THE start of 2025 has been a busy time for the West of England, seeing more great news.
My mayoral combined authority has continued to go from strength to strength, securing a record £380 million budget to invest in better buses, training for workers and jobseekers, and much more over the coming year.
In February, I was proud to announce another project that this record funding will help deliver: reopening the long-awaited Bristol & Portishead Line, which was axed back in 1964 under the Beeching cuts.
After years of delays, thanks to £27m of further investment from my combined authority we have struck a deal to get on with it, after I went to London to strike a deal with Rail Minister Lord Peter Hendy.
This project will cut journey times in half, reducing congestion and pollution. It will also unlock an extra £43m each year for our regional economy, and represents a major step towards delivering a train station at Ashton Gate – with other stations coming down the line for Lockleaze, St Anne’s, and a long held ambition of mine, Saltford.
This is a train line that was dreamed up by Isambard Kingdom Brunel almost 200 years ago, before opening in 1867.
It was a victim of the historic rail cuts in the 1960s, meaning that the last time passengers were on it, The Beatles were top of the charts the first time round.
All change here, though! After many false starts, we’ll be back on track this summer, when work starts.
This is a red letter day for the West of England, that generations have waited eagerly to see.
Once opened, in the next few years, journey times between Bristol and Portishead will be cut in half.
Rush hour at the moment takes motorists almost an hour, but the new trains will do the distance in around 20 minutes.
It’s not just full steam ahead for this line, though – far from it.
Since I’ve been mayor I’ve been proud to open two brand new stations for local passengers at Portway Park & Ride and Ashley Down.
The Bristol & Portishead Line will be the latest giant leap forward, part of a wider programme to give 100,000 more people access to train services in our region.
Full steam ahead!