Multi-million-pound proposals to breathe new life into Bristol and South Gloucestershire’s defunct railways and reverse the Beeching cuts from the 1960's, are set to go ahead.
With an investment strategy which proposes £350m for transport over the next 20 years. The West of England Combined Authority (WECA), comprising Bristol city, South Gloucestershire and Bath & North East Somerset councils, is expected to agree investments into a raft of projects at its committee meeting on Friday, June 14.
West of England Mayor Tim Bowles said: “MetroWest is a key part of my ambition to improve rail services in the region, giving people more sustainable transport options.
“This includes improving the Severn Beach line to provide direct services to Bath and Westbury, reopening Henbury station and more frequent services to Yate.
“We also have plans to open new train stations in Portishead, Henbury, Portway and Charfield.
“Improved and more frequent rail services will give people better access to jobs, link new homes and communities with employment areas and encourage more people to use public transport.”
After years of promises and preparation work, it is the organisation’s biggest commitment yet to getting people out of cars and onto trains and buses. MetroWest alone is forecasted to create almost 350,000 new train journeys in 2021 and bring an additional 50,000 people within the immediate catchment of the rail network.
With further spending of the budget planned for skills and businesses between now and March 2023, with the aim of boosting the region’s economic growth.
