By John Wimperis, Local Democracy Reporter: A tram or light rail link to Bristol Airport could be coming as part of a three-quarters-of-a-billion pound investment into the West of England’s transport networks.
West of England Metro Mayor Helen Godwin said today: “We have got an airport which is the only one in the country which isn’t connected in by mass transit of any form. So it would be remiss for us not to be looking at that.”
The government today announced £15.6bn for transport in six areas of England — with the West of England receiving £752m. Ms Godwin said it would be spent on improving buses, increasing the frequency of suburban railways, some road improvements and fixing potholes, and developing a mass transit system for the area.
A “Bristol Underground” has long been discussed, but Ms Godwin said a mass transit system would cover the wider West of England area which also includes Bath and North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire. The network would also cover North Somerset — which is not yet a member of the West of England Combined Authority — where Bristol Airport is located.
Ms Godwin said: “We have to have that conversation. I think there is an opportunity there. The airport is a busy airport. It’s a really important regional airport and I would much much prefer that the only way to get there wasn’t by car.”
She said: “It is important to me to see how we can make that work.”
But it could still be years before anything is built. The Bristol Underground was previously estimated to have a price tag in the billions. But only around £200m of the newly announced transport funding is expected to be spent on the mass transit plans.
Ms Godwin said: “This doesn’t mean in five years time we are going to have a mass transit network. That’s not going to be the case. But what this enables us to do is to start to get on a fixed path of delivery which is really important.”
She said: “We are behind. We are not where I would have liked to be given the combined authority is nine years old but this is the start of a different direction of travel for us.”
Ms Godwin said she was “mode agnostic” about whether a mass transit system meant a network of trams, a light rail, or guided buses. She said: “I’m not a particular transport geek.”
She said: “I know there’s a great romance and affection for trams. We used to have them in Bristol.
“If the infrastructure points us towards trams in certain parts of the network then great. If the infrastructure — and of course the budget envelope — points us towards something else, whether that’s guided bus or light rail, that’s fine too.”
Another £150m of the £752m will be spent on rail infrastructure across the region, including increasing the frequency of trains between the planned new station at the Brabazon development in North Filton and Bristol city centre.
Bath Voice and Local Democracy Reporters
The journalists are funded by the BBC as part of its latest Charter commitment, but are employed by regional news organisations. A total of 165 reporters are allocated to news organisations in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland including Bath Voice. These organisations range from television and radio stations to online media companies and established regional newspaper groups. Local Democracy Reporters cover top-tier local authorities, second-tier local authorities and other public service organisations.
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