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

[whole diary]

[swrural]

It's not that far to walk to the new Bristol Rovers UWE stadium, as I see it.  I reckon about half a km, but that's directly across the south MOD car park.  One imagines that a walking route will be set out.  One advantage will be that if away fans are dropped off at Abbey Wood, they walk to the stadium without having the opportunity to make a nuisance of themselves en route, as there will be nothing there to mess about with.  I've never understood why it is football fans who misbehave and not the others.

In some ways it would have been better if the station was nearer to the bridge Bonnington Walk (Horfield Station was there I believe, is that from where the photo is taken FTN?).

I was amused to note that the stadium will be a short walk from a footpath that crosses the line on a footbridge south of Abbey Wood from the west of the line, from Kipling Road.  That estate will have to have a restriction scheme for residents' parking, otherwise it will be hell for them, just as it was around Stapleton Road in the 1960s.

[TonyK]

swrural,

You are absolutely spot on with the location - I was indeed at Bonnington Walk.

More from Stapleton Road. The work is not directly related to four-tracking, but is part of the preparatory works for electrification. The footbridge over the line is being adapted. The planning consent - not strictly necessary for the railway, but done as a matter of integration with any other nearby works - tells us what is to come:



I'm slightly disappointed that it is not the addition of four shiny new rails at this stage, but it is progress.

[TonyK]

Excellent news from the Severn Beach line, courtesy of This is Bristol:

Railway line passenger figures to top a million

Tuesday, March 05, 2013

The Bristol Post

By Tom Morris

FOR the first time ever more than one million rail journeys are expected to be made on the Severn Beach line this year.

Between January and December 2012 passenger figures were 935,000 ^ an increase of 107,000 trips (12.5 per cent) on the previous year.
 ​


The latest figures means passenger numbers on the line between Severn Beach and Bristol Temple Meads have increased by 250 per cent since First Great Western (FGW^▸ (First Great Western)) took over the running of the line in 2006.

The service between Bristol Temple Meads currently runs 22 services a day, 11 in each direction.


The figures are expected to top one million by the end of the year because last September FGW launched a new night-time train service to cope with increased passenger demand on the line.

When the first phase of the long-awaited Greater Bristol Metro opens, which is expected to be in 2017, services on the Severn Beach line are expected to increase again with half hourly trains available.

On Saturday FGW managing director Mark Hopwood told delegates at TravelWatch South West's General Meeting that passengers on the community rail line would hit or exceed one million passengers for first time.

He said: "These excellent results show the value of our local rail services in the South West and how productive partnerships can really deliver results that benefit local people and the local economy.

"Our local Community Rail services are not only among the fastest growing, but also among the most reliable in the country and we look forward to working with partners to deliver further improvements."

Mr Hopwood also highlighted how FGW has introduced 18 additional High Speed Train carriages for trains serving the Bristol and Bath area within the last year.

He said FGW had added 924 seats across morning and evening peaks ^ forming part of an extra 4,500 seats for customers travelling into London during peak time.

Julie Boston, co-ordinator for Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways (FOSBR^▸ (Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways)) said: "We are obviously very pleased and delighted at the news that First Great Western expects passenger numbers of the Severn Beach line to exceed one million for the first time.

"The fact that they believe this goes to show there is the need and desire from people to use the route.

"We also hope that the message to our decision makers is that if they make half hourly services available at all 25 functioning stations in the city it can ease road problems."

She said later FOSBR was celebrating the South West local rail network with a scenic round trip from Bristol Temple Meads to Montpelier Station on Saturday, March 23.

"In March 1963, the Beeching Report identified 2,363 stations and 5,000 miles (8,000 km) for closure," she said.

"Despite this negative policy, many of the surviving stations and lines have flourished with community and local authority support.

"We need to show decision makers that an affordable, frequent and reliable rail service is good for passengers, good for the environment and good for the economy."

This shows that there is an appetite in Bristol for commuter rail travel, and will help the campaign to get the Greater Bristol Metro Rail project up and running. Bring it on!


In another place, a transport student at UWE, Ben Packham, has a survey online, as part of his dissertation. We need good transport experts in Bristol, and we need them to know what we ordinary folks think. Please spare this gentleman, whom I have never met or spoken to, a few minutes of your time, and complete his survey.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From The Post (Bristol):

Park and ride to be considered for Whitchurch

A study is to be carried out into the possibility of creating a new park and ride for the A37 near Whitchurch.

Council leaders at Bath and North East Somerset Council have agreed to begin discussions with Bristol City Council and the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership to look at the possibility of creating the new facility. The agreement followed pressure from the council's Conservative group which tabled an amendment as part of discussions on the authority's Core Strategy document blueprint.

