Portway Park & Ride station to open
Bristol’s first new railway station in almost a century will be opening to passengers on Tuesday 1 August 2023.
The new £5.8 million Portway Park & Ride station, between Shirehampton and Avonmouth, connects the existing park and ride site with the Severn Beach railway line.
It is a single-platform station that will offer passengers half-hourly services between Bristol Temple Meads and Avonmouth, and an hourly service to Severn Beach.
It will be the first station to open as part of the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority’s multi-million-pound MetroWest programme which is enhancing the local rail network. This includes the opening of seven brand-new railway stations, re-opening train lines and enhancing cross-Bristol services.
From 1 August the new station will complement the existing park and ride bus service and will be a useful extra transport option for the local community, as well as providing park and ride users from further afield a rail option to destinations along the Severn Beach line or for onward travel on the wider rail network from Bristol Temple Meads.
I am delighted that Portway Park & Ride station will launch next week. As the first new railway station to open in Bristol in 96 years, it is an historic moment for our city. When it opens, our Park & Ride site will offer the community and commuters hundreds of free parking spaces and the choice to catch regular trains or park and ride buses into the centre of Bristol, helping to ease congestion and air pollution.
Marvin Rees, Mayor of Bristol
This is a proud day, for Bristolians and for communities right across the length of our West of England region – the first new station to be built in our incredible city since the Roaring Twenties! I’m very proud it has all been made possible by a substantial £3 million-plus investment from my West of England Mayoral Combined Authority.
Metro Mayor Dan Norris
But this is just the beginning. We need to continue with our ‘reverse Beeching’ programme to give more residents the stations they need, as well as also the faster, better trains they deserve. None of this is easy, in fact it is hard, but it is very important as we strive to meet our ambitious net-zero-by-2030 targets locally.
I urge local people to get on board and come and catch a train from the new Portway Park & Ride station.
The announcement that Portway Park & Ride station will open on Tuesday 1 August marks an important milestone in our efforts to transform rail travel for our passengers in and around Bristol and the wider West of England area and will help further connect communities served by the Severn Beach line with this new, additional station. We hope that passengers from Bristol and beyond will experience the benefits that this new station will bring for years to come.
Marcus Jones, Network Rail’s Western Route Director
We are delighted that services will be operating from the new Portway Park & Ride station. It will offer customers regular trains to and from Bristol Temple Meads twice an hour with a journey time of 25 minutes. Situated alongside the M5, this new station will provide a great alternative for those travelling into Bristol city centre or wanting to connect with the wider rail network.
Joe Graham, Business Assurance and Strategy Director at Great Western Railway
The first passenger trains to stop at Portway Park & Ride on Tuesday 1 August will be:
- 5.10am Bristol Temple Meads to Severn Beach – stopping at Portway Park & Ride at 5.34am
- 5.53am Severn Beach to Bristol Temple Meads – stopping at Portway Park & Ride at 6.06am
The Portway Park & Ride station project was led by Bristol City Council working with the West of England Combined Authority, Network Rail, GWR and the Department for Transport.
