Construction at Ashley Down under way

By Nicky Godding

26 January 2024

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Train passing through Ashley Down alongside Concorde Way

Construction work on the new entrance of Bristol’s newest railway station is underway.

This will be the second new station to be built in Bristol in as many years, after, in August 2023, Portway Park & Ride becoming the first new railway station to open in the city in almost 100 years.

Building work is continuing on Ashley Down station, which will improve connectivity in the area.

Councillor Don Alexander, Cabinet Member for Transport, said: “Ashley Down station has been years in the planning, so it is wonderful that it’s taking shape and will soon offer another convenient, safe and eco-friendly way to connect local residents to the rest of the city and beyond.

“It is another milestone in our work diversifying transport for Bristolians, creating resilient and reliable alternatives to driving. This includes our work to improve public transport as we work towards our ambition for a mass transit system that goes above and below ground, which is our only realistic option for a transport system that will meet the needs of our growing city. Increasing the number of people who travel by train will further bring down air pollution across the city, with nitrogen dioxide down ten percent across Bristol a year after the start of the Clean Air Zone.

The new entrance to the station will be on Concorde Way where the path meets Station Road. The route to the station, from Muller Road and Station Lane, will be through the existing subway.

The council’s contractor, ETM, will work alongside Network Rail’s contractor, BAM, who are building the new railway station.

It was hoped that work on the gateway to the station would start before Christmas, but negotiations and legal agreements have taken longer than anticipated.

Councillor Alexander continued: “A new station needs an entry way that is accessible to all. We will do everything we can to complete the works as soon as possible and would like to thank everyone for their patience throughout. It will be worth it when we join our partner organisations in cutting the ribbon on another new railway station that serves communities in Bristol.”

When complete, Ashley Down station will initially be served by hourly trains operating in both directions between Bristol Temple Meads and Filton Abbey Wood, with the ambition to extend to Henbury and beyond in the future.

The Ashley Down station project partnership sees Bristol City Council working with the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority, Network Rail, and Great Western Railway.

The station is part of the MetroWest programme which aims to unlock opportunities for both business and leisure for residents between Ashley Down and Temple Meads, Filton and Henbury.

By Nicky Godding

Nicky Godding is editor of The Business Magazine. Before her journalism career, she worked mainly in public relations moving into writing when she was invited to launch Retail Watch, a publication covering retail and real estate across Europe.

After some years of constant travelling, she tucked away her passport and concentrated on business writing, co-founding a successful regional business magazine. She has interviewed some of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs who have built multi-million-pound businesses and reported on many science and technology firsts.

She reports on the region’s thriving business economy from start-ups, family businesses and multi-million-pound corporations, to the professionals that support their growth and the institutions that educate the next generation of business leaders.