The current car park is on track to be replaced by a two story underground car park, with work starting at the end of this year or start of next. It will replaced by new shops and offices, which before anyone jumps on it will be subject to the same planning regulations as OHLE would be.
It's a bigger pity (IMHO) that the LSWR didn't make it to Bristol in the 1880s as planned, and maybe juice rail later on...
Though BR(W) would probably have treated that line the same way as they did the ex-LSWR one to Exeter,....
Indeed, I imagine it will pick up in popularity
By the time the Severn Beach line would get wired the 319s wouldn't be much good for anything.
I can tell that I meant to suggest 769s rather than 319s. Little point wiring such lines really.
If the planned 769s had worked, then we may have seen consideration to getting more of them. Although personally I think GWR would have been better off looking at getting a Bi-Mode option from the Hitachi AT200 family rather than trying to bodge old stock. FLIRTS would have been another option, but given the IETs are Hitachi AT300 family, getting a bi-mode version of the 385 would probably be better for fleet/maintenance optimisation and support.
I would suggest that, tunnels and bridges notwithstanding, the Severn Beach line would be a very good line to wire up, at least as far as Avonmouth.
Flirts might actually be a better option. Hitachi is going to be busy with the HS2 contract, and the maintenance makes very little difference. GWR's DMU fleet is maintained at separate depots, and regardless the Class 80X maintenance for GWR is pretty much a disaster. Hitachi can't even keep up with and acquire parts for the units there are, let alone new units. There certainly hasn't been value for money found in the hideously expensive maintenance contract for the IETs, and I highly doubt money would be wasted on another.
Need to sort out the Maiden Newton mess first to enable 1tph operation. But yes I don't think anything electric will be stopping at Chetnole anytime soon. In fact I don't think Yeovil to Weymouth would ever get static electrification infrastructure. It's the sort of thing where I could see batteries being put to good use, if more of the north of Yeovil route was electrified at some point.
Batteries all the way from Castle Cary to Dorchester Junction would be my bet. Can see Yeovil having semaphores for many decades yet.
It is astonishing how anyone would think that giving more work to Hitachi is a good idea. Given their shocking performance on the IET contract, why would you give more work to a failing supplier?
Does rather feel like the situation SWR were in 2000-2001 with 458s from Alstom, and went to Siemens instead for 450 & 444
I went on the line and the car park was empty only 2 people got off. As you leave the station I noticed that all the other car parks were quite busy.
I have family who recently visited Bristol from across the Severn and they took the bus from Portway as it’s more frequent and the drop off points are more convenient than Temple Meads.
At moment it is £3 return from Portway P&R on train, and can use the GWR smart card (but I doubt if you can get it at PRI station)
