News / Transport
Work starts to build Bristol’s first railway station in almost a century
Portway Park & Ride will be the first new railway station to be built in Bristol since Parson Street was opened in 1927.
Building work has now started on the new £4.2m station in Shirehampton, which will link with the Severn Beach line and could open as early as the summer.
The station is being jointly funded by Bristol City Council, WECA and the Department for Transport.
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The existing Park & Ride facility is set to be improved following the opening of the station, including more parking spaces.
Cabinet member for transport Don Alexander told Bristol24/7 when he got the job that the Portway Park & Ride was his favourite bus in Bristol.
Speaking as building work in Shirehampton began, Alexander said: “It’s really exciting to see work starting on the first new rail station within the city in almost a century, and this is a major milestone for the project.
“Portway Park & Ride station will improve connectivity to the rail network for the local community and more widely for users of our Park & Ride site, allowing many more people to choose to travel by rail to work, study and for leisure.
“It will help us to ease congestion on the roads in a sustainable way and reduce air pollution, as we work towards our ambitious goal to be carbon neutral and climate resilient by 2030.”
The new £4.2m station in Shirehampton, will link with the Severn Beach line – photo: Network Rail
Mike Gallop, Network Rail western route strategic operations director, added: “We are delighted to be working with Bristol City Council, the West of England Combined Authority and GWR on opening this new station for Bristol.
“The start of construction for the Portway Park & Ride station heralds the latest development in our efforts to transform rail travel for our passengers in and around Bristol and the wider West of England area and will help further connect communities served by the Severn Beach line with this new, additional station.”
The £4.196m project is being funded by £1.672m from the Department for Transport’s New Stations Fund; £1.553m from the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership through the Getting Building Fund, administered by the West of England Combined Authority; £857,000 from Bristol City Council; and £114,000 from Network Rail.
Portway park & ride station could open as early as this summer – image: Network Rail
Main photo: Network Rail
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