Artists’ impressions have been released of the new stations to be built on the reopened railway line from Pill to Portishead in North Somerset.
The reopening of the line is a £200m project, and the images were shown to the public for the first time at a drop-in information session at Pill Community Centre yesterday, 14th July.
With services along the line set to start in winter 2028/29, the artist’s impressions show that the new stations will be modern and accessible when they start serving the local community. The last time that Portishead was served by passenger trains was in 1964.
Services will provide an hourly direct train service taking 25 minutes between Portishead and Bristol Temple Meads through the Avon Gorge and under Brunel’s iconic Clifton Suspension Bridge, which is one of the UK’s most scenic stretches of railway line.
Funding for the reopening of the line came from the Department for Transport, the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority, and North Somerset Council. Network Rail was responsible for the line’s construction, and Colas Rail UK’s Infrastructure division was awarded the contract to install the Signalling & Telecommunications (S&T) and Power infrastructure. Services on the reopened line will be operated by Great Western Railway (GWR).
“It’s been fantastic to share these new images with the community and give people a clearer picture of what the new stations at Portishead and Pill will look like when they open. These images help bring the project to life and show the high-quality, accessible gateways we are creating for local people. “The enthusiasm and interest we’ve seen from residents has been incredibly positive. We’ve always said that engagement would be at the heart of this project, and drop-in events like today’s are an important opportunity to listen, answer questions and keep communities informed as work progresses.
“There’s now visible progress right across the route, from bridge upgrades and site clearance to preparations for the new stations themselves. It’s exciting to see this long-awaited railway taking shape and moving another step closer to reconnecting local communities with the rail network for the first time in more than six decades.”
Niall Spencer, Senior Sponsor, Network Rail’s Great Western route
Responses
The Henbury branch line also reopening as well as a new railway station at Henbury. And a new railway station at Ashton Gate to serve Bristol City FC stadium.
I hope that there will be genuine step-free access onto the trains, and that charging infrastructure will be planned for, to allow battery trains to operate the route.
Can’t quite understand the claim that the service will be operatored by First Great Western… By the time the line is ready for service “First” will be history .. Franchise ended and back under state control …GBR
The station designs are rather plain and uninspiring. As soon as you have the word ‘modern’ included in the description it is evident that what you will get is something austere, cheapskate and basically aesthetically unpleasant. The canopy looks a bit short and too high, so when the wind-driven rain comes down the amount of shelter will be somewhat lacking. Still, I suppose a canopy is better than a crumby, plastic bus shelter. Some decorative edging to the canopy would be some improvement. How long is the platform at Portishead going to be ? It needs to be at least 6 coach lengths minimum with provision for at least another 4 coach lengths if necessary. Will there be a run-round loop for excursion trains? Provision for such should be made. Its a scenic line and no doubt diesel and steam hauled trains will want to feature; i.e. ‘speculate to accumulate’.