Portishead railway station

Platforms1 (Old station);
2 (New station)Other informationStatusDisusedHistoryOriginal companyBristol and Portishead Pier and RailwayPre-groupingGreat Western RailwayPost-groupingGreat Western RailwayKey dates18 April 1867Portishead (Old) station opened4 January 1954Closed, replaced by a new station 440 yards (400m) away4 January 1954Portishead (New or BTC) station opened7 September 1964Closed

Portishead railway station was opened by the Bristol and Portishead Pier and Railway in 1867; it was approximately 0.5 miles (0.80 km) from the town of Portishead, North Somerset, England. After the opening of the Pier in 1870, the line was extended with an additional railway station opened by the pier. The Pier station closed first; and the original Portishead station closed in 1954, with a new Portishead station opened nearer the town. The 1954 station closed in 1964 when passenger services were withdrawn from the line.

A resited new station is due to be opened to passenger traffic as part of MetroWest, a scheme to increase rail services in the Bristol area. This will be built about 660 yards (600 m) east of the town centre.^[1]

History

Portishead railway station was opened by the Bristol and Portishead Pier and Railway on 18 April 1867; it was approximately 0.5 miles (0.8 km) beyond the village of Portishead and handled both passengers and goods.^[2][3][4] The Pier was opened in 1870 and line was extended to the pier, with an additional railway station opened by the pier.^[3] By 1904, this was listed as a goods-only station, known as "Portishead Dock".^[4]

In the 1920s, the coal-fired Portishead power station was built adjacent to Portishead railway station; and the power station was extended in 1948 to increase its capacity. In 1949, building work also started on an additional power station, Portishead B power station.^[3] This led to the closure and demolition of the original Portishead railway station. It was replaced on the same day, 4 January 1954, by a new station 440 yards (400 m) nearer the centre of Portishead and Bristol^[3] to the designs of the Western Region Assistant Architect, Ian J. Campbell.^[5]

The 1954 station was closed by the "Beeching Axe" on 7 September 1964, when passenger services ceased on the line.^[2][3] Freight services continued on the line until the early 1980s.

Preceding station	Historical railways			Following station
Portbury Line and station closed		Great Western Railway Portishead Railway		Terminus
	Future services
Pill		Greater Western franchise Portishead Branch Line		Terminus

Future

In April 2019 the Department for Transport committed £31.9m to cover the shortfall in finance for MetroWest Phase 1, meaning that funding for the new station and reopened line has now been secured.^[6][7] In November 2019 North Somerset Council submitted a Development Consent Order (DCO) application to the Planning Inspectorate, which seeks powers to build and operate the disused section of railway from Portishead to Pill, gain environmental consent to undertake works to the existing freight railway through the Avon Gorge and obtain powers for the compulsory acquisition of land. In November 2022, Secretary of State for Transport Mark Harper gave final consent for the Portishead railway with an aspired opening date of 2026.^[8] In June 2023 the Portishead Railway Group (a local lobbying body) reported that "Work is under way on GRIP 5 and the Full Business Case, which will occupy all of 2023, with Government and local authority approval of the business case lasting into 2024" and "Construction will commence in late 2024 after approval of the full business case".^[9]

References

Notes

Sources

v t e Railways in the Bristol area
Legend
Cross Country Route Thornbury branch line Yate South Wales Main Line New Passage Pier Westerleigh Junction New Passage Halt Cross Hands Halt South Wales Main Line via Severn Tunnel Pilning Severn Beach Coalpit Heath Severn View Industrial Park Winterbourne Chittening Industrial Estate Bristol Parkway Patchway Smoke Lane Industrial Estate Ram Hill Colliery Chittening Platform Hallen Halt Avonmouth Docks Henbury St Andrews Road Charlton Halt Avonmouth (BPR&P) North Filton Platform Avonmouth (Royal Edward) Stoke Gifford depot Avonmouth Docks Westerleigh Goods Depot Avonmouth Avonmouth Light Railway Filton Junction Avonmouth Docks Filton Portway Park & Ride Filton Abbey Wood Shirehampton Horfield Sea Mills Ashley Hill Clifton Down Tunnel Mangotsfield (1845–1869) Clifton Down Mangotsfield (1869–1966) Redland Staple Hill Montpelier Fishponds Hotwells Halt Warmley Hotwells Narroways Hill Junction Stapleton Road sidings Grey line represents Stapleton Road boundary of Bristol Oldland Common unitary authority area Avon Valley Railway Lawrence Hill Waste depot Bitton Bristol St Philip's Barton Hill Depot St Mary Redcliffe tunnel Avon Riverside Bristol Temple Meads Bristol Temple Meads Princes' Wharf Kelston Bristol Harbour Railway St Philip's Marsh T&RSMD SS Great Britain East Depot Bristol Docks (North) Bedminster Bristol Docks (South) Parson Street CREATE Centre Mangotsfield to Bath line South Liberty Lane Depot Ashton Gate St Anne's Park Clifton Bridge Brislington Nightingale Valley Halt Long Ashton Ham Green Halt Bristol–Exeter line Pill Whitchurch Halt Portbury shipyard Keynsham Royal Portbury Dock Bristol & North Somerset Rly Portbury Shipyard Saltford Portbury Great Western Main Line (1954–1964) Portishead Weston, Clevedon and Portishead Light Railway (1879–1954) Portishead Portishead Pier

• Butt, R. V. J. (October 1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199. OL 11956311M.
• Crowhurst, Ken (2001). Images of England: Portishead. Stroud: Tempus Publishing Limited. ISBN 0-7524-2240-5.
• The Railway Clearing House (1970) [1904]. The Railway Clearing House Handbook of Railway Stations 1904 (1970 D&C Reprint ed.). Newton Abbot: David & Charles Reprints. ISBN 0-7153-5120-6.