Status Proposed Rolling stock None | Character Urban | |
Termini Bristol Temple Meads railway station or Bristol city centreBristol Airport |
The Bristol airport rail link is a proposed light or heavy rail line to serve Bristol Airport in southwest England. The project is currently under consideration by the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership as a means to address "poor connectivity between North Somerset, Bristol Airport and Bristol".
Contents
History
In November 2006 the airport's Master Plan stated that "the provision of a direct rail service is not a realistic prospect".
The first mention of a potential airport rail link was in November 2015 in the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership's Joint Transport Study Key Principles Report as a future transport concept. Then in July 2016 the airport's chief executive officer Robert Sinclair discussed the possibility of a light rail link to the airport. The West of England LEP subsequently announced their application to the Department for Transport’s Large Local Major Transport Schemes fund for the "South West Bristol Economic Link" – a strategy designed to address "poor connectivity between North Somerset, Bristol Airport and Bristol". It was also reported in the Bristol Evening Post in September 2016 that North Somerset Council had applied to the government for "nearly £2 million in funding to draw up proposals to improve links on the A38 between the city and the expanding Bristol Airport", which included new road options as well as a light or heavy rail line. In October 2016 the local authorities proposed £7.5 billion in public transport investments for the West of England, including the airport rail link.
Route
The West of England LEP’s Option Development Report outlined various possible routes for the new railway line: