The effect of the Bristol Balloon Fiesta, possibly?

 
Not exactly statistically valid, just a passing observation but passing Portway P&R today I noticed that the sizable car park extension, built at the same time as the station, was pretty full.... especially when compared with the first months after opening.
It will be interesting to see the next set of passenger figures if today's snapshot broadly represents the station's current usage.

 

That was the projected figure last November. I'm not aware of more recent figures, but would expect to see something soon.

 

I think I read somewhere it was 40,000.

 
Yes; it was somewhat eclipsed by the news from the other side of the Avon... I'm sure the stats will emerge soon.

 
I noticed that it's been a year and a week now since Portway P&R opened.  It would be interesting to know if anyone has done any first year passenger number stats and if so, what they are.

 
I was taking the Beach Line to Sea Mills today so I thought I'd include a quick look at Portway P&R to see how it's doing.  Three or four people getting on and off at my arrival and about the same on the return train a few minutes later (about 13.18).
There were a handful of cars in the new parking area built nearer the platform indicating that they were for people using the station.  That's infinite % more though than the number parked there from when I took a look shortly after it opened.
Some GWR people in hi-viz there too but I don't know what for.

 
Nicely put!

 
Indeed:

Source: Bristol Rail Campaign (FoSBR)

 
Someone had to do it - race between bus and train journeys to the centre of Bristol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=in0zrOCNg5o

The give-away map at the start shows two different routes into different parts of the city - which rather suggests to me that the two services complement rather than compete with each other.  And although it's the symbolic centre, I don't think that many have that bridge as their final destination.

 


Just outside the Park and Ride - photo from Monday



Past recommendation to cruise passengers arriving they train has been to get a taxi from Temple Meads, but perhaps (*if* they dock at Avonmouth) one could now walk in?

 
It only required a short detour on my travels today to see how the new station is doing.  Arrived from Redland about 12.10 with 3 people including myself getting off and 5  getting on.
There were also another 5 who boarded the train in the opposite direction a few minutes later but I forgot to check how many got off.  The only other person on the platform was a young chap with a "proper camera".
The car park pictured was fairly full but not occupied as far as the extended bit.  The waiting bus seemed to hold half a dozen passengers, perhaps a few more.

It's not really a scientific survey but for the time of day, this early in it's existence, that seems fairly encouraging usage.

Note:  It did occur to me that early station numbers might be somewhat artificially boosted by visiting rail enthusiasts but these passengers didn't hang around the station and instead appeared to using Portway for other purposes.

 

Shame there's not a railway there..!

 

That would be a sight to see. The cruise terminal was, however, just around the corner from the P&R. On checking, I believe ships now dock at Royal Portbury instead of Avonmouth.

 
Would love to see one of the Aida cruise ships docking at Portway park and ride. There are some bollards on the opposite bank from the days of the Pill 'hobblers' which might help !!

Perhaps TonyK would like to adopt a new moniker for this thread ...Four Cruisers Now !

 

...and cruise ships!


It's a bit more than the original estimate of £400.000, but for a single platform in an existing car park beside an existing railway, I suppose it's what it costs these days.

Nice words from the politicians who had nothing to do with it.

 
Speeches, as reported by the Department for Transport Press Release

Transport Secretary Mark Harper said:


Marvin Rees Mayor of Bristol said:


Marcus Jones, Network Rail Western Route Director, said:


Metro Mayor Dan Norris said:


Joe Graham, Business Assurance and Strategy Director at Great Western Railway, said:

 

WECA website quotes the £5.8 million figure too.

 
Meanwhile, back at Portway P&R: https://twitter.com/networkrailwest/status/1686408118094163968

 
And that is the access to the up platform, if you look at NRs video...

 

There's a pre-existing foot subway near the eastern end of the platforms. Not underneath, because there are houses with gardens right up to the embankment on the other side of it preventing the platfroms being any further east.

 
Not to take anything away from the opening but another new train station was opened on Monday 31 July
 (although the article said it was opened on 31 January 2023 presume predictive text went wrong?)

Thanet Parkway near Ramsgate was due to cost 10 million pounds but actual cost was 35 million pounds

From the film footage,unable to see if there is a footbridge,although I presume it can be accessed easily from both up and down lines.

Over network rails dead body will there ever be a under pass built under railway lines ever again,South Bristol link road is the exception

 
Not only difficult to use the ticket machine,but when you manage to select the ticket you require,it won't take payment by card of any sort,connection error by the looks of it ,many people frustrated today.

