Ashley Down station in north Bristol opened for use on Saturday 28 September 2024 – reconnecting the local community to the railway for the first time in almost 60 years.
It’s one of our biggest achievements so far in Control Period seven – our five-year planning period, which started in April 2024.
Boosting rail travel in the west of England
We worked with government bodies including the West of England Combined Authority, Bristol City Council and train operator Great Western Railway to build Ashley Down station. The old station closed in 1964, leaving the local community without easy access to the railway.
The new station offers local residents a more sustainable way of travelling locally. A train to Bristol Temple Meads station takes just 12 minutes – for even more national and regional travel options.
Ashley Down is one of six new stations planned as part of our long-term work to transform rail travel in Bristol and the West of England. It plays an important part in our plans to give 80,000 more people access to train services in the region. Find out more about the MetroWest Programme here.
Building a new station
The £16m project began in February 2023 and took over a year and a half to complete. It involved:
- 117,000 hours of work
- two platforms
- one accessible footbridge
- two lifts
- cycle parking for 20 bikes.
Marcus Jones, route director for Western at Network Rail, said: “It’s a huge achievement to have delivered a new station for the community of Ashley Down on time and on budget, and with an impeccable record on safety throughout too.”
Giving back to the community
Building the station had brought us into close contact with the local community and we were committed to giving back as much as we could during this time.
That’s why we supported BAM, our main contractor for the station, in joining forces with staff at a nearby primary school to create a green space. The BAM team invested 250 hours at Brunel Field Primary School in February last year, transforming the space. It now comes with a planting area and a safer school pond.
We also helped install new artwork created by the local community closer to the station opening in September. Local artist Aumairah Hassan led on the community art project – Progression – with the support of Severnside Community Rail Partnership. Creating the artwork helped connect the local community with the new station and brighten up the space.