Sites for where the park and ride could be located will now be considered.

A final decision on whether any scheme can go ahead rests with the council's Liberal Democrat ruling cabinet.

Conservative councillors have argued that any new development should be coupled with improved infrastructure and have said that creating a Whitchurch park and ride could help ease traffic congestion on the A37 and alleviate parking problems on residential roads in the village. Councillor Tim Warren said: "We wanted to put the idea of building a new park and ride for the A37 on the council's agenda so that discussions can start with Bristol and the Local Enterprise Partnership on whether this is a realistic possibility. Improving transport and tackling congestion across the West of England is frequently cited as the number one concern of residents throughout the area.

"Building a new park and ride near Whitchurch would help alleviate the chronic traffic problems on the A37 and address some of the parking difficulties experienced in the village. It would also help residents of villages to the south of the district, who could get a bus to Whitchurch and then use the park and ride for the remainder of the journey into Bristol. Obviously a lot more work would have to be done on finding an appropriate site for a park and ride and assessing the cost, but we hope that BANES and Bristol look into this seriously."

Local councillors have welcomed the move, saying that many people already use the streets of Whitchurch as a makeshift park and ride.

Whitchurch village councillor, Peter Edwards, said: "At the moment, many commuters already use residential roads in Whitchurch village as a de facto park and ride, driving to the outskirts of Bristol and then catching a bus on the A37. If a park and ride were built then it would help resolve this problem and make journeys into Bristol easier for local people. We'd have to investigate possible sites and consult with residents very carefully before any firm plans came forward however."

[TonyK]

From The Post (Bristol):

Park and ride to be considered for Whitchurch

A study is to be carried out into the possibility of creating a new park and ride for the A37 near Whitchurch.

It's difficult to see how this could be made to work properly. The inspiration must be the existing P&Rs^▸ (Park and Ride) in Brislington, Avonmouth, and LA. They all benefit from multi-lane roads with a lot of bus lane and relatively few traffic lights. The same cannot be said of the A37, which is stop-start through residential areas, and with no real chance of widening. It would need something radical, like using the old railway alignment, which would cost a king's ransom as a bus route, let alone a reopened railway.

[Chris from Nailsea]

It's difficult to see how this could be made to work properly. The inspiration must be the existing P&Rs^▸ (Park and Ride) in Brislington, Avonmouth, and LA.

Agreed - hence the various fairly heated comments that have been appended to that article from The Post (Bristol) 

('LA' in this particular context is 'Long Ashton', by the way.)

[JayMac]

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

Bristol's Bus Rapid Transit delay 'risks further plans'

More delays to the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT^▸ (Bus Rapid Transit)) scheme will put all of the West's major transport plans under negotiation at risk, it has been claimed.

The mayor of Bristol said he has the go-ahead to change plans for the new transport system without losing Government funding.

But North Somerset Council have accused George Ferguson of "exaggerating" the changes he can make.

A review looking for an alternative route is due to be completed by May.

Mr Ferguson announced in January that the route of the BRT system should not run across Prince Street Bridge or through the harbour for fear of clogging up the bridge and compromising the ambiance of the historic docks.

But he was warned that changes could put the entire ^200m project in jeopardy.

'Minor changes'

And now the leader of North Somerset Council, Nigel Ashton, has said there is a very clear message from the Department for Transport that further delay is unacceptable.

"Further prevarication could risk all of the West of England major transport schemes under negotiation with the Government," he said.

"This amounts to many millions of pounds in local transport investment."

Mr Ferguson said that transport minister Norman Baker told him in February they could make changes to the route without losing the money.

But North Somerset Councillor Elfan Ap Rees, who has executive responsibility for highways and transport, has said this is not true.

"He wasn't told that at all. He is making statements which are fundamentally exaggerated," Mr Ap Rees said.

"Whilst it is possible for minor tweaks to be made, they would only be minor changes, not major changes that would require re-jigging the whole scheme, which is what George Ferguson's idea is."

Denying that a review of the route is risking future investment, Mr Ferguson said: "As far as I am concerned the position is exactly as I said it was - we are reviewing the scheme.

"We have been given the go-ahead to make the changes, subject to it meeting the business case, which is what the route review is about, and they perfectly understand that we are reviewing it."

[Chris from Nailsea]

Mr Ferguson said that transport minister Norman Baker told him in February they could make changes to the route without losing the money.

But North Somerset Councillor Elfan Ap Rees, who has executive responsibility for highways and transport, has said this is not true.

"He wasn't told that at all. He is making statements which are fundamentally exaggerated," Mr Ap Rees said.

