Apparently so, and I believe part of £94m allocated for the three new entrances (South, East and I presume the renovations and public realm around the Midland Shed on the north side).

Yes, it's a bonkers amount of money but take a look at the photo at https://www.bristoltemplequarter.com/news/eastern-entrance-reaches-construction-milestone-with-building-shell-complete/ - there's more to it than you think, don't forget that it all had to be done around a live railway just metres away from passengers and the underpass.

Incidentally, the floating footpath to Temple Quay apparently cost £10m. I believe that was paid for by the University as a planning condition.   

Dunno about new vs existing, but the Portishead line's business case forecast 1.2 million extra journeys by 2040, so the way these things usually work, expect 2m by 2030.

The suggestion was that GBR/DfT» were waiting to see the results of the Scottish rolling stock procurement exercise, and then would add theirs if they liked what they saw.

Now - is that 2 million abstracted from the main entrance, or two million new customers?    And if the latter, where are the extra carriages on trains like the Cross Country ones, and the services to Cardiff and via Bradford-on-Avon to cope?

From a friend who supervised the work on the new entrance...

I worked on that job in summer 2024. Absolute clusterf**k.
Roof Steels all need redrilling as they sagged under their own weight, requiring a crane and us using handheld drills instead of magdrills…
Bomb proof glass all round except the cladding that hod 3mm galvanised steel sheets behind, nothing was coming out the factory correct and the building leaked like a sieve until recently.
Main company went bust after the job.
No wonder it ended up costing so much!!

Everything else is caked in bird poo

Is this lit at night? Any separators between pedestrians & pushbikes - in either direction?

Not very safe then? Would you use it after supper?

I hear the new entrance etc cost £23 million,  surely that can't be true? Does anyone know the actual figure?

Incidentally, the floating footpath to Temple Quay apparently cost £10m. I believe that was paid for by the University as a planning condition.   

Apparently so, and I believe part of £94m allocated for the three new entrances (South, East and I presume the renovations and public realm around the Midland Shed on the north side).

Yes, it's a bonkers amount of money but take a look at the photo at https://www.bristoltemplequarter.com/news/eastern-entrance-reaches-construction-milestone-with-building-shell-complete/ - there's more to it than you think, don't forget that it all had to be done around a live railway just metres away from passengers and the underpass.

Incidentally, the floating footpath to Temple Quay apparently cost £10m. I believe that was paid for by the University as a planning condition.   

The estimate was 2m people p/a - so 20% of station users-ish

I hear the new entrance etc cost £23 million,  surely that can't be true? Does anyone know the actual figure?

I too saw the untouched fizz but got a snazzy bag for my trouble!

I'll have a return ticket from Nailsea & Backwell, so I will be able to do either.  I'd suggest the ceremony will probably be outside, as the weather forecast is for 'bright and sunny', and there's more room outdoors for those attending, rather than trying to cram everyone inside into the concourse.

I shall be wearing a Coffee Shop badge for identification, just in case anyone here wants to approach me, and I will hopefully be in company with my esteemed admin colleague here, Red Squirrel.  For a squirrel, he is remarkably tall, when he stands up on his hind legs, so you can't miss him. 

Look forward to seeing some of you there.  CfN. 

Me too. I wonder whether it’s better to be inside or outside?

In terms of usage, it is also quite handy for gigs at the prospect building.

Passed through their yesterday
I am intrigued how much use it will get and how much increased footfall there will be going the opposite way to normal at the station

Indeed.  The hoardings have now been replaced with temporary barriers and a big poster saying the same thing.

It looks like the east entrance opening time and date will be 16.00 on 7th September according to the Network Rail announcement (link below).

https://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/news/new-station-entrance-to-open-at-temple-meads-transforming-access-to-the-railway-and-creating-a-new-gateway-to-bristol

According to the University of Bristol website, the Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus is due to open on the 8th Sept.  Has anyone heard anything about the new Temple Meads east entrance opening to coincide with this?  Have they even installed the new gates yet?

