A new 25-minute train will soon beat the car into Bristol
Key Points
- Summary
- Construction has started on the £197 million Portishead line, with passenger services due to begin in 2028
- Trains will run hourly between Portishead and Bristol Temple Meads in around 25 minutes — less than half the rush-hour car journey
- The project reconnects more than 50,000 people to the rail network for the first time since 1964
- Two new stations at Portishead and Pill will end Portishead's status as one of the largest towns in England without a railway station
- Partners estimate the line will generate £43 million in economic growth each year
Work has started on the £197 million Portishead line, which will carry passengers between Portishead and Bristol Temple Meads in around 25 minutes from 2028, less than half the time the same journey takes by car in rush-hour traffic.
The Department for Transport announced on Thursday (23 July) that it has invested more than £63 million in the scheme, part of a £197 million funding package agreed with the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority and North Somerset Council.
The project reconnects more than 50,000 people in North Somerset to the rail network, with the branch line having run its last passenger services in 1964.
Trains will run hourly between Portishead and Bristol Temple Meads, calling at Pill, Parson Street and Bedminster. The scheme upgrades 5.5 miles of existing freight railway, which currently carries only freight traffic to Royal Portbury Dock, restores 3 miles of former railway, and delivers two new stations at Pill and Portishead. Portishead currently ranks as one of the largest towns in England without a railway station.
Inside the numbers
Project partners estimate the restored line will create £43 million in economic growth for the region each year, a return of roughly 22% annually against the £197 million construction cost if the forecast holds.
The government argues the line will also unlock housing and employment sites across North Somerset and cut congestion on the roads into Bristol.
Rail Minister Peter Hendy said the investment will “help reconnect over 50,000 people to the rail network and deliver faster journeys to and from Bristol”, adding that the line strengthens local transport links and helps “unlock the economic potential of North Somerset and the wider region”.
Mike Bell, Leader of North Somerset Council, said residents have called for the reopening of stations at Portishead and Pill for generations.
Where it’s being built
Network Rail is overseeing the project, with Morgan Sindall Infrastructure leading construction of the line and highways improvements at Portishead, Colas Rail designing and installing a new digital signalling system, and AmcoGiffen delivering bridge works in Bristol.
The route runs under the Clifton Suspension Bridge and through the Avon Gorge, one of the most scenic stretches of railway in the country.
Great Western Railway is developing the train services and will operate the line.
The government will take GWR services into public ownership in December 2026, and the operator will ultimately form part of Great British Railways, making the Portishead line one of the first major reopenings to launch under the new nationalised structure.