 

His video is now on YouTube. You yellow t-shirted lot feature in the first few seconds. Then an interview with some tall squirrelly FoSBR chap.
https://youtu.be/wIwyON6SA-k

 

Well that's a very good point. I can see that designing something that's vandal-proof (which probably rules out making the screen adjustable), and accommodates people from wheelchair height to 2m tall (me, near enough) is quite a challenge...

 
The local news said it cost 5.8 million pounds,that seems a bit on the low side,any one else thinking the same?

 
Is that to do with being usable by people in wheelchairs, perhaps?

 

Yes! Aside from the touch-sensitivity (or lack of it), I do find myself wondering if the person who designed these machines was 1.2m tall. I find I have to poke the space below the button I want, to allow for parallax.

 

Interesting to see their experience with the ticket machine.

 
Youtuber JenOnTheMove has dropped her 'first day' video: https://youtu.be/s5kRSZD6pd8

She was getting on as we got off, but you can see the FoSBR delegation at 5.30 on her vid.

 
A few FoSBR stalwarts got up bright and bushy this morning to catch the first public train to Portway Park & Ride:



Approaching the new station... who's that bloke with the proper camera?

 
An excellent event. There were a very large number of parties involved in getting the station up and running and multiple or many people within each of those, so lots and lots of people from rail and governmental backgrounds there - management, constructional and event-specific.  So although this was for the community and the speeches stressed the community, there were less than a dozen of us - perhaps just half of that and we were outnumbered by the press!  But then the event was very much for them.

A "thank you" to everyone who's worked so hard on the project and brought it to fruition.  Totally good and sensible to do a big "thank you" - in fact in older days we would have sat down for a banquet in the car park, and "thank you"s these days are muted

A way to get the news out to the public. Not so much a publicity "stunt" but a very good way of reaching all the media - BBC, ITV and others there and it made the evening news of both of those major local evening programs.  That's not saying "look at us - we done good" - it's bumping the new station into people's living rooms and helping initial publicity.

A personal "thank you" to friends who invited me to join their group; I really appreciate it.  Over the whole Avonside area - from Avonmouth to Avoncliff, from Weston-s-m to Gloucester and from Pilning to Swindon - and a bit beyond - we help and support each other in the wider region. Friends of Bristol Suburban Railways - thank you.

A way for various parties to network - and that was a fabulous but random yet wonderful opportunity. Looking forward for the wider region. It's the nature of changes in the rail industry that they'e a series of steps rather than a continual development, and we've seen a big step here.  Others have happened before, others will happen in the future; we hope steps up and not steps down. And some ideas were progressed yesterday.

Wonderful to see other Coffee Shop frequent posters there - and other readers and people who come here just occasionally.


I keep coming back to my informal definition of improvement process
1. Get people to know something needs looking at
2. Get it looked at and work out what is appropriate for the future
3. Get it actually done
4. Promote and support it once done to make sure it works

And each of those items is an order of magnitude bigger than the one before it.  

The bigwigs who spoke talked about the Severnside CRP (even if one called it the Severn Beach Line CRP) and the Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways and they are utterly right that the community can now do so much to help make the project work.  You are right Johnney that it may be gradual - DfT evaluations of rail services have been over three years as people change their daily commutes and jobs and friendships.

I arrived by bus.  I left by train.

The buses and trains serve different places. The buses to Portway, Hotwells, and into the central area of Bristol itself.  The trains to Clifton, Montperlier, Stapeleton Road, Lawrence Hill and Temple Meads with alternate services on to Bedminster. So whilst I wonder about abstraction, I thing we have two different markets, with the security of a backup mode of transport should there be disruption.

Finally - a big note of appreciation for Jane and Stacey of GWR for both their hard work in organising and pulling off the event yesterday and (and much more long-term important) for their support of the railway and its customers, and the way they give that support.   

 
Some very good film footage on both ITV West and BBC1 points west on the monday evening news.

 
…and bikes!

 
Well, it's open now, let's hope it's judged a success as it's a significant step for MetroWest. 
The post COVID world it's been born into is very different to the one it was conceived in and uptake will, I suspect be gradual.  Actually, a steady increase in passenger numbers might be preferable compared to the Beach Line capacity being swamped from early on.
Low take up could be addressed with clever promotion but there's not apparently that much spare rolling stock sitting around to sort out the opposite scenario.
Anyway, my impression was that the opening ceremony today had a justifiably optimistic mood about it and it's great to see a proper car/bus/rail transport hub, purpose built in Bristol.

 
Did the SoS at the last minute, declare it open as.....  Markway Harpway ?

 
I'm glad to see a Coffee Shop presence there!

 
Official opening today - open to the public tomorrow (1st August 2023)

Secretary of State Mark Harper addresses the audinence of invited guests


Friends of Bristol Suburban Railways team


Guests board the first train conveying passengers from a new station in Bristol for 97 years

 
That was quick!