Who designed a round room with two great pillars in the middle of the presentation area

Construction of flagship University of Bristol campus complete


The building will open to students in September - Image © TQEC

The final phase of construction of a £500m new university campus has been completed ahead of it being opened to students in September.

The University of Bristol's Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus has been built next to Temple Meads station and will house 4,600 students, 650 members of staff and a hub for start-ups.

The university bought the site from Bristol City Council in 2017 and the derelict Royal Mail sorting office on the site was demolished in 2019 to make way for the new building.

Furniture and equipment are due to be moved into the building in the next four months. The campus is part of the 135-hectare transformation of Bristol Temple Quarter, the UK's largest regeneration project.

The campus will be connected by an eastern entrance to Temple Meads via a new public space called University Square.

There will also be a new harbour walkway, funded by the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority, connecting University Square to Temple Quay with new walking and cycling routes.

More than half of the workforce that constructed the building came from the local region.

Drone footage of the new building shows a six-storey atrium, a ground floor Exchange Hall that will be open to the public and internal gardens for students and staff. There is also a 300-seat lecture theatre in the round to to increase participation.


The university's deputy vice chancellor said the building was a "major milestone" - Image © TQEC

Professor Judith Squires, Bristol University's deputy vice chancellor, said:  "Today marks a major milestone in our drive to create a vibrant new connected campus in the heart of the city. It's inspiring to see our new building come to life and I'm hugely grateful to everyone who has worked so hard to get us to this point. I look forward to welcoming students, innovation and community partners and staff to join us in our new campus in September."


The atrium has a view of the city - Image © TQEC

Mayor of the West of England Helen Godwin, said: "Today's completion is a big step towards unlocking the wider potential of Bristol Temple Quarter and thousands more new jobs and new homes for our region. The old Royal Mail building that stood on this site was once called the chipped tooth in the city's smile. In this new chapter, I'm happy to say that derelict site is now a distant memory as we look forward to opening Bristol Temple Meads' new eastern entrance, walkways along the harbour and the new campus in September."

Major £72.5m revamp at Temple Meads nears completion


The team of engineers has worked for six years on the project

A six-year project to refurbish a 152-year-old Grade I listed railway station building is nearing completion, after a £72.5m refurbishment.

Network Rail engineers have changed over 1,200 roof glazing panels, repaired 2,500 pieces of steel work at Bristol Temple Meads station, and re-wired the electrical system throughout the building.

Joanna Grew, from Network Rail, said: "It is part of a much bigger scheme to regenerate the Bristol area and the whole Bristol Temple Quarter. Whilst the scaffolding was up it really was a dark place but slowly we've been taking that scaffolding down and unveiling what is the beautiful station - a bit like opening a present at Christmas."

Grew explained the scale of the project expanded once work started: "We originally thought there would only be 250 repairs, and actually that number was 2,500. We will be over the next few years looking to renovate various parts of the station which will bring in much better food and beverage and commercial opportunities," she added.


Hundreds of glazing panels on the roof have been replaced

As well as the roof refurbishment, a new entrance has been constructed which will link to the University of Bristol's new campus next to the station.

To ensure the work was carried out safely, a huge scaffolding structure was built above where the trains ran.

James Shelley, lead portfolio manager, said: "We had a lot of responsibility to make sure we were sympathetic to the heritage of the station."


The new station interior is much brighter after the refurbishment

"We're incredibly proud of the work that we've done on site, these projects are a bit like onions. When you peel it back and find elements you didn't realise were there when you started it can be daunting. We're really at a point now where there's light at the end of the tunnel, but passengers can now look up and see the good work that's been done," he added.

The story behind new giant statues at Temple Meads


A statue of The Giants of Avon Gorge have been unveiled at Bristol Temple Meads Station

Statues of legendary giants have been unveiled alongside a children's book inviting people to explore the landscapes behind West Country myths.

The Giants of Avon Gorge at Bristol Temple Meads Station, is one of five installations that form a new Great Western Railway Legend Trail and book by author, poet and playwright Sir Michael Morpurgo.

Updated from the first version published more than a century ago, The Line to Legend Land features 11 folklore tales from across the South West and Wales.

