Bristol connections: Metro, Bus Rapid Transit, PTE, ITA and local councils - discussion

[whole diary]

[TonyK]

Perhaps it is a sign of my getting old but when I lived down west, the Centre was always known as the The Tramway Centre and Bristol Buses as "Bristol Blues" when they were painted green. What would we do without nostalgia?

I think it was called Brigstowe when I were a lad.

"Oh Bristol buses, we dearly love you
In your British racing green
Thundering though our glorious city
Seldom heard, and never seen"

Fred Wedlock

[swrural]

Are there any Bristolians still living in Bristol?  Oh yes, I read of their exploits in the Crown Court proceedings in the BEP.

The only thing that was blue about the top deck of a bus was the smoke that prevented one seeing from one end to the other on football special services (come to that, any evening service).  Also you knew whether a bus had been in service to Somerdale by the stink of Fry's chocolate.   

[TonyK]

Mayor George Ferguson took to Twitter to voice further doubts about the Greater Bristol BRT^▸ (Bus Rapid Transit):

George Ferguson @GeorgeFergusonx

#Cambridge #BusRapidTransport another accident, sent me by Pip Sheard: http://ow.ly/hMWqc  Does not fill with confidence re #Bristol #BRT[/url]

This is in response to yet another accident on the Cambridge BRT, as explained by the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page)

Cambridge 'guided busway' crash leaves three injured
 
An eyewitness said a bus crashed into the back of another


Three people have been injured after two buses crashed on a guided busway in Cambridgeshire.

The collision at 15:50 GMT at Swavesey was between two buses heading in the direction of St Ives, Andy Campbell from Stagecoach said.

Three people were treated at the scene for minor injuries, the East of England Ambulance Service confirmed.

Passenger Michaela Murray said the bus she was on slowed down for horses and another bus hit it from behind.

"Glass smashed into the bus. No-one knew what had happened. The driver got up and asked if everyone was all right," she said.

Ms Murray said she saw people who looked like they had broken their noses and she took herself to the doctors after having neck pains.

Diversions were put in place while the buses were recovered.

The 16-mile concrete-tracked busway opened last year and runs services between Huntingdon and Trumpington, south of Cambridge.

It is the second crash on the busway in three months.

In November a bus came off its tracks, with the driver treated for shock. No defect was found in the vehicle, an investigation found.

This would not have happened had there been some sort of block-signalling system employed, or automatic bus protection. (Subtle dig there!) There have been at least five incidents since the BRT opened for business, two involving cyclists who should not have been on the track, one sadly resulting in the demise of a dog, this one, and the accident in November 2012, where the driver missed the guided bus way, and left the bus at a 45 degree angle across the tracks. WEP want to build a similar system next to the New Cut of the Avon. Mayor Ferguson has sensibly stopped this one.

[JayMac]

Looks like some preparitory work is underway at Stapleton Road. Portakabins and building material in evidence as I passed through this morning.

Four track and leccy is on its way!!!

[TonyK]

I'll be working nearby tomorrow. If the weather isn't bad, I'll take a butchers.

[swrural]

Great news BNM.  I hope you both have a camera for when it's interesting, otherwise I shall have to send my son down there.  He lives about a mile away in Ashley Hill.

[TonyK]

Great news BNM.  I hope you both have a camera for when it's interesting, otherwise I shall have to send my son down there.  He lives about a mile away in Ashley Hill.

At least a phone (5MP camera these days, better than my first digital camera), if not a proper camera. I took some reference pictures last summer around Stapleton Road station, so the differences will be clear.

EDIT:

Platform 1 before:


and now:



Roots Garden Centre before:



and now:



which is a shame, but you can't stand in the way of progress. A stockyard occupies the southern end:



with stacks of large polystyrene blocks that don't show in the pictures.

The northern part remains for now. As it was:





and as it is now, albeit from a different angle:



If it looks a bit sparse now, bear in mind that the first picture was taken at the end of summer. It may be that are packing up and moving.

Meanwhile, under the bridge, delicate adjustments were being made, using a precision engineering instrument:



A man with a sledgehammer was knocking lumps out a sticky-out bit of masonry. Why, I could not say. All looking like Four Track, Soon! I'm around there at least once a week, and will report.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the First Great Western press release:

FGW^▸ (First Great Western) welcomes opportunity to improve transport in Bristol

First Great Western has welcomed the opportunity to continue to work with partners to improve transport in Bristol.

