Bristol Temple Meads to Portbury Train Journey – Next Stop Portishead Railway Station!

WHERE DO WE FIT IN?

Over the last seven years our family has been ‘shunted’ towards all things rail orientated by my eldest son, who has been fascinated by trains since before his first birthday. First came Thomas and all his friends, then ‘trains without faces’ and more recently the Hornby layout.

For a school project last year we produced a short video about Portishead railway reopening, in which ‘trainboy’ expressed very simply and eloquently why our local Portishead line should be reinstated. This video has been described as

‘compelling viewing for any organisation that is involved in the go-ahead for the Portishead Railway.’

and embraced by Portishead Railway Group as part of their campaign to reopen Portishead railway line.

BRISTOL COMMUNITY RAIL FESTIVAL

The Community Rail Festival is an annual event held in different parts of the UK as part of the Association of Community Rail Partnerships national awards event. This year it was First Great Western’s turn to host, so last week they ran trains to Portbury and Henbury to show that a Bristol Metro service would be possible. Trainboy, Grandma and I were lucky enough to be special guests on the charter train which travelled from Bristol Temple Meads to Portbury, along track usually reserved for freight, demonstrating the viability of completing the line to Portishead.

Trainboy attracted some media attention when it emerged that the boy who had made the “Tracking Down Portishead Railway” video was on the special charter train.

First he was interviewed by organisers First Great Western . . .

. . . and then by the BBC for Points West.

BRISTOL TO PORTBURY TRAIN ROUTE

Our journey took us from Temple Meads past Bedminster, Parson St, Ashton Gate and right out to Pill before halting at Portbury – just beyond the Avon Bridge. And just three more miles of track would have carried us all the way to the centre of Portishead.

The weather on the day was glorious and although in theory I knew the route we would take, I couldn’t help but be impressed at the beautiful, familiar scenery from a slightly different angle. The urban density of Bedminster rapidly gave way to the vast green expanses of Ashton Park and Leigh Woods to our left, and Hotwells and Clifton to our right, as we followed the course of the River Avon, under our world famous Clifton Suspension Bridge, right through the Avon Gorge and beyond.

Although the existing line would need rebuilding along with the much quoted “missing three miles of track”, our journey was comfortable. That freight gets a surprisingly smooth ride! Some of the views were masked by the trees lining long sections of the track, but I couldn’t help but think how lucky passengers commuting along this line from Portishead and Pill stations are going to be.

The following video gives a taster of part of the route which could be open to passengers within The Greater Metro Service scheme within a few years. As we terminated at Portbury last week, you’ll have to use your imagination about those last three miles to Portishead until about 2018!

WHY LINK THE RAILWAY FROM BRISTOL TO PORTISHEAD?

Uh, because Portishead is a really big town where lots of people live and lots of us travel to the local City of Bristol, fairly frequently and individually, in our cars.

Portishead Railway Group say

Portishead will be the largest town in the country without a rail link when the current house building programme is complete. A further 8,000 people are expected to settle in the area over the next few years making Portishead the second largest town in North Somerset.

The rail link would have the potential to attract new business to Portishead as well as offering a sustainable travel option for the future.

WILL PORTISHEAD RAILWAY EVER REOPEN?

On the train,  I spoke informally to representatives of pivotal organisations in this equation, including the Chairman of the Severnside Community Rail Partnership and the Regional Manager of First Great Western, as well as Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways (and Friends of Suburban Beer!) and my overwhelming impression was one of optimism. I really think that we might dare to think that this IS going to happen in the next five years or so – and hopefully before my son is old enough to drive a car!

Many thanks to First Great Western and Severnside Community Rail Partnership for your hospitality on the day and for allowing me to reproduce the following leaflet. Please follow this link if you would like to find out more about Bristol Community Rail Festival or about the proposed Portishead and Henbury lines.
https://practicallyperfectmums.co.uk/storage/community-rail-festival.pdf