Morpurgo said the project was about "connecting people with the past" and their families. "It's fun and I like the fact these are legends which are to be enjoyed just as books are to be enjoyed," the author said.

"Sure, we learn things from them, but it's also about connections with our past, with our mums, dads, grandparents and then going way, way, way back in time. But wherever you go in the West Country there are stories everywhere and some of them have grown out of myths and legends."

Temple Mead's mythical giants, Goram and Vincent, are famous for being involved in a brutal battle to win the hand of Lady Avona. She told the brothers, she would marry whoever could drain the water which ran between Bradford-on-Avon and Bristol.

Vincent won the challenge by creating the Avon Gorge, while distraught Goram was so distressed about losing, he stamped his foot into a pit - leaving the Giant's Footprint in what is now the Blaise Estate.

Visit West's head of marketing Jon Chamberlain, who was at the unveiling, said he hoped the statues would invite people to "explore the wider city – all inspired by the legends of the Bristol Giants".

The book also explores tales like The Ghost of Gloucester Cathedral, King Arthur's Camelot, in Somerset, and The White Horse of Uffington.

GWR has donated copies of Line to Legend Land to 500 primary schools.

The train company's head of external communications, Dan Panes, said by taking the statues out to "some of our most popular destinations, we're aiming to inspire families to venture out on the train and discover the legends for themselves.  We've been thrilled by the reaction to our new Line to Legend Land book, and our goal was to create a truly immersive world where these myths step out of the stories and onto our stations, bringing the legends to life for everyone who travels with us," he said.

Many of us suspect that BCC is deliberately trying to make car journeys across the city as awkward as possible to reduce traffic volumes :-)

Incidentally, does anyone know:
- Will the bus stop be a replacement for the current Temple Gate stop?
- Will there be a new dedicated cycle bridge across the railway? The rendering seems to suggest that.   

The part I am amazed at is how planning got approved to have these extra vehicles being on the Bath Road bridge.
That roundabout and area is congested at the best of times, but to have entry and exit to the car park must add additional problems

While it’s too much to expect that the canopies at the Eastern end can be reinstated to their original length (now that the Royal Mail “bridge” has gone), I hope that the truncated ends can be finished with something rather better than the current decaying plywood - which as yet is untouched.

Kier have apparently won contract to build the 379 space 7 storey multi storey car park (and 3 storey 530 space bike shed) that will replace all the car parking scattered around in the old station shed at Bristol Temple Meads

https://www.constructionenquirer.com/2026/02/13/kier-set-to-bag-35m-bristol-station-car-park-job/

BTQ LLP requires a Main Contractor for its Bristol Temple Meads Southern Gateway Car Park project.

The Southern Gateway is a strategically significant infrastructure project forming a key component of the Bristol Temple Quarter (BTQ) regeneration programme-one of the largest city centre regeneration schemes in Europe. The Southern Gateway will deliver a new southern entrance to Bristol Temple Meads Station, enhancing connectivity, enabling sustainable transport modes, and unlocking development potential in the southern part of the BTQ area.

The scheme is being delivered by BTQ LLP, a joint venture between Bristol City Council, Homes England, and the West of England Combined Authority. While Network Rail is not

a formal member of the LLP, it is considered a critical delivery partner due to its role in station infrastructure and operational integration.

The key elements of the proposed development comprise of the following:

A 7 storey multi-storey car park (MSCP) at the centre of the site, providing both car parking and motorcycle parking;

A 3 storey cycle pavilion at the north-west of site, providing a mixture of secure Sheffield stands and two-tier cycle parking;

The creation of a high quality public realm between the MSCP and cycle pavilion, with dwell spaces and areas for temporary pop up uses. As well as hard and soft landscaping and drainage;

A new walkway and entrance into Temple Meads Station

An improved fully segregated full width pedestrian footway and two-way cycleway adjacent to Bath Road which is intended to connect into future active travel improvements along this section of the highway; A cycle route to the cycle pavilion from the improved cycleway adjacent to Bath Road;

1no. new bus stop with waiting facilities and layby adjacent to Bath Road; A signal-controlled vehicular access junction to the MSCP from Bath Road;

A Network Rail service yard and a relocated RRAP adjacent to the proposed Network Rail service yard.

