News / Transport
Temple Meads sell-off on the table
Bristol Temple Meads could be sold off by Network Rail, warn transport campaigners who are planning a protest at the station on Monday.
The publicly-owned, indebted company is planning on privatising major assets and has earmarked a number of stations being looked at for sale – including the Bristol terminus.
“If stations are sold off for a quick buck, we’ll lose future profits and we’ll lose control over these public spaces,” said the We Own It campaign group who are organising a demonstration during peak hours on Monday.
is needed now More than ever
News of the possible sell-off came as the mayor revealed the council’s 25-year plan for the area around Temple Meads, which includes proposals to create a new street-width walkway underneath the station which would emerge on the site of the redeveloped Royal Mail sorting office.
Under the plans, outlined on Thursday, future developers and the council will need to work closely with the station to expand the Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone.
The mayor told Bristol24/7 that Network Rail are more likely to enter a partnership with private companies to open certain parts of the station to commercial expansion in the forms of cafes and shops – as opposed to a full sell-off.
“I’ve had meetings with Peter Hendy (chairman of Network Rail) and there is word that there’s consideration about Temple Meads from Government,” he said. “But I think it’s more likely to be a partnership as we’ve seen in places like St Pancras in London.”
Green mayoral candidate Tony Dyer, who is in favour of re-nationalising the rail network, said: “As we seek to rebalance our transport network away from the car towards alternative transport, Temple Meads should be treated as a community asset for the whole city.
“We need an integrated approach to our public transport; selling off what is probably the single most important element of our transport network to an unknown private owner could seriously undermine efforts to create a more sustainable transport system.”
A Network Rail spokesman said: “We are looking to generate some £1.8bn of funds from our property assets by 2019 enabling us to invest in building a bigger, better railway.
“We’re taking a long hard look at which assets, ensuring we keep what we need to grow and expand the railway, but then looking at ways we can realise best value from the rest to reinvest.”
Campaigners will be gathering outside the station’s main entrance at 9-9.30am and 5.30-6.30pm on Monday, march 7.