Speaking at an Institute of Directors event held at the M-Shed last night First Group^s Bid Director for the First Great Western franchise Matthew Golton said: ^This strategic transport debate is being held to build on discussions about Bristol^s future transport priorities. There is still much to do and we will keep planning for growth - working with business, the Mayor, the City and with Government - to support the communities we serve and keep people moving in an increasingly congested world. We have worked in close partnership with local authorities, the Local Enterprise Partnership, rail users, communities, Government and our industry partners to secure long term transport investment for the Greater Bristol area, including electrification and new Intercity Express trains.^

Mr Golton went on to cite First Great Western^s record in Bristol, which has seen 100% growth for the Severn Beach Line as well as the injection of 1700 additional seats at peak times in the Greater Bristol area; testament to the partnership working across the region and with Government.

Institute of Directors chair Tom McCarthy said: ^The IoD^» (Institute of Directors - about) organised transport debate brought together transport experts from academia, the business world and local government in an effort to define the route ahead. Historically there have been numerous excellent transport initiatives but not enough cohesion to deliver an integrated system.  A key concept that arose from the debate last night was a model of integrated transport, similar to the Transport for London Authority. We fully endorse this concept and hope that the regional local authorities can continue to work together alongside the transport providers to create such an organisation.^

The Creating an inspirational transport future for Bristol event was held to enable business leaders to listen to and question what leaders of transport see as the key transport issues in the region.

[swrural]

Many thanks FTN, most grateful.  I had not realised that the old main platforms were essentially intact, as shewn in the last photo of your Feb 20 posting..

[JayMac]

Thanks for the photos FTN. I was going to grab a few snaps on my way through this coming Saturday, but you've saved me the effort and I can continue to Bristol TM^‡(resolve) for a leisurely coffee before my train to Taunton.

[TonyK]

Yes, that platform looks as though it just needs two extra lines. The bigger problem is apparently this:



I'll keep my eyes open for anything interesting. I would love to know the detail of what work is coming, and what timescale is involved.

In another part of Greater Bristol Metroland, I was in Portishead last weekend, and drove along Sheepway to see if there was any sign of work there yet. Alas not, and the nesting season will be with us soon. Unless something dramatic happens very soon, that will mean no clearance of undergrowth, the next step, before October at the earliest.

[34104]

I took some reference pictures last summer around Stapleton Road station, so the differences will be clear.

Showing my age a bit here but i seem to remember Stapleton Road as the station for Eastville when Rovers played there and special trains were run for Argyle fans going to the games-very lively occasions they were,too.  ;Happy days,an IKEA store stands on the site now,i believe,very sad.



Edit note: Quote amended to avoid repeating all of the individual pictures - in the interests of clarity for readers using mobile devices. CfN. 

[TonyK]

You are absolutely right, 34104. The tunnel under the road below the M32 that used to lead to the stadium entrance is still there, and now leads into Ikea's car park.

[34104]

You are absolutely right, 34104. The tunnel under the road below the M32 that used to lead to the stadium entrance is still there, and now leads into Ikea's car park.

I see Rovers are getting a new ground in due course-will that be rail connected? About time they got their own ground,could be the rebirth of them.I think they'll stay up this year but Argyle.......

[TonyK]

Sadly, it will not be directly rail connected, although it will be closer to a station (Filton Abbey Wood) than the Mem is to Montpelier. The plan is a joint venture with UWE on the site of the former Hewlett Packard campus, just east of the MoD place. It will be a longer walk than Eastville was from Stapleton Road, and there isn't a pub on the way, other than the George to the west of the railway - a slight detour.

The fabled Avon Metro tram route was supposed to have a spur to UWE, but least said, soonest mended. There is still a lot of open space around the area, though, and to my mind, if the tram-train trials truly triumph, this could be put forward as a contender for a route to connect to a four-tracked Filton Bank at the newly-reopened Horfield station. Evidence for the latter still exists - note the platform edge:



Sadly, the only transport likely to go near here in the near future will be the beloathed Bust Rabid Transit. I can see a situation arise whereby the West of England Partnership (WEP), having failed to deliver a light railway and having blown ^200 million of someone else's hard-earned on what should have been a ponced-up bus lane, but isn't even ponced up any more, will not do anything better with transport for fear of BRT^▸ (Bus Rapid Transit) being an abject disaster, rather than just an embarrassing failure.