This photo was taken in April 2021:

This photo was taken in April 2021:

Hadn't realised quite how long this scaffolding has been there - looks like they put it up in April 2021!

Don't know if it was like that this morning; if it was, I was obviously still half asleep

Passed through just now on the way home - those 'pillars' on the platform between the main entry/exit barriers and the track have gone. It now feels very open, with no bottleneck of people going in opposite directions.

Don't know if it was like that this morning; if it was, I was obviously still half asleep

I’m sure it’s been extremely well researched and is historically authentic, but it’s a lot duller and blander than the 1990 paint scheme it repkaced.

The station canopy is looking really impressive on a sunny day now so I had to take this picture.

Hundreds of new parking spaces planned for station



Plans to build a large multi-storey car park close to a busy railway station have been submitted.

The new transport hub, which would include 379 car parking bays, new bus stops and space for more than 530 bikes would be built just south of Bristol Temple Meads station.

The proposals are part of a wider scheme which aims to bring thousands of new homes and jobs to the city centre.

Bosses of the project said the plans were the "first piece in the jigsaw" in the transformation of the area and Bristol City Council said it was "thrilled" to see the progress of the proposals.

Electric vehicle charging points and a new drop-off and pick-up zone are also planned for the site.

The Bristol Temple Quarter Limited Liability Partnership (BTQLLP), was set up in 2024 by the city council, Homes England and the West of England Combined Authority.

Karen Mercer, chief executive of BTQLLP said the submittal of the planning application was a "really exciting moment" for the project.

The partnership's plans for the transport hub are part of the wider 135-hectare redevelopment of the area.



In addition to the transport hub, four improved entrances to the station are planned - with the new eastern entrance, opening into the new University of Bristol Enterprise Campus, set to open in autumn 2026.

Leader of Bristol City Council Tony Dyer said the plans were "essential for the ongoing transformation of the long-neglected area" around the station.

A decision on the application is expected to be made by 16 October.

The new Temple Meads canopy continues to be slowly revealed with even some of the scaffolding being dismantled.  I took those pictures this afternoon.

Does this mean the works have been completed?
I have no idea of the targeted completion date

The place has given me flashbacks of New Street of old, such a dark and gloomy place

Out of interest when are the works due to be finished?
The station is so depressing with boards everywhere, it reminds me of New Street

Thanks for posting that update, johnneyw.   

That is indeed a fairly large project of restoration / rebuilding / improvement work.

Plans unveiled for new train station entrance



Plans for a new entrance and transport hub at a major railway station have been unveiled.

Part of the Bristol Temple Quarter (BTQ) project, the Southern Gateway transport hub will include new pedestrian entrance into the station over the River Avon, a new cycle hub for more than 700 bikes and a 350-space multi-storey car park.  The project is being funded by a £95m government grant awarded in 2022.

Bristol City Council leader Tony Dyer said the new hub was "crucial to unlocking the potential of Temple Quarter and the land around the station.  By creating a modern, high-quality transport hub we are improving travel to and from the station, all while freeing up space for the developments and public spaces the city needs," he added.



The BTQ project overall is expected to include 10,000 homes, new jobs and public spaces covering about 135 hectares (333 acres) of central Bristol.

The work will be the first development delivered by the Bristol Temple Quarter Limited Liability Partnership (BTQLLP), which was set up in 2024 by the city council, Homes England and the West of England Combined Authority (WECA).

WECA Mayor Dan Norris said: "Plans for the new Southern Gateway to Brunel's historic station sit alongside work already underway for a new Eastern Entrance to Temple Meads itself.  "New spaces for bikes, electric vehicle charging, and space for further transport connections will completely change commuters' experience of our region's busiest station," he added.

The Southern Gateway will also connect walking and cycling routes being planned through Bedminster, Mead Street and Whitehouse Street.

A planning application for the Southern Gateway will be submitted by the BTQLLP in April, while the new Eastern Entrance into the new University of Bristol Enterprise Campus is set to open in Autumn 2026.