Reopening Portishead line set to cost more after government delays
Our region's leaders are having to fork out an extra £30 million
West Country authorities will have to pick up the tab for plans to reopen the old railway line between Bristol and Portishead, after delays saw the cost of building it increase by £30 million.
The long awaited railway reopening was given the green light by the government on Monday (10th February). It had been in limbo since July, when the new Labour government cancelled the Restoring Your Railways Fund, which was set to pay for part of the work.
Now the scheme is back on track but according to North Somerset Council the delay has left it with a £30m funding gap due to inflation and rising costs across the construction industry.
Now the West of England Combined Authority will contribute another £27m to the project, with North Somerset Council putting up the remaining £3m.
Council leader Mike Bell said: “The reopening of the Portishead to Bristol rail line is set to be a transformative project for our area, connecting 50,000 people back into the rail network so that they can use a regular and sustainable transport service to reach a wealth of opportunities across the South West.”
He added: “This makes the Portishead to Bristol rail line a scheme of significant long-term benefit and something we’re proud to be pushing forward in partnership with the West of England Combined Authority, the Department for Transport and Network Rail.
“The additional funding from both the West of England Combined Authority and North Somerset Council would close the gap on this shovel ready scheme, bringing us ever closer to the first trains making their journeys in 2027 — the first passenger trains to do so since the line was originally closed almost 60 years ago.”
The £152m that had been committed to the project at the time that North Somerset Council signed off the full business case to go to government in January 2024 had been funded by the West of England Combined Authority, Department for Transport, and North Somerset Council. If the full business case had been approved by the government, the Department for Transport would have then taken responsibility for any cost increases going forward.
But instead the new Labour government, coming into office, said they had found a £22bn hole left in the country’s finances by the Conservatives and announced a string of cuts, including to the Restoring Your Railway programme.
After a campaign which included a petition laid before Parliament by North Somerset’s new Labour MP Sadik Al-Hassan; and a crunch meeting with West of England Metro Mayor Dan Norris and the leaders of North Somerset, Bristol, and South Gloucestershire councils, the government has now given the scheme the green light.
Mr Bell added: “As ever, I’d like to thank everyone who has put the work in over the past few years to get this vital project so close to construction. In particular, I’d like to thank Mayor Dan Norris for his strong support and North Somerset MP Sadik Al-Hassan for his continued backing.”
Mr Norris said: “This is a massive moment for the West of England: one that generations have eagerly waited to see. This is great news for residents, businesses, and our environment — and a truly red-letter day for our fantastic region.”
The railway will see new stations built in Portishead and Pill, with trains running into Bristol Temple Meads. Restoring the railway only requires just over three miles of new track. The line as far as Pill has already been restored — although work would need to be carried out on this stretch of the line to make the track suitable for passenger trains and not just freight.
It is believed reopening the line will reduce car commuting by 5.5 per cent and unlock an estimated £43 million in economic growth every year. Construction is set to begin in the summer, with a goal of the first trains running along the track in 2027.