about time!!

Henbury and Portishead rail lines to re-open within 5 years

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Bristol Evening Post

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TRAINS could be running on the Portishead railway line again within five years.
That is the view of a rail industry insider who says plans to reopen the line from Bristol Temple Meads to the North Somerset town are already at an advanced stage.

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   A train at the old Portishead railway station, circa 1950
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The expert, who has asked to remain anonymous, believes the reopening of both the Portishead and Henbury Loop lines will be included in the new franchise agreement for the Great Western rail network.

This means the rail operator which takes over the running of the franchise next year will be obliged to run trains on both lines to meet the terms of their contract.

It is understood Portishead's railway station would be built on the site of the former station yard next door to the town's Waitrose supermarket.

The only major stumbling block is Quays Avenue, a road which intersects the line just before it reaches the proposed station. It is understood this could be overcome by either creating a level crossing or building a road bridge.

The terms of the Great Western franchise will be published in April or May.

The railway industry insider said the Department for Transport was responsible for choosing whether or not the reopening of the line should be included as part of the franchise agreement.

He said the Government was keen to see a rail operator bear the cost of reopening the line, rather than see it met by the public purse.

The insider said planning for reopening of the line was carried out years ago – right down to working out a timetable for the Portishead service. But he said a question mark had always remained over who would foot the bill for the project.

He said: "We firmly believe the Portishead and Henbury lines will be returned into the new franchise agreement. It's the Government's intention that the franchisee funds the reopening.

"In April or May, when the main invitation tender document is published, there will be an awful lot more detail.

"I've seen documents about the Portishead line for the last three years, including a full timetable. The problem has always been government departments arguing over who will pay for it.

"There's a lot of work going on behind the scenes trying to get these projects through.

"Reopening the Portishead line is easy to do. It would be a massive success and it would be a bonus for Bristol.

"The tracks are still there and the only issue would be crossing Quays Avenue. From the railway point of view, we don't like having level crossings. The best approach might be a bridge."

As well as the Portishead and Henbury lines, the source said he believed Henbury and Hallen stations would reopen, two extra lines of track would be added at Filton Bank by 2018, and a half-hourly Bristol Metro service would run between Yate and Weston-super- Mare.

He said a shuttle rail service could be set up between Henbury station and the Mall at Cribbs Causeway.

The insider said: "I can see this happening, especially with all the traffic that builds up around Cribbs Causeway at weekends. With the airfield shutting, it will allow some sort of transport link to be built – that would be desirable.

"Saltford has a very good case for reopening – we know people are seriously looking at that, and Ashley Hill as well."

Earlier this month, the Evening Post reported that Bristol City Council had joined forces with local transport groups to campaign to bring a metro rail service to the city.

The ambition of Bristol Metro 2013 is to run trains to local stations – including reopened ones – from Temple Meads every 30 minutes.

Those behind the campaign want whichever company that takes over the running of the Great Western rail network next year to include the improvements to local services.

Until March, the government is carrying out consultations on what the new 15-year franchise should include.

Campaigners want to convince transport companies that are likely to go for the franchise to include the Bristol Metro in their bid, and to convince the government that local improvements should be included in their list of requirements for the successful bidder.

First Great Western has already announced its intention to re-bid for the franchise, despite calling time on the existing contract early last year. In the process it avoided having to pay £800 million to the government thanks to a get-out clause included in their original 10-year deal.

There are dozens of other rail operators across the country that could potentially bid for the franchise but the list of bidders is not due to be revealed until May.

Last month North Somerset MP Liam Fox said he believed work on the Portishead passenger rail link could begin by 2015.

His optimism stemmed from a meeting he attended alongside North Somerset Council leader Nigel Ashton with Transport Minister Norman Baker at Westminster.

Passenger services from Portishead to Bristol were cut in 1964, although the line to Portbury Dock reopened in 2002 for freight trains only.

the view from bristol

Thanks to Jim Type and of course Chris Warren for this!

I WOULD like to thank everyone who was involved in organising the excellent Rail Conference that took place on November 4 in Bristol. It was great to hear about the GWR electrification project and the outcome of a workshop session that resulted in the Evening Post-backed 'Bristol Metro' being given top priority by those attending.

A practical demonstration of how such a scheme could work was laid on by the fantastic people at First Great Western.

