New station at North Filton/Brabazon, Bristol

[whole diary]

[TonyK]

It does seem ambitious. The MCA’s website talks of an ‘accelerated’ programme:

https://www.westofengland-ca.gov.uk/news/mayor-welcomes-2-billion-investment-for-region/

Ashley Down Station took about 15 months from mobilisation on site to main works completion, so it is possible if mobilisation plans are well advanced. But without Henbury terminus in place, how would Brabazon be served? Others with a better understanding of track and signalling may have a view on this…

It may be accelerated, but the article doesn't say how or how much. YTL can wave a wad of Ringgits in the air and organise their own building teams to start on a station site, but they will still have to deal with all the various railway authorities, and DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) probably hit the snooze button long ago in anticipation of nothing much happening. If work does start, I would hope it would be easier than Ashley Down because of the much lighter traffic on the line.

I've ridden on a Malaysian train, and they seem to know what they're doing. I can't see that being much help, though.

[eightonedee]

I've ridden on a Malaysian train, and they seem to know what they're doing. I can't see that being much help, though.

But I dealt with a Malaysian engineering firm once in my professional career, and it was an absolute shambles! They were particularly poor at appreciating the need for statutory approvals, organising themselves to apply for them and understanding what was needed (including reading the advice they were given), or at estimating how long it would take to obtain them.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Council approves £3m for station preparation work



Preparatory works for a new railway station could soon be under way after nearly £3m in funding was granted.

The West of England Combined Authority (WECA^» (West of England Combined Authority - about)) has approved £2.95m towards buying materials and creating designs for the new station in Filton in the north of Bristol.

The new station, which will be called either North Filton or Brabazon, will serve the £2bn Brabazon housing scheme, being built on the former Filton Airfield.  It will also take passengers to the new YTL Arena, which is also being built on the airfield site.

Speaking at a WECA meeting on 31 January 31, co-leader of South Gloucestershire Council Ian Boulton said the new town would be "the UK^▸ (United Kingdom)'s largest brownfield development."

Mr Boulton said the new Brabazon development needed an integrated mass transit system, with North Filton station being a "vital component".  "The development is a £2bn investment which represents a huge vote of confidence in the West of England region and the UK. Its vital therefore that we ensure the new railway station is delivered, and on time", he added.

The money has come from WECA's £72.6m Metrowest Phase 2 funding pot, which is set aside for both the North Filton/Brabazon and Henbury stations.  According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, £37.5 has already been spent on the Ashley Down station and the design for the new Henbury and North Filton/Brabazon stations.

A paper which went before the WECA committee, made up of metro mayor Dan Norris and the leaders of three three member councils, said project costs are expected to exceed the £72.6m funding.  A full business case still needs to be submitted before building the station can begin.

While the plans for Metrowest Phase 2 progress, the first phase of the project - which covers reopening the railway line to Portishead and Pill - remains uncertain.  While funding has been committed locally and North Somerset Council has approved measures to allow construction to start this summer, the new Labour government is reviewing its contribution to the project.

[Red Squirrel]

Anyone know what progress has been made to address the tricky problem that the current station design would not be able to cope with a crowd of concert-goers? I seem to remember hearing somewhere that they would need to close it for safety whenever there was a gig on, which seems a bit... sad really.

[grahame]

Anyone know what progress has been made to address the tricky problem that the current station design would not be able to cope with a crowd of concert-goers? I seem to remember hearing somewhere that they would need to close it for safety whenever there was a gig on, which seems a bit... sad really.

From WikiPedia and may now be historic - example on Coventry as to how they made the Arena station safe>

Although the station was intended to serve the adjacent arena, it was announced in August 2015 that the station would be closed for one hour preceding and following football matches, rugby matches and concerts on safety grounds as there was insufficient rolling stock to run the services necessary for spectators while six-carriage trains could be chartered to run every half-an-hour during weekends, the fares generated would not cover the chartering cost

[TonyK]

Anyone know what progress has been made to address the tricky problem that the current station design would not be able to cope with a crowd of concert-goers? I seem to remember hearing somewhere that they would need to close it for safety whenever there was a gig on, which seems a bit... sad really.