 
In case anyone has slept through it, GWR have announced the opening date as 1st Aug:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3y_QxkRxm5Y

 
After reports on this forum yesterday, I tried the GWR app for a Portway ticket for the 1st Aug with no success.  Different story this morning though, they seem available from the earliest services.  I'll probably have a ride there on the first day but not, I think, at five something in the morning.

 

I was backing you up!

 

I'm sure that it's totally unconnected to any Coffee Shop event today!

I'm back in Bristol by then.... perhaps I should start looking online for a Redland to Portway return ticket for Aug 1st soon.

 

Yep, hence

 
I have been told opening for local dignitaries on the 31st July.   First day of public service the following day.

 

Very reliable, I'd say...

 
So what are the local councillors diaries looking like for Monday 31st? 

 
Usually reliable sources suggest an opening day of 1st August

 

But this is Bristol that we are talking about.   

 

You would have thought that, given the original open date of 2013, someone might have looked at all that.

 
From discussions at Transport Focus on Wednesday - confirmation that no solid date is yet set.  The nearest a presentation got to telling us was "summer".  A tiny handful of tidy ups to be done; main things awaited are the completion and signing off of paper work - legals and contracts - complicated by the fact that access is not directly off the public realm highway, but through the Park and Ride which is owned /operated by someone else.

 
I drove past today - it looks very nice. For a P&R station anyway.

 
Well, I suppose if they delay the opening for 3 years…

 
There's mention on the FoSBR Facebook page that the delayed opening could be down to a dispute with who will be running the station.  The poster in question relayed a comment, apparently from a member of GWR, that the station was supposed to be the responsibility of Bristol City Council for the first three years and then become NR's responsibility but that now is being disputed by BCC.
If it's true it really does give little room for optimism in the future for public rail transport in the region (and I've had to exercise great restraint in my wording for this paragraph).
I do so hope this is not true....but I've lived in Bristol for many years.


Edit to correct detail . The handover after three years is apparently to Network Rail rather than GWR.

 
Wondering if Ashley Down is the hare to Portway Parkway's tortoise.....
 

 
They’re waiting to open it and Ashley Down on the same day!

 
It would seem rather apt if the station with the longest wait, should open on the longest day....

It seems the Exeter lot have stolen a Marsh (sic) on us. That's Portway Parkway chances of being first, gone for a Barton (sic).....

 
Don't forget that GWR have two stations to open in quick succession - this one and Marsh Barton.  A lot of the same people will be working on the arrangements for both so there is a bit of an issue with scheduling.  I am sure it won't be long now before everything becomes clear.

 
Are there any upcoming dates on the local political calender when such an announcement may be expedient?

 
That's dated June 2nd, so not long ago was it approved.

Are the stops already in the timetable, but just 'hidden'/suppressed?

Then maybe just awaiting the funders & operators to agree an Opening Date....

 
...and I think this says it's good to go. So what's the delay?

https://www.orr.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2023-06/portway-park-and-ride-station-orr-authorisation-letter-2023-06-02.pdf

 
I paid a quick visit to Portway Park & Ride station on Sunday 18th June. It looks very ready for passengers, but the gate is resolutely locked:

 
Portway Park and Rise – for the early morning commuter!

 
I note that it is now appearing (as Portway Park and Rise!) in GWR’s “Live times” app - as the only station on the branch with no platform number.

 
That 07.14 journey from PRI tomorrow is no longer bookable on The Trainline. I note that PRI still isn't available on National Rail website.

 
With which RealTimeTrains would concur. The schedules for the 16th June still say unadvertised stop but not for the 17th. However it seems that the calling pattern will only be one service per hour which I doubt will encourage usage of the new station.

Dave

 
The first bookable journey I can find is in the direction of BRI at  07.14 on 17th June 2023. I find it rather odd that PRI isn't yet visible on the National Rail booking app.

 

Real Time Trains is reporting all services timetabled to stop there "Portway Park And Ride [PRI] - Service stop unadvertised" but then flagging up "No Report" when the calling time passes.  One logical way of opening is to have all services calling but without the nuisance of customers for a few days so they can do a big Hurrah! and know it will work operationally for when there are people there to use it.

 
Does anyone know if the abovementioned commencement of limited services to and from Portway Park and Ride did actually happen yesterday?
I'm just on my way back from a couple of weeks in South Devon so I didn't get the chance to look for myself.
If there were some services running with real passengers then it's a really downplayed start to such a significant transport development for the city.

