The Portway park and ride site is on the A4 Portway at Shirehampton, to the north-west of Bristol, England, close to junction 18 of the M5 motorway.

Portway Park and Ride
General information
LocationShirehampton, Bristol
England
Coordinates51°29′27″N 2°41′21″W / 51.4908°N 2.6891°W / 51.4908; -2.6891
Operated byBristol City Council
Bus routes1
Bus stands1
Bus operatorsStagecoach West
ConnectionsRail
Construction
Parking830 spaces
AccessibleRamp Access
History
OpenedApril 2002 (bus)
August 2023 (rail)

History edit

The site opened in April 2002 with 300 car parking spaces as part of the Bristol park & ride network. There had been considerable opposition from local residents.[1] The site was expanded in 2008 to provide 830 car parking spaces, to coincide with the opening of the Cabot Circus shopping mall in Broadmead.[2]

Services were operated by First West of England until CT Plus took over in April 2012.[3] First resumed operating the services in September 2016.[4] In March 2023, First Bus handed the route over to Stagecoach West, who rebranded the service as route 9, which now runs beyond the city centre to Brislington Park and Ride.

Buses edit

The site opens at 6:00 am with the first bus leaving at 6:15 am Monday to Saturday. On Sunday, the site opens at 9:00 am with the first bus leaving at 9:30 am. The last bus leaves Bristol city centre at 8:57 pm Monday to Saturday and 6:19 pm on Sunday. The site closes at 9:30 pm.[5][6] The service operates a 12-minute frequency during peak times Monday to Friday, with a 15-minute frequency throughout the day. It also runs up to every 15 minutes on Saturdays, Sundays, and bank holidays.

The site also serves Ashton Gate stadium during Bristol Rugby and Bristol City home fixtures. The AG1 service operates for both 3:00 pm and 7:45 pm fixtures of both clubs.[5]

Railway edit

 
Severn Beach train in the background, passing the park and ride site

The Severn Beach railway line runs adjacent to the site. In 2009, proposals were made for a station to be built to serve the site, on land which had already been set aside.[7] The station was allocated £2.2 million in June 2017 from the Local Growth Fund, via the West of England local enterprise partnership,[8] and at that time completion was expected in 2019.[9] Spending of £1.5 million was later moved to the 2021–22 year.[10] After multiple delays, the station was opened on 1 August 2023.[11][12]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Staff (15 April 2002). "£2m park-and-ride opens". BBC News. London. Retrieved 10 July 2011.
  2. ^ Staff (23 September 2008). "Bristol park-and-ride sites beefed up for Cabot Circus traffic". This Is Bristol. Bristol News and Media Ltd. Retrieved 10 July 2011.
  3. ^ CT Plus takes over Route 902, Bristol Park and Ride CT Plus 2 April 2012
  4. ^ New Enviro400 variant for First Buses issue 740 November 2016 page 12
  5. ^ a b Travelwest. "Portway Park & Ride". Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  6. ^ Stagecoach Bus. "Park and Ride service 9". Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  7. ^ "Railway station could be built at Portway park and ride". Evening Post. Northcliffe Media. 13 January 2009. Archived from the original on 9 January 2010. Retrieved 14 April 2012.
  8. ^ "Funding Boost for West of England Transport Projects". West of England Combined Authority. 28 June 2017. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  9. ^ "Portway Park and Ride train station set to open in 2019 as work starts". Bristol Post. Local World. 15 August 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  10. ^ "Joint meeting - West of England Combined Authority Committee and West of England Joint Committee" (PDF). West of England Combined Authority. 4 December 2020. p. 73. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
  11. ^ "Bristol's new train station at Portway Park and Ride confirms opening date". Bristol Post. Local World. 26 July 2023.
  12. ^ "Portway Park & Ride – Britain's NEWEST Station is Open!". Geoff Marshall. 1 August 2023.

External links edit

  Media related to Portway Park and Ride at Wikimedia Commons