I once caught trains to and from Manchester United FC^▸ (First Class, or Fat Controller, or Football Club, depending on context) station, ex Piccadilly. After the game, it seemed like about a 14-car train pulled up empty, for the 8 minute or so trip back to Piccadilly (and onward connection to BPN). That is now closed because of safety fears, leaving the nearby tram stop on Metrolink to take the strain. I fear the idea of not being able to use trains on gig dates at the YTL Arena (if ever built) may not be fanciful.

[Red Squirrel]

Work underway on another new train station

Dan Norris, the Mayor of the West of England, visited Brabazon on Friday to see the start of work on another new train station for the West of England, with enabling works and site surveys underway.

Brabazon is the new neighbourhood for Bristol being built on the historic former Filton Airfield. The new station will not only serve the new urban community, but also the eagerly-anticipated 19,500 capacity YTL Arena Bristol. Once complete, accelerated to be potentially as soon as Autumn 2026, it should connect Brabazon to Bristol Temple Meads in less than 15 minutes. BAM, who constructed Ashley Down station (which opened last year), will be building the station.

Representatives of project partners YTL Developments, the award-winning developer behind Brabazon, as well as Network Rail and Great Western Railway (GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)) were joined by the Mayor, Dan Norris; local MP^▸ (Member of Parliament), Claire Hazelgrove; and leader and co-leader of South Gloucestershire Council, Councillors Maggie Tyrell and Ian Boulton to mark the start of work on site on Friday 14th March.

Dan Norris, the Mayor of the West of England, said:

“Work is now underway on yet another new train station for the West of England. I’m proud to have opened two new stations in as many years, including the first new one in Bristol in almost a century, but there’s plenty more coming down the track for our region.

“My Mayoral Combined Authority is going full steam ahead to open this station too – serving the new town at Brabazon and helping people get to the new arena. The West of England is continuing to secure major investment to create new jobs and economic growth now and over the coming years.”

The start of work on the new station is a critical milestone in the delivery of the new urban community at Brabazon. Designed to live up to the legacy of this former Airfield’s pioneering past, the approved plans for Brabazon include thousands of new homes, creative workplaces to support up to 30,000 jobs, as well as the largest new urban public park in the South West for over 50 years, equivalent in size to Bristol’s Castle Park.

Brabazon is one of the largest parcels of urban brownfield land in the country, perfectly placed to address the acute need for new homes across the West of England. It is also located on existing road, rail, bus and active travel links, making it ideally suited to become the most sustainable examples of urban regeneration in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom).

The start of work on the station comes after the YTL Group confirmed in January that it would be investing £4 billion across its UK businesses over the next five years.

Colin Skellett, YTL’s UK Group Chief Executive, said:

“Brabazon is where the pioneers of aerospace created the future. Today the next generation of pioneers are shaping the way we will live, work and play in the 21st century.”

“The West of England faces a housing crisis, so Brabazon, the region’s largest Brownfield site, is part of the solution. Less than five miles from the centre of Bristol, at the heart of a world leading cluster of aerospace, engineering and technology companies and with a rail line, metrobus route and cycle paths. The new train station is essential to our shared vision to create the UK’s most sustainable New Town.”

Great Western Railway Managing Director, Mark Hopwood, said:

"We’ve introduced more new stations than any other train company in recent years, and it’s fantastic that work has now begun on another one, further strengthening our award-winning partnership with the Mayoral Combined Authority and Network Rail.

"The development of Brabazon New Town and its new station highlights the crucial role that rail infrastructure plays in enabling growth, creating jobs, and providing much-needed housing. We are excited to see similar progress at Henbury and Portishead in the near future."

Marcus Jones, Western Route Director at Network Rail, said:

“In the last two years, we’ve built two new stations at Ashley Down and Portway Park & Ride, which are now being well-used by passengers. It’s fantastic to see the new station in north Filton moving forward. This will bring access to the railway to a whole new community at Brabazon and link people from elsewhere in Bristol, and further afield, to this exciting new town development and the eagerly awaited arena.”

Source: West of England MCA

[johnneyw]

Hurrah for that.....now for the Henbury station plus the small matter of that chord linking the line in the Severn Beach direction.