This part in that same report rang a few bells...

Sound familiar?  Or in Bristol's case would it be more like several decades?   

I totally get about the improvements to the GWR mainline and how the new IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train - replacement for HSTs (manufactured by Hitachi in Kobe, Japan)) services fit into it.  However, this is now being introduced totally against what was promised to us for Bristol

The actual promises made with the re-quadrupling of filton bank were both "More trains, more often", and "More local services"

I understand the capacity limitations at both BPW^» (Bristol Parkway - next trains) itself, and the double line bottle neck between BPW and FIT

However, following the introduction of the 3rd (now platform 4) platform at BPW over 10 years ago, a new cross-city service was introduced running hourly both ways between WSM and BPW.  Prior to the introduction of the 4th (now platform 1) platform only a couple of years ago, we also had the regular stopping services on the Worcester / Malvern services coming through on the Yate corridor.  There was capacity for all of these services even before the 4th platform at BPW was introduced, which then added even more additional capacity

To allow for the introduction of yet more IET services through BPW (we already have 2 an hour anyway), not only are we not gaining additional local services, we're actually LOSING pretty much ALL of the off-peak local services we already have, and on the Yate corridor this is being reduced to literally 1 per day!

How on earth has this been allowed to happen, and with the promises made for yet more additional local services going forward, how can these possibly be introduced when they're now dropping the existing main cross-city service to cater for the new IET's?

It's one thing not to deliver additional services, but to actually withdraw them from a city that's infamous for being close to gridlocked on a daily basis is beyond madness

Have come into this a bit late having been away for a few weeks, and shocked to see the vast withdrawal of local services from BPW^» (Bristol Parkway - next trains) that I often use!

Whilst I always understood the idea of introducing additional IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train - replacement for HSTs (manufactured by Hitachi in Kobe, Japan)) services through BPW, including new direct BRI^» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains) - BPW - PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) services, I was under the impression that the re-four tracking of Filton Bank was to enable more frequent long distance AND local trains to be able to run concurrently.  This was also the plan with the additional platforms built at BPW, which over the past few years have been great both for being able to increase the local stopping service patterns, and also for accommodating late running XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) & GW^» (Great Western - used as an abbreviation for the area / lines under the Great Western franchise, as opposed to FGW which includes "First", the company operating them too. For tickets - about) long distance trains to reduce delays

The fact that the majority of local services through the Bristol corridor from BPW is being effectively decimated in this new timetable change, in order to provide yet more fast services to London (which as we all know is the only thing that seems to matter to rail services these days) seems very short sighted, especially when there's so much emphasis right now on improving air quality and reducing congestion on Bristol's roads

Just a few examples of trains I currently use (using both the hourly Malvern / Worcester to Weymouth / Brighton etc, or more frequently the hourly Parkway to Weston services) on which I can get a train EVERY HOUR during the day - but from the new timetable change, the last train of the morning i'll be able to get to Stapleton Road / Lawrence Hill from Parkway is 07:02 until the evening peak, and to Bedminster / Parson Street / Yatton / Nailsea & Backwell is 08:13, again until the evening peak

Also much worse from Yate, where after the single daily 06:53 departure there will no longer be any stopping services to Lawrence Hill & Stapleton Road at all.  Again, we were promised more frequent local stopping services along the corridor up to Yate, but instead these existing stopping services are now being withdrawn

Looks like Filton are gaining much more of the stopping services withdrawn from BPW, but that hardly helps those with BPW as their main local station - especially with it being a Park & Ride station - plus BPW is the one with more long distance stopping services to enable changes to local ones compared with FIT.  From the looks of the new timetable, all local trains will now require connections at BRI, leaving BPW as mainly just a long distance station with much fewer local connections than before

A real big backward step it seems, and one that really does seem to fly in the face of the plans to improve local services, as it will - very regretably - be putting me back in my car more than before

I always used that route before to get to Whapping Wharf / Spike Island, and sometimes onto Bedminster

All we need now is the old 'temporary' flyover to be brought back into service to access Redcliffe Way from Temple Way again! 