Was North Somerset Councillor Elfan Ap Rees, who has executive responsibility for highways and transport, present at that meeting?

[TonyK]

Elfan ap Rees has overstepped the mark this time. What ap Ratt! Same goes for Nigel whatsisname.

BRT^▸ (Bus Rapid Transit) is the worst transport idea ever dreamt up anywhere. That is the opinion of everyone except ap Ratt and the West of England Partnership. Now, it seems that the Elfan in the room has determined that mighty Weston super Mare will prevail over the village of Bristol. He will borrow the small tank of Colonel Gr^ber, and build the guided busway that no-one wants all by himself. Now that he has stuck his head above the parapet, and criticised the only politician to have been elected with a mandate about BRT, he may find that he will be blamed when the whole plan falls apart. I hope so anyway.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. If it's a straight choice between having BRT or losing the funding, I'm all for the latter. BRT is the ugly love-child of Atkins and WEP. Forget not that Atkins advocated ripping up the Severn Beach line, soon to celebrate a million passengers a year, in favour of a busway as recently as 2005. The whole scheme is flawed, and would be a terrible waste of ^200 million of other peoples' scarce money. I remain convinced that it was approved only because Chancellor George Osborne (another Quisling) needed some cheap "good" news in his first budget.

I hope I don't sound negative or overly critical about what I see as casus belli

[chuffed]

HEAR, HEAR!, hear hear! ad infinitum.....seems if Mr ap Ratt is sticking his fingers in his ears and beginning to look like one of his beloved helicopters.

[trainer]

Re: FTN and chuffed:

Harsh, but true.  Covering over the cracks of pathetic public transport systems with pretend solutions is political expediency at a low point.  North Somerset has some good bus services, but is hardly such a paragon of virtue that it's leaders can tell other people how to run theirs, IMHO^▸ (in my humble opinion).  (I hope the H is clear!)

[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!!!

Apologies for quoting myself, but it now appears I may have been somewhat premature in welcoming the start of four-track preparatory work at Stapleton Road.

The current construction work is the building of a new footbridge, beyond the current one toward Bristol. Looks modular so probably no issue extending it over the main lines come four-tracking.

[TonyK]

Apologies for quoting myself, but it now appears I may have been somewhat premature in welcoming the start of four-track preparatory work at Stapleton Road.

You and me both, BNM, although I apologised first.

More from Stapleton Road. The work is not directly related to four-tracking, but is part of the preparatory works for electrification. The footbridge over the line is being adapted.

There has been a clear rethink on that bridge. The planning notice I included in my earlier post was on display at the station too. That had been replaced the last time I was there by one telling of the entirely new footbridge, and people were busy on the foundations, just the Lawrence Hill side of the old bridge. I'm guessing an engineer came for a final butchers prior to starting work, shook his head, and ordered a new bridge. I too was hoping to see a much wider version, plus two new shiny sets of rails, but we'll just have to be patient, and make sure Elfan ap Rees isn't involved.

[Red Squirrel]

<rant>
According to some sources  it looks like the irrelevant word 'Bristol' is set to be edited out of the name'Greater Bristol Metro':
"The new stations will form part of the Greater Bristol Metro project or "Metro West" as it is to be called"
Source: http://www.saltfordenvironmentgroup.org.uk/station.html
"The re-opening of the Portishead line will form part of the Great West Metro Phase One project"
Source:  http://www.northsomersettimes.co.uk/news/funding_approved_to_progress_railway_dream_1_2021087
Can I share with you my unbridled delight in hearing this news?
As all right-thinking people must surely be aware, Bristol is more or less irrelevant to the economies of South Dibley, Bath and North East Dibley and North Dibley; in truth the main purpose of the ^Metro^ plan is to allow  the Dibleyites to scuttle across the urban wasteland that divides their parishes as quickly as possible.
But why stop there? Surely the name ^Bristol Parkway^ is an insult to the whole of South Dibley. Renaming it as ^South Dibley Parkway^ (or better still ^South Dibley Gateway^) would much more accurately reflect the international prestige of this great cultural region.
There^s a precedent for this, of course: not so long ago, Bristol and the Dibleys were brought together to form a County. For a while it looked like that country was going to be called ^Greater Bristol^, but of course the Dibleyites weren^t having that, and so it was named ^Avon^ thus clearly locating its as one of five places in England, or three in Scotland, or one in Wales, or eight others worldwide.
</rant>

[anthony215]

How about this for Bristol:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Translohr

Lookes more like a tram and much more enviromentally freindlier than the rapidbus transit scheme currently proposed which more than likely use FTR^▸ (Fitness To Run) vehicles like we have in Swansea at the moment.

Might be cheaper to install as well.