Rees: ‘Mass transit is hanging by a thread’

It was back in 2017 that the mayor of Bristol announced plans to build a mass transit system to alleviate the city’s renowned transport woes.

Fast forward six years and Marvin Rees has said this ambition is “hanging by a thread” as he admits that he has little confidence the political drive will be there to make the project happen once he leaves office in May next year.

Speaking at the site of what will be the new eastern entrance to Temple Meads, the mayor reiterated his opinion that any mass transit system for the city needs to include elements of an underground network.

The matter has been the subject of intense debate since it first came to the public fore, with the Conservative group leader recently saying Rees needs to urgently put a stop to his “completely unrealistic” plan for underground sections of railway.

Hopes that Bristol could one day have a transport system that could rival London’s are “hanging by a thread”, according to Marvin Rees – photo: Martin Booth

The Tories have said that Rees’ plans for a mass transit system based around major tunnelling under the city were “delusions”, while Rees’ own Labour colleague, metro mayor Dan Norris vetoed plans for a tube-style underground in Bristol last month.

Meanwhile, the original £4bn estimated price tag for a mass transit system has escalated. A leaked report from the West of England Combined Authority (WECA) in February estimated the cost will be £18bn, although Rees has said this figure was based on the entire project going underground which was not necessary in many areas.

Speaking about the project on Wednesday, Rees said: “We came in with a commitment to a mass transit system, we can’t get by on our bus system. We are clear that we think that the mass transit system, if it’s going to be segregated, 100 per cent reliable and get modal shift, has to include elements of underground in the densest parts of the city.

“The alternative, if you say there is no underground, is to have the whole system above ground – so just picture a tram that needs a 22-metre wide road going up Gloucester Road. You’ve got to close Gloucester Road for two years while you’re constructing it, you’ve got to close Church Road (a main thoroughfare to the east of the city), so it’s not deliverable. We think that that (an underground) has got to be part of Bristol’s future.”

He added: “I can only do what I can do to deliver what I think is the world’s best for the city while I’m in office. After that, it’s over to the political leadership, it’s over to the business community and everyone else that has a vested interest in us solving our transport problems.”

Political, university and transport leaders gathered to mark the start of work on a new entrance for Temple Meads – but the ambition of a mass transit system remains far away – photo: Ellie Pipe

Asked if he expects to be able to use a mass transit system to get around the city in his lifetime, Rees told Bristol24/7: “I think it’s hanging by a thread because I think it’s our political leadership that’s driven it. I think once my time comes to an end in May, I’m not confident that there will be any real drive within the city council to take it forward. I don’t know where the combined authority will be.

“I think our neighbours are keen on mass transit because of the level of connectivity and what it means for the commuters coming in from South Gloucester and BANES (Bath & North East Somerset), so I think there’s a will, but whether there will be an ability to offer that focused political drive to get it done, I don’t’ know. So, there’s hope but I think it’s hanging by a thread to be perfectly frank.”

Main photo: CB Bristol Design 2023

Read next:

• Rees needs to stop underground ‘delusions’
• Bristol underground would cost £18bn, secret report reveals 
• Metro mayor vetoes plans for tube-style underground in Bristol 

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