We started by travelling along the Portishead Branch. It was a lovely trip, passing under the Clifton Suspension Bridge as we trundled up the Avon Gorge. We travelled through Pill, across the viaduct and through the derelict station. We paused to look at where the line would diverge as it carried on into Portishead, tantalisingly close. Next up was a ride around the 'Henbury Loop' then back along the Severn Beach line.

The purpose of this tour was to indicate that a 'Bristol Metro' using existing infrastructure and re-opening closed stations such as Saltford is eminently feasible. It also put into sharp focus the absurdity of the continuing debacle of the re opening of the Portishead line.

Our local politicians really should hang their heads in shame as to why this much discussed proposal to bring relief to the good people of Portishead has taken so long.

I congratulate the Evening Post and First Great Western for championing a cause, the Bristol Metro, that thousands of people who have to live and work in Bristol so desperately want.

I ask all our local politicians of whatever political persuasion, to forget the folly of having a transport system based around the private car, bin this ridiculous and failed 'Bendybus' idea, and put serious money into the local rail network.

We owe it to ourselves and future generations.

Chris Warren

Saltford Station Campaign

barely believable

Now let's get this right. There's no £47 million for restoration of the Portishead branch, desperately needed and something everyone wants, a transport system for the 21st century which will reduce the average travelling time between Bristol and Portishead from an hour or more to 17 minutes ...

... yet there IS £90 million to WASTE on signage and cameras on the Almondsbury Interchange, a ROAD!!!!! The argument is that congestion is creating problems and losing drivers a few minutes each day. Er ... congestion will vanish quickly enough as oil prices rise and few of us will be able to continue to drive. Roads are 20th century, a dying transport mode. Not another penny should be wasted on them. ALL tranbsport funding now needs to go on transport modes that can survive Peak Oil.

This is disgusting and we need to make it stop. Money and resources are running out, it is CRIMINAL to misallocate either now.

Forget playing with cars, the £90 million should be spent on getting Portishead linked to Bristol and Norton/Radstock to Bath.

portishead - bristol continues it's bid for least green city in briatin award!

The Portishead branch possibly has the best case for any line reopening in Britain. Yet still we have to wait, having to endure an average car journey time of 1 hour for the eight or nine miles (sometimes up to three!) against the 17 minutes on the train.

What is the problem? Is it that the government and local authorities don't want to be seen to be giving the green light to what will be the first of hundreds or even thousands of rail reopenings in the UK?

Most of the line is in situ. It already carries heavy freight trains, yet there are plenty of paths for passenger trains. Portishead is a large town with no modern transport link. Everyone wants the railway back. It even has space for a station at Ashton Gate, allowing football fans to come to the matches at Bristol City without using their cars. It would also be easy to build a second route into Bristol alongside the Create Centre and terminating at the M Shed, or even continuing tram style into the centre, giving huge flexibility. Portishead could have two trains an hour and trams in between! It would push house prices up, bring new businesses in and just make life a lot easier for everyone.

Bristol is probably Britain's least Green city - it doesn't even seem to understand what it means! Or why it's needed. We still don't have trams!!!! The city is an embarrassment to be honest. So let's start with the Portishead line, then a revival of the Weston route from Portishead, then a proper tram network throughout the city with interurban routes into the suburbs, then full support for the Bristol to Radstock line as part of the S&D revival, followed by restoration of the old Midland route from Bristol into Bath. We could become a showpiece city for a green future, rather than a running joke.

Back in cloud cuckoo land here is today's report about the lack of funding for the tiny Portishead revival.

