Our new ticketing site is now live! Using either this or the original site (both powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!
The Bristol to Filton trains are diagrammed with the Severn Beach line workings (I think allocated units alternate between an Avonmouth run and a Filton run), so if those then run to Portishead it will need some retiming of the Severn Beach workings.
I think I mentioned upthread it's an unbalanced triangle with Severn beach - Bristol Temple Meads (BRI) - Filton -BRI - Avonmouth - Weston - Severn Beach, with some odd breaks in the pattern to rotate units through depots/routes.
This means that currently Weston has services to Severn Beach, but only from Avonmouth.
And to add to @Annetts key's excellent diagram above, the distance from Pill Station to Ashton Junction is 5.15 miles, so 11 minutes pass to pass at 30mph.
So if Pill station were to be made a loop (if that is possible - don't know if the disused platform would be available), it would just about be possible to run a half hourly service, though it would involve a longish wait at Portishead, which would hurt the economics if that meant an additional diagram was needed. I haven't worked out what it would mean for the wait at Temple Meads either, assuming it was a self contained service.
A good part of Ashton Jct-Pill has prolific curvature, so even if the money were to exist for line speed enhancements, I doubt speed could be increased much here. At least Pill-Portishead is getting 75mph on an almost straight alignment.
I think Ashton Jn up to the suspension bridge isn’t too curvaceous so perhaps a little faster limit could be feasible over that section, although with a stop at Ashton that wouldn’t gain much. Perhaps we need tilting trains! A home for old Voyagers…
To answer some questions that have come up, I've sketched a diagram.View attachment 183383
I have not shown all the stop boards and warning / distant boards.
I think Ashton Jn up to the suspension bridge isn’t too curvaceous so perhaps a little faster limit could be feasible over that section, although with a stop at Ashton that wouldn’t gain much. Perhaps we need tilting trains! A home for old Voyagers…
And the other way. In 2009 I was working in Portishead for a government agency near the 'Sail Roundabout'. I started using a bus (Eurotaxis via the Portway and M5 bridge) but pretty soon came to a petrol share arrangement with someone in the office who drove in and happened to live near me in north central Bristol. One day we set off at 7.15am, which was normally OK for an 8am start. Big queues near Pill. Tuned in to Radio Bristol traffic news to learn that an 11 kV electricity pole had fallen over onto the Sheepway where it runs parallel to the M5. Both closed as wires needed to be made dead. The people needed to do that were having trouble getting through the congestion! It took us until 13.00 to get to Gordano Services, and that only by finding little back roads. By that time the manager at our office had finally decided it was all right for us not to come in. Finally back in Bristol around 1500. The whole North Somerset 'peninsula' was choc-a-bloc.
And the other way. In 2009 I was working in Portishead for a government agency near the 'Sail Roundabout'. I started using a bus (Eurotaxis via the Portway and M5 bridge) but pretty soon came to a petrol share arrangement with someone in the office who drove in and happened to live near me in north central Bristol. One day we set off at 7.15am, which was normally OK for an 8am start. Big queues near Pill. Tuned in to Radio Bristol traffic news to learn that an 11 kV electricity pole had fallen over onto the Sheepway where it runs parallel to the M5. Both closed as wires needed to be made dead. The people needed to do that were having trouble getting through the congestion! It took us until 13.00 to get to Gordano Services, and that only by finding little back roads. By that time the manager at our office had finally decided it was all right for us not to come in. Finally back in Bristol around 1500. The whole North Somerset 'peninsula' was choc-a-bloc.
The question isn't meant as a snark but the success of the reopening will depend on how the rail service compares to car journeys during normal circumstances not one-off incidents.
I'm not a Bristolian, but I'm assuming the rail option will generally be better in terms of journey times but stymied to a degree by the low service frequency. A lot may depend on whether employers ar willing to adjust start/finish times to fit in with the train timetable.
The question isn't meant as a snark but the success of the reopening will depend on how the rail service compares to car journeys during normal circumstances not one-off incidents.
