonmouth Dock closing for up to 25 per cent of the day to allow the trains to pass over the level crossings. Bridges or tunnels are not feasible alternatives.

^We are keen supporters of public transport for the Avonmouth/Severnside area but trains not the only answer ^ a flexible bus service tailored to the shifts people work would give much needed flexibility and could be put in place very quickly.^