PLANS to reopen Portishead’s desperately needed rail link have received a major blow – after a bid for £43 million of government funding for the project was turned down.
North Somerset Council learned this week that its multi-million-pound bid to the government’s Regional Growth Fund for cash to open the defunct rail link had been refused.
It had been hoped – if the bid was successful – to get passenger trains running out of Portishead from as early as 2015.
Council leaders have said that, although the news the bid had been unsuccessful was a blow, it in no way meant the end of the road for the railway reopening project.
And they said they still plan to bid for cash for the scheme from future Major Transport Programmes or any replacement programmes promoted by the government.
The authority will continue to work with Network Rail on its Guide to Rail Investment Project (GRIP) studies on the feasibility of reopening the railway and look at other possible funding streams. North Somerset Council deputy leader Councillor Elfan Ap Rees said: “Admittedly this is a blow to our plans to reopen the rail link. But it is a setback and it is certainly not the end of the road.
“We knew it was only an outside chance of us getting the funding from the growth fund. If we had been successful it would have meant we could have got rail services running out of Portishead more quickly.
“However we will be continuing to work with Network Rail to look at alternative funding streams.
“The local transport fund is currently fully subscribed and we will be looking to make a bid for funding at the next round of allocations, which will probably take place next year with the money possibly coming available around 2014.
“As a council we are still very much committed to reopening the Portishead rail link.”
It is estimated that the total cost of reopening the rail link would be around £50 million.
A further £4.8 million needed for the project would be funded from council resources and planning agreement money earmarked from developments in Portishead.
Studies have revealed that if the line was to open, trains could travel between Portishead and Temple Meads in Bristol in 17 minutes – slashing the current journey time by car.
Members of the Gordano Councils Transport Group, which was set up to campaign for the reopening of the railway, said they were ‘deeply disappointed’ at the news.
Group founder and Portishead councillor David Pasley said: “I am deeply disappointed this bid for funding has been turned down.
“Portishead has grown massively over the years and is due to grow by a further 40 per cent by 2015.
“Good transport in and out of the town are essential and should have been put in place before all the new developments were allowed.
“It is now important that all other funding streams are explored for this project.
“There is strong public and commercial support for the reopening of the rail link out of Portishead.”
The work to reopen the railway would include re-laying the three miles of redundant track between Portishead and Portbury and building a new station.
A new road bridge would be built over the railway at Quays Avenue in Portishead and a station would have to be built on land already earmarked at Harbour Road.
Money would also have to be spent on upgrading the six-mile section of the track between Portbury Dock as currently it is not of a good enough standard to run passenger services.
The track is currently only used by freight trains which carry coal and cars from Royal Portbury Dock to locations around the country.
The track, which was reopened in the 1990s, is capable of taking trains at speeds of up to 30mph, while passenger trains operate at speeds of up to 60mph.
The existing track could be used, but major realignment work would be needed and some new lines would have to be laid.
Further work is also needed at Pill tunnel to improve the drainage and lines to allow passenger trains through there safely.
The reopening of the railway would mean an end to the gridlock often seen on the Portbury Hundred – the main route out of Portishead.
Brunel first proposed the line in 1839 but it was actually built by the Bristol and Portishead Pier and Railway Company and opened on April 18 1867.
It was laid as a single line broad gauge branch running from Bristol to Portishead.
The line was closed to passenger traffic in September 1964 and freight in 1981 and lay unused apart from the occasional steam specials.
Among the funding options for further exploration are the re-letting of the Great Western franchise from 2013 and the proposed recently announced Local Transport Consortiums. The council will make the case for the scheme with the Department for Transport to identify a funding package to take the scheme forward.
The next major milestones for the scheme are to compile a detailed scheme business case, to commence GRIP stage 4 with Network Rail and to pursue planning consents to build and operate the rail line. 

common sense approaches portishead - at last!

The Avon Gorge - old form of transport on the right, the future on the left (in the trees!)

Thanks to Brian Clarke for this.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-13977534

Meeting backs £43.3m Portishead to Bristol rail link

Transport leaders from councils around Bristol have met despite plans for a partnership board to be closed down.

The West of England Partnership is to be shut with some roles taken over by a Local Enterprise Partnership.

At a meeting in Weston-super-Mare the group decided to put forward a bid for £43.3m of government cash to reopen the Portishead to Bristol railway line.

Plans were also announced for a rail summit in the autumn as part of a drive to tackle rail issues across the West.

An Integrated Transport Authority (ITA) could give councils greater power over buses and railways and the power to set fares was also discussed.

Network Rail said it would also be looking at doubling the number of tracks between Parson Street, in Bedminster, Bristol, and Temple Meads railway station.

'Key priority'

Commenting on the proposed Portishead to Bristol railway line, a North Somerset Council spokesman said morning rush hour journey times were typically 45 minutes but claim it would take just 17 minutes by rail.

If funding and planning issues are solved the council believes a realistic opening date for the line would be by 2017.

Councillor John Calway, who chairs the partnership, said the councils would continue to meet and bid for projects such as new bus routes.

"Transport remains a key priority for both residents and businesses in the West of England," said Mr Calway, the leader of South Gloucestershire Council.

"In recognition of this, the hugely successful West of England Joint Transport Executive Committee will continue in its current form."