I'm not a Bristolian, but I'm assuming the rail option will generally be better in terms of journey times but stymied to a degree by the low service frequency. A lot may depend on whether employers ar willing to adjust start/finish times to fit in with the train timetable.
The road connections between Portishead and Bristol are very poor. The A369 is very twisty, is mostly 50mph, and has a steep climb out of Bristol onto the top of the gorge. The M5 junctions can get very congested especially as you have the docks either side of the Avon. The existing bus link along the A369 has a good frequency but is quite unreliable, especially as the Sheepway Portbury Hundred forms the only effective road in or out of Portishead and it connects directly in to the M5 junction, which has the Docks connections and a motorway services to handle.
Most workers commuting to the temple quarter are likely to have a reasonable amount of flexibility in their working times to adjust to the train schedules, although they will need to be sensibly timed at 1tph. The medium-term objective should be a 2tph service though.
The road connections between Portishead and Bristol are very poor. The A369 is very twisty, is mostly 50mph, and has a steep climb out of Bristol onto the top of the gorge. The M5 junctions can get very congested especially as you have the docks either side of the Avon. The existing bus link along the A369 has a good frequency but is quite unreliable, especially as the Sheepway forms the only effective road in or out of Portishead and it connects directly in to the M5 junction, which has the Docks connections and a motorway services to handle.
Most workers commuting to the temple quarter are likely to have a reasonable amount of flexibility in their working times to adjust to the train schedules, although they will need to be sensibly timed at 1tph. The medium-term objective should be a 2tph service though.
Out of interest, how long would you say it takes, on a typical weekday with no major incidents to drive from Portishead to the Temple Quarter at rush hour (whenever that is now), and the reverse journey?
My only experience, many years ago, was of it taking about an hour!
Out of interest, how long would you say it takes, on a typical weekday with no major incidents to drive from Portishead to the Temple Quarter at rush hour (whenever that is now), and the reverse journey?
My only experience, many years ago, was of it taking about an hour!
I don't have any personal experience of it, because I make great pains not to drive in Bristol in peak hours! Google gives a range of 25-40 minutes for a 07.00 departure on a thursday. The higher end of that feels about right based on my experience of driving other bits of Bristol in busy times. With the Clean Air Zone and the difficulty of parking though it's not just about journey time.
The existing bus link along the A369 has a good frequency but is quite unreliable, especially as the Sheepway forms the only effective road in or out of Portishead and it connects directly in to the M5 junction, which has the Docks connections and a motorway services to handle.
There is already plenty of work going on in the gorge this year, under the guise of routine maintenance but they seem to be going to town on it so I suspect they have the passenger reopening in mind. Vegetation cleared up to the rail boundary in many places, lots of trees taken out including some on slopes adjacent to the line (very tricky on some of the cliff faces). There’s also been some slope stabilisation and rockfall protection.
The above picture shows some kind of ‘berm’ formed from ballast adjacent to the line at the base of a slope/cliff, presumably to protect the line from minor rockfalls. This had appeared in the last couple of weeks.
Elsewhere, a few years back, some trees have been planted to balance out those removed for the passenger reopening (a sign next to them states it is explicitly for this) so you could argue work has already started!
Elsewhere, a few years back, some trees have been planted to balance out those removed for the passenger reopening (a sign next to them states it is explicitly for this) so you could argue work has already started!
One of the reasons why the Development Consent Order was delayed for several months was in relation to a particular rare tree in the gorge. It was only approved once it was explained that for every one of these trees that needed to be removed, another would be planted.
One of the reasons why the Development Consent Order was delayed for several months was in relation to a particular rare tree in the gorge. It was only approved once it was explained that for every one of these trees that needed to be removed, another would be planted.
The Bristol Whitebeam, I believe. One of several plant varieties that only grow in the Gorge - although I suspect there’s a nursery full of them somewhere by now!
The Bristol Whitebeam, I believe. One of several plant varieties that only grow in the Gorge - although I suspect there’s a nursery full of them somewhere by now!
