Public transport in Bristol
The majority of public transport users in theBristol Urban Areaare transported by bus, although rail has experienced growth and does play an important part, particularly in peak hours.
Since 2017 theMayor of the West of Englandand theWest of England Combined Authorityhave the primary responsibility for organising public transport in the Bristol area.
Bus
[edit]
TheBristol bus station,in Marlborough Street, was opened in 1958. It was redeveloped in 2006
There are three main bus companies operating across the Greater Bristol area. They areFirst West of England,[1]Stagecoach South WestandBig Lemon.They provide services aroundBristoland intoSouth Gloucestershireand North Somerset.National Express,FlixbusandMegabusprovide services to destinations such as London,Plymouth,Glasgow andSwansea.
MetroBus,abus rapid transitsystem, began in 2018 and consists of four routes as of August 2024, originally operated by Bristol Community Transport, nowFirst West of England[2]
Rail
[edit]
The main railway stations in Bristol areBristol Temple Meads,near the city centre, andBristol Parkwayin the northern suburb ofStoke Gifford.Although the latter is in theBristol urban area,it is inSouth Gloucestershire.There are services to UK destinations from both Temple Meads and Parkway stations. There are also smaller stations across Bristol on different railway lines, including theSevern Beach Line,South Wales Main Line,Cross-Country Route,Great Western Main LineandWessex Main Line.
Journey time toCardiffis around 45–60 minutes and toLondon Paddingtonaround 90 minutes.
There are three private rail companies that operate across the Greater Bristol area. They areGreater Western Railway,CrossCountryandSouth Western Railway.Great Western Railway operate all the local and regional services and intercity services between London Paddington andSouth Wales/Southwest England that pass through or terminate at Bristol. CrossCountry run cross-country intercity services that serve Bristol on routes between Southwest England and the Midlands, North of England andScotland.South Western Railway operate four services a day between Bristol Temple Meads andSalisbury,three of which continue toLondon Waterloo.
There are several local,suburban rail routesthroughout Bristol but many have either been closed or seen massively reduced services. The Severn Beach line which runs from Temple Meads to Severn Beach is regarded as a particularly attractive route.[3]
Following a successful campaign byFriends of Suburban Bristol Railways,theSevern Beach Linebegan to be served by an increased frequency from May 2008.[4]It is hoped this will pave the way for better services across the conurbation. An additional train now operates on the line meaning services average around every 40 minutes. Fares are set over two zones, and the trip from Bristol Temple Meads to Severn Beach is £3.00 return. There is, for the first time, a Sunday service to Avonmouth. The result is a service that can actually be used to commute to Bristol centre from outlying areas. Information has been improved at all the stations, from a push-button link to a computer-generated voice link, to real-time display screen. There has been a dramatic increase in passenger numbers, giving rise to complaints about not be able to buy tickets for through train journeys from the onboard train crew.
MetroWest
[edit]MetroWest is a current initiative in the West of England area to improve local rail services by reopening disused rail lines and stations and improving existing services. Phase One includes reopening thePortishead railway lineto passenger traffic and improving services to the Severn Beach Line andBath Spa.Phase Two will see theHenbury railway linereopen, along with half-hourly services betweenWeston-super-MareandYate.The phases are due to open in 2019[5]and 2021[6]respectively.
The West of England Local Enterprise Partnershipalso produced a Key Principles Report in November 2015 discussing future potential transport projects for theWest of Englandregion, including new rail transit based options referred to asMetroWest++.The options outlined include reopening theThornbury Branch Line,aYatetoBathroute, the use oftram traintechnology, a link to thecity centreand aconnectiontoBristol Airport.[7]
Proposed light rail or rapid transit
[edit]In November 2016, theWest of England Local Enterprise Partnershipbegan a consultation process on their Transport Vision Summary Document, outlining potentiallight rail/tramroutes from thecity centretoBristol Airport,the eastern and north west fringes of the city, and a route along theA4 roadtoBath.[8]By 2017, this proposal had changed to a mass transit network with potential for underground sections, linking the city centre with the northern and eastern fringes of the city and the airport.
Water
[edit]
Bristol Ferry Boatsoperates passenger ferry boat services on Bristol Harbour in the centre of Bristol.[9]Services are operated for the leisure market to and from both the city centre and Bristol Temple Meads railway station. Services are provided by a fleet of yellow and blue painted ferry boats.
In 2010 the city council supported commuter services formerly operated by the Bristol Ferry Boat Company were transferred to a new operator, Number Seven Boat Trips.[10]This company also operates daily tourist services.[11]
TheBristol Packetoperates guided tours throughout the year around the harbour, and in the tourist season also downriver to Avonmouth and upstream to Beese's Tea Gardens, the Chequers Inn atHanhamand via theKennet and Avon NavigationtoBath.[12]
Landing stages used by all operators include:
- City Centre
- SS Great Britain
- Bristol Marina
- Mardyke
- Hotwells-Pumphouse (forHotwells)
- Welsh Back
- Castle Park
- Temple Quay(forBristol Temple Meads railway station)
References
[edit]- ^"Bus Bristol, Bath and the West".FirstGroup.Retrieved29 March2010.
- ^"metrobus".WEST.24 July 2024.Retrieved8 August2024.
- ^BBC Inside Out – Bristol's Severn Beach Railway Line
- ^"The Lib Dem Council Cabinet amended their budget to provide an extra train on the Severn Beach line from December 2007".Archived fromthe originalon 10 February 2008.Retrieved3 March2007.
- ^"MetroWest: Phase 1".
- ^"MetroWest: Phase 2".
- ^"Issues and Options for Consultation. Key Principles Report"(PDF).West of England Joint Transport Study.Retrieved12 July2016.
- ^"West of England Joint Transport Study - Transport Vision Summary Document"(PDF).Retrieved16 November2016.
- ^"Timetable".Bristol Ferry Boat Company.Archived fromthe originalon 8 March 2010.Retrieved29 March2010.
- ^"Ferry Operations"(PDF).Committee Minutes.Bristol City Council. 23 October 2014. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2 April 2015.Retrieved18 March2015.
- ^"Number Seven Boat Trips".Number Seven Boat Trips.Archived fromthe originalon 17 July 2011.Retrieved3 January2011.
- ^"Boat Trips in Bristol's Floating Harbour and on the River Avon – 0117 926 8157".Bristol Packet.Archived fromthe originalon 30 December 2010.Retrieved3 January2011.