The partnership was formed by Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire councils in 2003 and could be closed by the autumn.

before its time

Just a slight excursion away from the S&D today. The Weston Clevedon and Portishead Railway has had an excellent DVD made about it by 1st Take, who have produced such a brilliant S&D DVD recently.

I've friends at Wick St Lawrence and still haven't quite made out where the line crossed the road there, but coming into Bristol airport you get an excellent view of part of the route!

The DVD is excellent, being a potted history of this most enigmatic of lines and at 90 minutes is superb value for money. Whilst not as upbeat about eventual restoration of this route as it is about the S&D, personally I can see a restored and extended WCPR as an essential part of 21st century transport. It needs to run as a tramway through Weston (like in the original plans) and perhaps use street running in other places, but it would be an easy reinstatement in the future with no real engineering works except to bridge the river at Wick St Lawrence. Hopefully it could connect with the GWR branch at Portishead and continue right into the centre of Bristol via the Bristol Harbour Railway. It is this type of rural light railway that will become a backbone to our modern transport network in the future, connecting with the heavy network where it can.

The DVD is available from the website, as is the S&D one. Sorry if you tried to order the S&D one yesterday, our initial stock sold out in hours but new stock is on its way so you can order again now!

on our doorstep

A real gem locally is the very under publicised Bristol Harbour Railway, which runs from the SS Great Britain on Bristol's harbourside to the Create Centre. In 2011 it should re-extend to the newly refurbished Industrial Museum. This line has previously hosted a Parry People Mover. It's not open every weekend but the 2010 timetable is here.

This line could also become a very valuable transport link in the future. It could re-extend southwards to join the Portishead line - it's less than half a mile to rejoin the network over a bridge that saw trains (and heavy, steam-hauled ones at that!) as recently as 1996. It could also extend into the centre of Bristol tramway style, connecting with the new Bristol tramway system. This would then give a surely soon-to-be-reopened Portishead branch TWO traffic flows, one to Bristol Temple Meads for longer-distance travellers and freight and one to the city centre via the new developments on the Harbourside south, serving commuter flows. Tram-trains, Parry People Movers, conventional electric multiple units and, of course, steam hauled heritage trains could all operate the routes from Portishead to Bristol, complementing the current heavy freight use of this very important route.

more congestion

A comment from Mick Knox in response to Ian W's post yesterday -

Congestion is certainly the reason a lot of people use rail now, and to take the Portishead Branch as an example how long would it take using a train, compared with a car, to commute into Bristol? The public understand this argument well, and it also stands up with the switch to electric cars. What is the journey time from Radstock to Bristol, or Bath? And would that be easily beaten by train today? I would have thought easily so?

Most motorists would love to see more freight on the railways as it would leave more road space for them, together with less roadworks due to the damage caused by the heavy goods vehicles.

There is nothing more frustrating than sitting in traffic jams, so yes congestion is an issue the general public will understand. Post ‘Peak Oil’ it may not be, but today it is, so I suggest we use this to our advantage.

It was a valid reason not to close the Somerset & Dorset and therefore it is a reason to re-open it again.

My own view was that we could wrong foot ourselves by talking about congestion as a problem into the future. But I think there's a way to tie this all together. And perhaps I was being too dogmatic ...

Firstly we need to understand why there is congestion. If road really was a mode for the future then surely road development would continue as a reaction to congestion? Congestion would perhaps happen somewhere and measures would then be undertaken to get rid of it. But this doesn't happen. We need to understand why.

It seems to me that governments are well aware of the impact of Peak Oil, even if they are trying to keep it from us. They hide the measures needed to deal with it under the 'climate change' banner but any intelligent person sees through that quickly enough. (Clearly the world is warming and our activities are responsible for much of it, but this will slow down as Peak Oil hits so it's not a long term problem unless we reach certain tipping points). Governments will also be aware of the impending end of cheap air travel but they use different methods to hide this in their devious equations, like proposing a new runway for Heathrow knowing full well it wil never be built but being able to pass the blame on to climate change activists for example.

But underneath all deviousness and posturing there is a very real fear by government that this is a problem so big that they may not be able to contain it, hence the fact it's hidden at the moment from the general public. It may even be that climate change was put forward as a safe alternative just to test some of the measures that will be needed.

