Re-Opening the Portishead Line – Frequently Asked Questions
- What is MetroWest?
MetroWest, created in 2013 by the 4 Councils that used to be Avon (CUBA), links together all Bristol's rail services, to deliver two reopened passenger lines, Portishead and Henbury, half hourly train services across the West of England and up to ten new stations. Reopening the Portishead line is the key project in MetroWest Phase 1.
The four West of England councils have spent about £55 million on the project so far (March 2026) and the £180 million budget has been secured from devolved local growth funds, the Department for Transport (DfT), WECA (West of England Combined Authority) and the four councils' own money.
- Where will Portishead station be?
The station, bus interchange and drop off car park will be where the Quays Avenue/Phoenix Way roundabout currently is, with Quays Avenue diverted to a new roundabout in front of Harbourside Family Practice. There will be car parking along the old track bed from the station site towards Waitrose.
- What about Pill station?
Pill station will be rebuilt on the existing site, with improved access, a car park and a small drop off area. Both stations will have platforms built long enough to take five carriage trains.
- What is the DCO – Development Consent Order?
A Development Consent Order is the means of obtaining the planning powers to build and operate developments categorised as Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects. It replaces other consents such as planning permission and compulsory purchase orders.
Reopening the Portishead line is considered a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project because part of the track fell out of Network Rail use. The DCO is a lengthy statutory process, with numerous public consultations, taking many years to complete.
- Why is it taking so long?
Good question! Re-opening any railway line is not simple. There is a mountain of political, financial, legal, geographical, planning, transport strategy, engineering, environmental, technical and risk issues that have to be dealt with. All have to move forward in unison to deliver a working railway.
The formation of MetroWest in 2013 enabled WECA (Bristol, BANES & S. Gloucestershire) and North Somerset Council to work with real momentum, with legal agreements in place to ensure this continues.
Engineering for MetroWest had to interlink with other major rail projects such as electrification, the four tracking of Filton Bank and Bristol East junction signalling.
The DCO was a massive undertaking that took considerably longer to prepare than expected, due mainly to the complexity of the numerous environmental impact assessments. The completed DCO is 27,000 pages in length, with more than 17,000 pages on the environmental aspects! [The Times August 2024]
Work on the DCO started in 2014. The DCO was submitted to the Planning Inspectorate in December 2019. The Dept. for Transport finally approved the DCO on 14 November 2022.
- Where is the funding coming from?
The total cost is understood to now be £180 million.
An indication of how the costs add up was provided in the 2017 GRIP 3 report.
The project is fully funded and £55 million has been spent so far.
The sources of funding have been secured gradually over a remarkable period of 12 years!
They are:
Devolved Funding £68.4 million 38% (2013 Local Growth & Economic Development Funds)
Dept. for Transport £47.5 million 26% (2019 £31.9m & 2023 £15.6m)
WECA £30.2 million 17% (City Region Sustainable Transport Fund)
N. Somerset Council £15.9 million 9%
WECA £15.9 million 9%
4 Councils £4.4 million 2% (early payments)
Total £182.3 million
- When will trains start running?
Trains will be running during 2028.
- What will the trains be like?
The trains will be similar to those used on the Severn Beach line – Class 166 units. There will be three carriage trains initially, with a top speed of 90 mph and a capacity of 270 seats plus 90 standing.
The preferred option was to operate trains every half an hour at peak times and hourly off-peak, from Portishead to Bristol Temple Meads calling at Pill. This was revised in April 2018 to roughly an hourly service, 18-20 trains per day with a 23 minute journey time (17 minutes from Pill).
- What about car parking?
About 161 parking spaces will be provided at Portishead and 58 in Pill. Work on pricing, managing parking on local roads and the provision of local buses to service Portishead station is work in progress.
- What about the paths across the line between the Vale and Trinity School?