This was when Stapleton Road became pretty much the 2nd busiest station in Bristol as it was a main interchange station, not just for passengers on the Severn Beach line but also to split trains travelling south onwards to either Bath or further to the SW via Temple Meads

This was mainly due to the fact that in the days of steam a reversal at BRI^» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains) would obviously take considerable time.  So passengers for Bath and onwards would change at SRD to go around the Rhubarb, and also for BRI for journeys to the SW

Obviously once reversals became a lot more common / easier with the introduction of DMU^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit)'s this negated much less lengthy layovers at BRI

Despite all of the other detail included in the pictures, there appears to be a distinct lack of any OLE^▸ (Overhead Line Equipment, more often "OHLE") which would obviously change the scene a fair bit, and is also rather - ummm - necessary! 

As a recently ex frequent BPW^» (Bristol Parkway - next trains) to PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) traveller, I would pretty much always time my outward journey to PAD to coincide with the restaurant car service so i'd arrive in London with a properly cooked meal.  Failing that i'd at least get a hot bacon roll to tide me over, which i'd also pretty much always opt for when I returned to BPW a day or two later

As i'm sure a lot of folk travelling for work would agree, it was much better being able to enjoy your meal during travel time to avoid the need to eat elsewhere

This - to me - has certainly been the greatest loss with the withdrawal of the old HST^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)) formations, and the one thing that with some proper thought and consideration on the part of GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) in conjunction with Hitachi could still be reinstated by properly fitted buffet cars as before   

Fantastic video.  Perfect way to see the whole of the new infrastructure, not just up the bank but also the new electrification right up to Westerleigh Junction

As usual (and also an appropriate subject for the question of the future of the Metrowest project) there's absolutely no mention of the fact that the Four Tracking was originally part of the campaign to enable more local trains to be run more often, and was the key to being able to effectively unlock that potential

It's just been sold again as a boost in the Bristol to London services, same as always;

"The two new tracks will also help get services up and running faster when incidents occur and critically the new lines pave the way for an increase in direct London – Bristol Parkway – Bristol Temple Meads services that will be introduced at the end of 2019"

Yes, it will reduce the journey time from BPW^» (Bristol Parkway - next trains) to PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) by running directly, but that doesn't - in any way - solve the Greater Bristol transport problems we're still stuck with

In fact it goes on to say how it will help to boost Bristol's economy and growth - which is fantastic - but which just adds yet more footfall and congestion to a local transport system which is already years behind being able to cope with the existing living & working population of the area

If they're just leaving it running on ARS^▸ (Automatic Route Setting) then it will just run into the scheduled platform

You just literally end up feeling like shaking them all to try and get the message to hit home, at least for starters

Secondly you want at the very least an acknowledgement of the issues raised

Thirdly you want some kind of commitment - and timescale - for the issues to be addressed

And finally (if you can wait that long) you want the issues resolved!

If this new Metrobus system and all of it's various flaws from initial conception to an extremely delayed - and in some cases still not running - service which firstly is unable to run to the initial advertised faster travel times, and secondly at the first price change (after only a few months of running) one of the major selling points of the service - the buy before you board - fails, then it leaves you very little hope for the future of our transport solutions being addressed in any kind of timely manner

My point exactly, and that's what makes it all the more frustrating

Plus there was the majorly hyped 'Northern Powerhouse' essentially guaranteeing loads more funding for the North...  once that was in place it opened up endless new (and more than likely long hoped for) projects that could start to be rolled out

When our multiple councils / metro mayor & Bristol's 'my way or the highway' (pun intended) mayor who ignores the rest of his own council whenever he likes can't seem to get it together between them, what hope do us poor folk in the West have?  Aside from the fact that we're growing constantly, one thing the powers that be always love to brag about