From the Bristol Post website...
A new ^100m vision for Bristol's Temple MeadsA VISION of how Brunel^s historic Temple Meads Station could look in the future has been unveiled.
Network Rail, the landlords of the historic building, are planning a radical ^100 million revamp of the Victorian structure as part of work to regenerate the area around the station.
The new plan for Temple Meads
The improvements will be the biggest overhaul seen at the station for more than 140 years ^ and could even include the removal of the existing ramp leading up to the station.
The plans are still in a very early stage and discussions are due to take place with key organisations such as English Heritage but the outlines of the scheme are starting to emerge.
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The aim is to complete all the work by the end of 2019, two years after the electrification of the London to Bristol rail line has been completed.
Details emerged at a conference held in Brunel^s Passenger Shed yesterdayTHU.
Delegates were shown proposals which would include the creation of a new entrance at the side of the station building, a subway and a new glass front.
The early drawings also show plans for a new pedestrian square at the front of the station, which would replace the existing concourse.
Around 300 delegates at the conference looking at the progress being made in the Enterprise Zone were given a sneak preview of the station plans.
There were also updates on the work being done to bring a 12,000 seater stadium to Bristol. The audience was told negotiations with an operator were well under way. Work on improving on access to the land earmarked for the arena is due to start within a matter of months.
Mike Gallop, from Network Rail, is part of the team drawing up plans to transform Temple Meads.
He said: ^Temple Meads set the template for modern commercial stations across the world. It was built as a driver for trade and commerce and that blueprint is what we are trying to recreate today.
^We want to link Bristol to London and the rest of the country and, at the same time, we will be recreating the engine of trade and commerce.
^There is a case for Bristol Temple Meads to be redeveloped to meet future passenger demand and to unlock the potential of the land asset around it, so that it supports the aspirations of Bristol Enterprise Zone and city council.
^However, the task to do so will be enormous. There are the considerations of building on a live railway, meeting the government^s efficiencies target and overcoming constraints posed by a heritage structure.^
Paul Wilson, below, the chief executive of the Local Enterprise Partnership, is overseeing the Enterprise Zone and the work being done in the area.
He revealed that negotiations are ^very much^ in progress to bring in an operator to run the long-awaited indoor arena, in the hope that the 12,000-seater venue opens within four years^ time.
The plans will also include a new passenger interchange at the side of the station, which would connect Temple Meads to the rest of the city^s public transport network.
A spokesman for the enterprise zone said: ^The station approach ramp is extremely congested, with conflicting vehicle movements, which Network Rail and Bristol City Council are hoping to improve.
^A successful passenger transport interchange will provide a seamless end-to-end journey between all modes of transport, including cycling and walking.^
George Ferguson has already pledged that an arena will be built before his term as Bristol^s first elected mayor comes to an end.
A feasibility study has been carried out for an arena on the former diesel depot site near the station.
The study found that there is support and demand for an arena, along with interest from leading operators in the entertainment sector.
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