I'm aware of that, but what's the point in sluing the line given there won't be a speed increase in this section and the existing single alignment seems fine otherwise?
We have a Bristol Whitebeam at my work, although we are pretty close to the gorge. The replacement trees by the line (they’re next to/above Sandstone Tunnel) have been there for at least two years, so any related holdup can’t be that recent.
I'm aware of that, but what's the point in sluing the line given there won't be a speed increase in this section and the existing single alignment seems fine otherwise?
To be clear, the fallen power pole and wires I mentioned in post #130 above were near the junction of Sheepway and the Portbury Hundred, and it was the latter that was closed, and which runs parallel, and close, to the M5 at that point. Apologies for the imprecision.
Re rarity of such occurences, a Google search for 'fallen power line portishead' brings up quite a number of news stories mentioning closures (M5 and others) and 'gridlock' in Portishead and North Somerset. It does not take much to block that area.
Never mind the traffic problems outside of Bristol, in parts of the city during “rush hour” people overtake you, that’s the pedestrians walking on foot overtaking the road vehicles... Even when it’s not that bad, you are doing well to get up to 10 MPH...
Out of interest, how long would you say it takes, on a typical weekday with no major incidents to drive from Portishead to the Temple Quarter at rush hour (whenever that is now), and the reverse journey?
My only experience, many years ago, was of it taking about an hour!
They remodelled the M15 J19 roundabout initially maybe 15 years ago, that made a drastic improvement on getting out of Portishead. Prior to that if you were leaving Portishead at 8 you would be lucky to get to the motorway roundabout before 8.30. They have since remodelled it again in recent years (to try and solve queues M5 southbound sliproad) and made it worse however doing a half arsed job with it being four lanes for some of it and three for the rest.. this means when you come off the M5 northbound and want to go to services or A369 into Bristol you only have one lane to both turn offs, add in Portishead traffic and school summer holidays and the roundabout is a complete clusterf..
I commute 2-3 days a week and it takes 35 minutes if I leave at 7.30 to just get to the edge of central Bristol before most of the traffic crawls over the A370 and beyond. I would imagine you are looking at an hour to get to Temple Quarter. Maybe 40 minutes if you leave at 7-7.15ish before it gets too busy. If I leave 7.45-8am it can easily be 45-60 mins just to get to the A370
It should be pointed out that a lot morning traffic leaving portishead tends to be going M5 northbound so how much of that is removed long term I don't know. Aztec West etc is growing in popularity for many companies post covid as a 'drop in office' type situation close to two main motorways. Know at least 4 suppliers we have that have relocated up there in last few years.
== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==
Never mind the traffic problems outside of Bristol, in parts of the city during “rush hour” people overtake you, that’s the pedestrians walking on foot overtaking the road vehicles... Even when it’s not that bad, you are doing well to get up to 10 MPH...
Aztec West etc is growing in popularity for many companies post covid as a 'drop in office' type situation close to two main motorways. Know at least 4 suppliers we have that have relocated up there in last few years
Shame it’s right on top of the Patchway tunnels - getting a station in to serve it would be rather expensive and poorly-served Patchway is a bit too far away.
Shame it’s right on top of the Patchway tunnels - getting a station in to serve it would be rather expensive and poorly-served Patchway is a bit too far away.
There's a lot of new offices in Bristol near Temple Meads and additional offices being renovated/rebuilt. I doubt public transport will ever be competitive to Aztec West and that's the nature of out-of-town developments. I would imagine for every business moving into Aztec West there's another taking up one of the new offices in the centre.
I'm confused now about what is going ahead and what isn't in the Bristol area. So Portishead has been green-lighted (or yellow, anyway), but what is the current situation with the proposed re-opening of the Henbury line?
We are aware of an issue with emails from the Forum to Microsoft-based email accounts (hotmail/outlook/live.com email addresses). This is being looked into currently, thanks for your patience meanwhile.
