Bristol Rail Regeneration

Building a brighter future for Bristol’s railway

Ashley Down station opened

Ashley Down station in Bristol opened to the public on Saturday 28 September, becoming the second new station for the city in little over a year, following on from Portway Park and Ride which opened in August 2023.

• Construction started on the £16m station in February 2023 and took a total of 117,000 hours to complete, including:
• 17 days of 24-hour working in June 2023, to build the station platforms
• Full weekend in September 2023 to install the lift shafts
• Two days over Christmas 2023 to install the station footbridge

Train services call at the station on an hourly basis Monday to Saturday and on a two-hourly basis on Sundays.

More new stations and local train services 

The West of England Combined Authority’s MetroWest programme is bringing new stations and an increase in local train services to the region. Find out more on the TravelWest website. 

Eastern Entrance complete 

The new Eastern Entrance at Bristol Temple Meads has been completed. Staff and partners were invited to a special launch event on 19 September 2024 to celebrate this important milestone, prior to the building going into a period of preservation.

Covered in a protective vinyl and surrounded by hoarding, the Eastern Entrance will go into hibernation while the University of Bristol Enterprise Campus is completed around it. In 2026 we will install ticket gates, ticket machines and other equipment to finalise the fit out, before it opens to the public – alongside the University of Bristol Enterprise Campus.

Part of the Bristol Temple Quarter programme; one of the largest and most ambitious regeneration programmes in Europe, our forecasts show that an estimated 2.5 million people a year will be using the Eastern Entrance by 2030, just four years after opening.

Refurbishing the roof 

Work has been continuing steadily on the refurbishment of the main train shed roof and platform canopies at Bristol Temple Meads.  

In the main train shed, the area of the safety deck above the station has been extended to allow us to increase our worksite for refurbishments to steel and woodwork and re-glazing is well underway.

Work also continues on both of the gable ends which have been fully encapsulated to keep dust and debris safely contained.

Rewire 

Our electrical rewire is progressing through the station. Over the past few months, with work complete in the platform 5/7 waiting room and in the passenger toilets in the subway, we have been focussing on platforms 13 and 15.

Midland and Passenger Shed plans

We are planning the refurbishment of rooms within the Midland Shed, so they can be turned into new retail units. This work is supported by a £500,000 Railway Heritage Trust grant. Repairs to the Midland Shed roof are being planned and new guttering is being installed. 

Passenger Shed renovations are also being planned, with a particular focus on the roof, guttering and repairs to internal floors and the ceiling. The lower level is being renovated to create updated office space as a new home for British Transport Police. 

New entrances for Bristol Temple Meads

Bristol Temple Meads is at the heart of the Temple Quarter regeneration programme, and plans for new station entrances will kick start the transformation of the area. 

£95m of funding for the first phase of the programme will focus on the station and its surroundings; creating a Northern Entrance and Southern Gateway, including a multi-storey car park, and the new Eastern entrance (as outlined above), as well as new commercial and retail space. Visit the Temple Quarter website to find out more. 

Get in touch

If you have any additional questions about the work taking place in your area please call our dedicated 24-hour National Helpline on 03457 11 41 41 or visit our contact us page.