 
Indeed. The printed GWR timetable available online has a half-hourly service both ways.
https://www.gwr.com/-/media/gwr-sc-website/files/plan-journey/timetables/2023/Train-times-21-May-to-9-December-2023/B9-train-times-21-May-to-9-December-2023.pdf

Dave

 

Looks like testing and training - an hourly call in the middle of the day in one direction, and just a couple of odd services the other way.

 
Looking at train times from the 3rd June onwards, the services starting from Temple Meads are all direct while most of the services back to Temple Meads require changing at Avonmouth and passing back through Portway again.  I wasn't aware that this was how it was going to be done....unless it's only a temporary measure.  It certainly adds to the Temple Meads bound journey times.

 

There's an alert on the GWR app regarding possible industrial action on the 3rd June with the possibility of service cancellations... not exactly the sort of PR opportunity that Marv, WECA and GWR were likely dreaming off.

 
GWR is offering me tickets from Portway parkway to Temple Meads on Sat 3rd June .... so can we assume this is the opening day

 
Blinkin' flip, more delays!  Now it's not even a spring opening but some unspecified time in summer.


https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/new-bristol-train-station-open-8196307?int_source=amp_continue_reading&int_medium=amp&int_campaign=continue_reading_button#amp-readmore-target

 
It'll be an accessible path according to regulations no doubt but with that sharp bend, it's not going to be easy navigation for all.

 

Does that mean under accessibility laws that the station opening has to wait? Is this what is holding it up?

 
FoSBR's spies are told that the accessible path between Portway Park and Ride station and the Portway has been delayed due to ground stabilisation issues. It is expected that this will be completed in April (this year!). Here's how it looked today:

 

For a moment I thought you were referring to Jeremy Clarkston. And then I realised you were.

 

You can't say that here - there are children watching!

 
Apropos of nothing. A journey from Portway Park & Ride to Clarkston brings up an interesting combination of 3 letter station codes.

 
Things are progressing at Portway Park & Ride:

 
Perhaps so-but getting rid of the last four letters might prove to be a pain in the RS.....

Dave

 

Snap!  I also recall reading about this and, dismissing any weird telepathy based explanation , it looks like this must have been so.

 
FoSBR's best effort at a timeline is here: https://fosbr.org.uk/timelines/portway-station/

Your memories of the early days may be a bit less sketchy than ours!

 

How late is a matter of conjecture, and where you start the clock running. Or very long calendar, in this case. I have had a quick look for evidence to back up my somewhat haphazard memory, but so far without success. The Post's old website doesn't work any more, and WECA's minutes have supplanted the WEP's. It's out there somewhere, and when I have time, I might look harder. BUT I am quite sure that I recall Councillor Tim Kent, then transport supremo in the Lib Dem administration, announce that the Portway station would be a revolutionary modular affair, costing only £400,000, and would be open by 2013 without fail. This must have been before 2012, when George Ferguson assumed despotic powers, and I think it was most likely just after the funding for the then BRT scheme was confirmed in the 2011 budget. Whenever it was, that firm prediction hasn't aged well. Nor, for that matter did George Ferguson's reign. Or the mayoral project for that matter.

 

I think this complicated set of initials is just setting us up for a future bout of Clof - cutting.

Paul

 
It's still overtaking Reading Green Park!

 
I think this was pretty predictable. It's an RSCLOF (Railway Story -  Costly, Late, Overspecified and Fun).

Seriously though, most (if not all) construction and infrastructure projects are running late at the moment, due to worldwide supply chain problems. Given its history it was unlikely that this station would be immune.

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-63623487

 
Just announced that the Porkway Partway won't open next month as planned.....delayed until the Spring.
Given the Portishead DCO approval in the last 24 hours, I am  tempted to ask...which spring ?

 
Aren’t they going to have to pointlessly rearrange the tactiles a few times yet?  Or is that just Reading Green Park… 

 

It does look like a lot, doesn't it, even given the foreshortening? It's a 5-car platform, and by my count there's 15 columns - but they won't all be for lighting, there's CCTV and CIS to consider. The lighting design is all laid out in planning app 22/02328/COND on the Bristol City Council planning portal.

 
Crikey! It could be open within a few years.

 
Do they really need that many lamp columns?

 
FoSBR's Carol Durrant took this photo today, showing progress on Portway P&R station:

 
This link has Photos from Network Rail Twitter account showing the progress being made

https://twitter.com/networkrailwest/status/1547477187900719105?s=21&t=dDQAqqG87tnRy90LNK-Yzg

 
Network Rail have tweeted some images of work in progress at Portway Park and Ride Station




These concrete blocks, together with the piles laid on side, hold back the ballast:


Kit of parts ready to assemble:


And a video:

https://twitter.com/networkrailwest/status/1529130107188785153

 
It would have been a downer to block the whole line.

 

Indeed. What a relief.