Bristol bus users will be travelling on the Ashton Vale to Temple Meads (AVTM) Metrobus system by the summer of 2016, after the government gave full approval to the plans.

The news was delivered as the Joint Transport Board of the West of England met on Friday, and means construction of the controversial high-speed bus system will begin early next year.

The AVTM is one of three parts of the £200million MetroBus system, which aims to provide faster bus links to the city centre from the north, south and west of the city.

The original AVTM route was changed by the mayor George Ferguson to avoid it running through the historic harbourside, and instead run along Cumberland Road, Commercial Road and Redcliff Hill.

The Department for Transport confirmed the changes to the scheme would not affect funding on offer.

A statement from the Joint Transport Board said: “This is really positive news, we are delighted to have received full funding approval from the Department for Transport for the Ashton Vale to Temple Meads route of the MetroBus network. We can now finalise everything with our contractors and actually get on with construction work.

“If all goes according to plan the first services, providing a modern public transport route that is faster, more reliable, and more comfortable than existing bus services, will be running in the summer of 2016.”

The board meanwhile confirmed work on the MetroWest urban rail system could start in 2017.

MetroWest is a series of projects that aim to improve rail transport in the West of England. The proposals are all subject to funding and meeting technical requirements and are packaged in two phases.

The first phase includes the reopening of the Portishead rail link, half hourly train services for the Severn

Beach line, and more trains serving Keynsham, Oldfield Park, Bedminster and/or Parson Street. Services could be running from May 2019.

A second phase, including a Henbury line and new stations at Ashley Down and Horfield, could be in operation in 2021.

The transport board said their preliminary business case “demonstrates that the scheme is value for money, has a commercial footing, is financially affordable and is deliverable in 2019.

“It demonstrates there are no fundamental barriers to the delivery of the scheme. More detailed technical work needs to be undertaken and reported through subsequent business cases, before construction can start in 2017.”

The plans have been enthusiastically backed by campaign group, Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways (FoSBR), whose secretary Dr Christina Biggs told Bristol24/7 the project was a “dream” for the group.

She said it was essential now for the local councils in the area to pitch in with funds for the infrastructure and subsidies to make new services affordable.

FoSBR was, Dr Biggs added, optimistic of “huge passenger growth” on the Metrowest lines and would be at the full council meeting at City Hall tomorrow to urge Bristol City Council (BCC) to financially back the plans.