Boost for Portishead to Bristol passenger railway
THE prospect of passenger trains from Portishead to Bristol received support from the rail industry this week.
The Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) has published a report backing the reopening of some branch lines that were closed during the notorious Beeching cuts of the 1960s.
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The report, entitled Connecting Communities - Expanding Access To The Rail Network, has specifically recommended 14 towns with populations of more than 15,000 where it feels there is a positive business case to reopen rail routes.
Portishead isn't included on that list, but it is specifically singled out as a case where an updated study reflecting its growing population would very likely tilt the balance in favour of reopening.
Alan Matthews, chairman of the Portishead Railway Group, said he welcomed the report.
He said: "It is another step in the right direction. These train operating companies are obviously profit-driven, so the fact they are even looking at the line is a positive sign.
"In fact, I think Portishead is more viable than some of the others it mentions because most of the track is in place due to the freight line from Royal Portbury Docks."
Michael Roberts, chief executive of ATOC, said: "Many past studies have looked at reopening old railways, but this one looks first at the market, not the map.
"It starts with people, where they live and where they want to travel."
He claimed the identified schemes could benefit an additional one million people not currently well served by rail.
Other towns on the list include Brixham, in Devon, Fleetwood, in Lancashire, and Ringwood, near Bournemouth.
In January North Somerset Council commissioned Network Rail to carry out a £164,000 technical evaluation of the requirements to reopen the line. That report will be completed later this year, and is considered as stage three of Network Rail's eight-step process to open a rail line.
However, stage six is construction of the line, so the key stages are four and five, at which the government has to commit to the line reopening and funding needs to be allocated.
This latest report gives an outline capital cost of £29 million, a figure Mr Matthews said is solid and fully takes inflation into account.
According to ATOC, the scheme currently has a benefit to cost ratio (BCR) of 0.6, meaning its costs outweigh its benefits.
But it admits: "A number of factors mean this scheme requires further analysis with more recent data.
"In particular, the population has risen from 17,000 at the 2001 census to 21,000 today, with a further 2,000 planned before 2014.
"Traffic congestion at Junction 19 of the M5 has become chronic.
"These factors are likely to push the BCR over 1.0, which would justify further evaluation."
2 Comments
by RICHARD BROACKES-CARTER1, london
Saturday, October 17 2009, 1:51AM
“having been obliged to use the m5 on many occasions during the bristol rush hours it is beyond doubt that any measure to alleviate the multi mile tailbacks both northbound and southbound by siphoning off local traffic would be a good thing! the irony of the situation regarding the portishead line is that if a part volunteer enthusiast group of the calibre of those which have for example revived the west somerset railway and others such as the severn valley and paignton and dartmouth,that a lot of progress might have been made without the dead hand of official bodies whose record of progress in railway reopening is almost nil! it is painfully self evident that portishead could hugely benefit from a passenger rail facility not least because the infrastructure is substantially extant! if present day attitudes had existed in the 19 th century we probably wouldnt have many railways at all.,entrepreneurs poured fortunes into railway construction when their benefits were not so well known! a more liberal regime for the injection of risk capital into such promising enterprises needs to be sought , rather than the stifling layers upon layers of bureaucracy and unecessary regulation emanating from brussels and points east and west therof leading to official inertia and cost loading to the nth .degree.!even at todays date there are mountains of potential investors cash out there looking for well presented and costed schemes its just a matter of a professional and determined approach being adopted.!”
by Annette Hennessy, Portishead
Tuesday, June 16 2009, 5:23PM
“I am not sure where the ATOC got Portishead's population figures from because in the last 2001 Census, figures were nearing 18,000 and the next official census is not due to take place until 2011, when estimated figures are likely to reach 30,000, far more than this report indicates. As government funding is based on census figures, this area is already losing out on vital funds due to outdated census timings.
The current population is thought to be in the region of 25,000 (which would be about right after the massive redevelopment in this area over the last eight years), although Portishead Town Council acknowledges a current figure of only 22,000 rising by another 8,000. The true figure remains to be seen but it will be vital information when applying for future transport improvements. Junction 19 would also not be as congested if the money already in the council pot was spent as originally planned on improvements to this busy road network.”