There are three locations where unofficial paths cross the track. These are not Rights of Way, are labelled as temporary paths and will close when the line reopens. A footpath will run along each side of the track from Trinity School to the station, to link the Vale and Village Quarter, as a DDA compliant footbridge with ramps would be too massive and intrusive on the surrounding homes.
- What about use of the line by the cycle track and docks car parks?
The cycle access was allowed using temporary way-leaves, which can be revoked by Network Rail when they wish to operate the railway. However, the M5 tunnel is wide enough to contain the reopened line and the cycle track. The docks car park crossing is a temporary crossing, with a planning condition for the docks to construct an over bridge when the line is rebuilt.
- What’s happening now?
The track has to be regularly cleared to a 10 metre width to access the infrastructure along the line.
Preparatory works at various points on the line started in October 2025, clearing trees and preparing some of the compounds and access points that will be needed. The old rails are being removed as they are 60 plus years old and not fit for use. Avon Valley Railway have acquired some of the track.
Preparatory works have been going for the past few months and major construction works will start in June at both station sites and various other points along the track. Construction should be completed by the end of 2027. Train services should then commence after testing and commissioning during 2028.
Drop-in sessions for the general public are being held in March 2026 to explain the construction works.
- What is the Business Case for the line?
Three business cases were required before construction could start:
- Preliminary Business Case
Approved 12th September 2014 after 12 months’ work and confirms:
- High value for money with Benefit:Cost ratio between 2.2 and 6.0
- No fundamental impediments to delivering the scheme. Commercially sound, affordable.
- Funding in place (for £70.3 million at that time) with a high level of contingencies.
- Commitment to subsidise the re-opened line for the first three years
- Outline Business Case
Cost changes and the complexity of the environmental assessment and Avon Gorge works delayed completion of this until late 2018.
- GRIP 3 completed by Network Rail, confirming the planned service, following detailed work on stations and other key works e.g. Pill viaduct, Ashton Vale level crossing, Avon Gorge works, environmental studies.
- DCO Consultation – completed in late 2017.
- Preparation of the Development Consent Order (DCO) – completed in December 2019.
- Full Business Case
Approved in July 2025, following delays and funding changes:
- GRIP 5 – detailed construction and service design
- Final Approval by NSC, WECA, Dept. for Transport and Network Rail
- What is the ‘GRIP’ process?
GRIP is the Guide to Railway Investment Projects - Network Rail's project management system. All railway infrastructure projects have to follow this eight stage process. The complexity and breadth of this process is illustrated by the Portishead line's inclusion in the London Crossrail timetabling!
The Portishead line reached GRIP 3 in 2010 as a single line. Today, as part of the whole MetroWest project, GRIP 6 construction is now underway.
- What have been the main Risks to the Portishead & Pill line reopening?
- Project Scope creep: e.g. arguments about stations or changing priorities [Tram-Trains etc.]
- Capital Cost increases again: If the project budget overruns, the Dept for Transport will now be liable for that overspend.
- Revenue Reversion risk: If the project is not delivered, then the devolved funding listed above cannot be used, as the project has failed to deliver an asset. Much of the money spent would then have to be paid for out of income (Council Tax) by the four authorities.
This risk is shared as follows:
Bristol 30% BANES 15% South Gloucs 5% North Somerset 50%
- Patronage Revenue risk: WECA and the four Councils are collectively liable for the operating subsidy for the first three years. Any loss has to be affordable for the councils.
These risks have caused delays at times over the past decade. However, they haven't stopped the project progressing thanks to a lot of excellent work by local politicians of all parties and the efforts of the project team at North Somerset Council and WECA. They actually create a strong financial incentive for the four councils to ensure the project is delivered.
Where can I find more information?
One of the most useful documents about the Portishead & Pill line can be downloaded here. It's 8 years old, and parts are out of date, but it offers good information about the features of the reopening scheme:
More details about all the above and links to supporting documents that can be downloaded are available on this website.
Peter Maliphant
Membership Secretary
9 March 2026
Updated March 2026
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