Okay, there was a lot of waffle there, but it does underline why road development has ground to a halt. It not only shows that governments are well aware that petrol and diesel-fuelled vehicles have had their day, but that the proposed alternatives will NOT fill the gap. Hence the current level of roads will be more than adequate to cope with future traffic needs. This means that congestion is a problem now, whilst oil-derived fuels are so incredibly cheap, but will not be in the future.

There's another side issue which concerns fuel prices. People are surprised that the retail price has remained stubbornly high despite the falling price of crude oil (at least from its 2007 highs of $147 barrel). This is easily explained by the lack of refining infrastructure. New refineries are not being built because the oil companies are even more aware than we are of the looming oil shortages. There's no point in building new refining facilities as whilst they may be needed for a few years they will be derelict in a few decades as the raw material will have dried up. Hence the current level of refining capacity will be more than adequate to cope with future needs.

So how do we apply all this to the New S&D without ending up with egg on our faces? I think we need to set current congestion levels within a long term framework. We've all been held up in traffic jams and they are without doubt both very annoying and a terrible waste of precious time. They also have a damaging effect on economic activity. Mick has mentoned the problem of heavy lorries and this is something we can really exploit. Car drivers hate them and railways are desperate to grab the freight they currently carry. So we need to encourage aggressive pricing wars between railfreight companies and the road based freight companies. Rail will become more and more advantaged as the system expands and the price of fuel goes up. Whilst railways will also be affected by the rising cost of energy the 400% extra efficiency of rail will work for rail and against road in this context. Freight will start switching from road to rail, and the New S&D will be as much a freight carrier as a passenger carrier. So this part of our programme should appeal to car drivers, even if they don't (for now) plan to use our trains. But it won't hurt to throw Peak Oil into the equation and say to drivers that by pushing freight onto new railways the infrastructure will then be in place for a return of passenger services on most lines as the oil runs out. They don't need to believe in Peak Oil to suffer from its effects! As the price of driving a private car goes stratospheric then people will return to the railways in their droves. It may be the last thing that goes, but go it will!

bristol's tramways take shape

Works alongside Hartcliffe Way, Bristol, January 2010. Trams at last??

Bristol has a population of 380,615.
Bratislava (Slovakia) has a population of 426,927.

Bratislava has 40km of tramways and 13 lines. This is in addition to a suburban railway network, metro, trolleybuses and even (LOL) buses.

Bristol has 0km of tramways and 0 lines. This is in addition to a railway network that cleverly avoids most places, including Portishead, no metro, no trolleybuses and lots of (LOL) buses, many of which proudly proclaim 'Not in Service'.

No, the pic isn't of tramway works in Bristol. Our Supertram was abandoned a few years ago by a bunch of spineless councillors who would rather look backwards than forwards and have consequently condemned Bristol to years of congestion. The trams WILL come, that's inevitable. No real city lacks trams. What the pic is of is the new cycleway - but the interesting thing is that it can, and will, convert easily to a tram route. Perhaps the councillors here are taking their heads out of the sand and are - at last - looking ahead, even if they are doing it covertly.

So what's Bratislava got to do with anything? Well, apart from being a similar size to Bristol it's our holiday destination in June. And why did we choose it? Precisely because it does have modern public transport, which makes it tourist friendly.

And what's any of this got to do with the New S&D? Well, Bristol will be a destination for us, using the old Pensford route. In fact I fully expect trams to shadow our route south from Bristol to Whitchurch station on the New S&D. And trams will almost certainly reappear in Bournemouth, Poole and up to Broadstone and Wimborne. Over the longer term trams/light railways will pop up everywhere, feeding into the new rail network, carrying frieght as well as passengers. Those dinosaurs who think that the 21st century will merely see a reversal of the Beeching cuts simply haven't understood the urgency and depth of the energy crisis.

So keep watching this space. I fully expect to retake these pictures by 2015 with tram tracks running down Hartcliffe Way!

bournemouth to portishead - by train!

One of those no-brainer schemes that is almost on my doorstep - and seems to be taking aeons to take off - is the proposal to return passenger trains to the Portishead branch. It can take up to three hours to do the Portishead to Bristol trip by car, which is all of seven miles. Most of the line is in place - restoration to a new station in Portishead will really be no trouble at all. This line acquired a brand new station in 1954 - probably a sure sign back in those mad days that the line was doomed!

