Re-Opening the Portishead Line – Frequently Asked Questions
- What is MetroWest?
MetroWest, created in 2013 by the four 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 £32 million on the project so far (June 2024) and the £152 million budget has been secured from devolved local growth funds, the Department for Transport and the four councils’ own money.
- Where will Portishead station be?
In 2002, Quays Avenue cut off the final 400 metres of the line. The station, bus interchange and drop off car park will be where the Quays Avenue/Phoenix Way roundabout currently is, with Quays Avenue diverted westwards around it to a new roundabout. There will be a 400 metre walkway with parking along the old track bed from the station site to 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.
- 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 Portishead line reached GRIP 3 in 2010 as a single line. Today, as part of the whole MetroWest project, GRIP 5 is just about complete. The complexity and breadth of this work is illustrated by the Portishead line’s inclusion in the London Crossrail timetabling!
- What is a 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 several years to complete. It is a massive undertaking to prepare – 27,000 pages.
- 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.
Engineering for MetroWest has had to interlink with other major rail projects such as electrification, the four tracking of Filton Bank, Bristol East junction signalling and the new Intercity trains.
The formation of MetroWest in 2013 enabled North Somerset Council and WECA (Bristol, BANES and S.Gloucestershire) to all move forward together with real momentum, with legal agreements in place to ensure this continues. NSC are the project sponsor for the key Phase 1B Portishead line project, WECA for the Phase 1A Severn Beach & Bath enhancements.
The DCO 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 and contains more than 17,000 pages on the environmental aspects! [The Times August 2024]
The DCO was submitted to the Planning Inspectorate in December 2019. The Dept. for Transport then delayed the outcome by a further 18 months before approving the DCO on 14 November 2022.
- Why is it going to cost so much?
After the lengthy DCO delays, the total budget was confirmed in 2023 as £152 million. An indication of how the costs add up was provided in the 2017 GRIP 3 report.
The project was fully funded until the 2024 delays and funding cuts. About £32 million has been spent to get this far:
Local Growth Fund 2013 £18.9 million
Economic Development Fund 2013 &19 £49.5 million
WECA & 4 local Councils £36.1 million
Dept. for Transport CP6 RNEP 2019 £31.9 million
DfT Additional contribution 2023 £15.6 million
In July 2024, the Government axed the Restoring your Railways fund, resulting in the loss of the Dept. for Transport’s £15.6 million sum. A review of funding is underway and should complete by October 2024.
- When will trains start running?
Trains should have been running by mid-2026, but the funding review announced in August 2024 will delay this.
- 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 with a 17 minute journey time. This was revised in April 2018 to roughly an hourly service, 18-20 trains per day with a 23 minute journey time.
- What about car parking?
About 380 parking spaces will be provided at Portishead (90 more than the Nailsea & Backwell station car park). Work on pricing and managing parking on local roads is part of the DCO/GRIP process work.
- What about 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.
- 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. The M5 tunnel is wide enough to contain a single track 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 at the moment?
The track is regularly cleared to a 10 metre width to access the infrastructure along the line.
GRIP 5 and the Full Business Case are more or less complete, but the General Election and spending review by the new government have delayed the approval of the Full Business Case.
The old rails are being removed (August 2024) having been acquired by Avon Valley Railway.
The Government is reviewing the funding for the reopening. To influence that decision, PRG is raising a Public Petition that has to be presented in Parliament by our MP, Sadik Al-Hassan. The Bristol Rail Campaign is also organising a rally at Temple Meads (August 2024).
- What is the Business Case for the line?
Three business cases are required before construction can start, two of which have been completed:
- 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 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
Currently under review, due to delays and funding changes, but is required before construction can start, comprising:
- GRIP 5 – detailed construction and service design
- Final Approval by NSC, WECA, Dept. for Transport and Network Rail
- 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.
- What are the main Risks to success?
- Scope creep due to Stakeholder expectations [e.g. station site arguments] or changed priorities [e.g. Tram-Trains, buses etc.]
- Revenue Reversion risk: If the project is not delivered, then the devolved capital funding for the MetroWest project cannot be used, as the project has failed to deliver an asset. Much of the money spent – currently about £32 million – would 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%
- Capital Cost risk: If the project budget overruns again, the four authorities are liable for that overspend. This risk is split between WECA 50% and North Somerset 50%.
As we know, these risks have already delayed things at times! However, they haven’t stopped the
project and actually create a strong financial spur for the four councils to ensure the project is delivered.
- When will construction start?
- Construction will commence as soon as the revised funding is confirmed and the full business case has been approved.
- Timescales for GRIP 6, 7 and 8 - Construction, Handover and Project Close – aren’t yet certain but construction could be completed in 2026.
- Train services should then commence in 2027. A clear revised timeline will be published as soon as the funding issue has been resolved.
Where can I find more Information?
One of the most useful documents about the Portishead & Pill line can be downloaded here. It’s 7 years old, and parts are out of date, but it offers good information about the features of the reopening scheme.
Peter Maliphant
Membership Secretary
15 August 2024
Updated August 2024
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