But this does say a lot about the mentality of far too many of us in the dying days of the car. Even now a simple restoration like this takes far far longer than it should. This line should be up and running NOW, carrying hordes of commuters into Bristol (and keeping them OFF the roads) and, in summer at least, balancing hordes of day trippers to the seaside at Portishead (taking even more cars off the roads ...)

But at least this line is now seeing regular freight flows - including the one in the bottom picture, serendipitously snapped last Saturday afternoon from the Cifton side of the Avon Gorge.

And what a line it is making a majestic passage along the gorge and under the world-famous Clifton Suspension Bridge.

There is, of course, a supporters' society. Find out more here.

Hopefully in 20 or 30 years' time that trip from Bournemouth to Portishead (with a change of trains at Bristol TM) will be made possible! With perhaps an excursion south to Weston on a rebuilt WCPR ...

radstock 1967, 1968 and 2006

(Courtesy Jeffery Grayer)


Radstock was a classic location with two separate railways cutting through the town, offering services to Bath, Bournemouth, Bristol and Frome, as well as loads of freight. The top three shots are of coal workings from Writhlington to Portishead. Back in 67 and 68 these ran via Pensford, but the 1968 flood led to the closure of the line due to flood damage at Pensford. Surprisingly the A37 road, which also suffered major damage, was NOT abandoned. After the flood the section of line between Radstock and Mells Road was reopened for the Portishead coal traffic, a much more roundabout route.

The New S&D plans to restore the link to Bristol eventually, hopefully the superb viaduct is not too damaged by the 1968 flood. I suspect it was an excuse to close this valuable line rather than anything too scary!

Car drivers used to whinge about being caught at the crossings in Radstock, but at least they had the option of using the trains. Nowadays, in this strange hiatus between trains, it can sometimes take 20 minutes just to negotiate the double roundabouts near where the crossings used to be. As usual we have gone backwards.

portishead reopening

The Portishead line reopening really is a no-brainer. With car journeys taking up to 3 hours to cover the 12 miles, and with the line. signalling etc already in place except for the last three miles, this really is an idea ready to proceed with! But we ALL need to show the level of support for it.

As you may have seen in the local media FOSBR is running a postcard campaign to reopen the rail line to Portishead and the line between Avonmouth and Bristol Parkway via Henbury. Funding will become available from the government for transport priorities in the South West region in the new year. We want the West of England Partnership (ex-Avon authorities) to include them in the bid. Only items high up the regional list will receive funding. Previous funding bids have been exclusively road-based. Since the government have refused to allow Network Rail to fund these schemes, this is the only way. We think that we have a good chance, but need your support.
The postcard is now available on the FOSBR website here.

Please print it from the website, fold it in half and tape it together before you send it to the West of England Partnership. Sorry, but you'll need to provide a stamp!

Besides getting people out of their cars and into quick and efficient public transport, there are several good reasons to support the campaign

These rail links would provide a cross-city service and a new link between the Severn Beach line and Bristol Parkway.

There has been much talk about Rapid Transit. This is the original rapid transit: Filton Abbeywood to Temple Meads in 8 minutes & Parson St to Stapleton Rd in 12 minutes!

Greater Bristol rail stations have seen passenger numbers double in the ten years to 2004/5. There have been further significant increases since then. Since Bristol City Council put money into the Severn Beach line to increase the service in May, numbers increased by 30% in three months. The demand is there.

Portishead's traffic and that into Bristol along the A370 is notorious. The Henbury line runs close to major employers including Rolls Royce, Airbus and Royal Mail at Filton and would provide a public transport alternative where none may exist at present.
Road accidents!

The West of England Partnership (representing ex-Avon authorities) estimate that congestion costs local businesses £350 million a year.

Government funding will be allocated for new transport schemes in the new year but our local decision-makers must submit a bid for it prioritising the schemes they want. This gives local councillors the chance to show that they are interested in schemes other than roads and buses.

For those who see such things as important, at roughly £20 million this proposal compares very well with road schemes.
What you can do:

Please send the postcard to the West of England Partnership.

If you want physical (rather than electronic) cards to send or to give to other people please let me know and I will arrange to get them to you. The more people who are involved the better.

Please foward this email to your friends and anyone who may be interested.

If you are involved with trade unions or other organisations please would you ask your colleagues to send cards and if the organisation will issue a statement of support as that would be wonderful!

For those interested, there is a Facebook group about the Portishead Railway campaign which can be found here. There is a copy of the postcard available here too.

Also posted to transition transport UK and Panther Bites!