North Somerset Council appears to have caved in to public pressure and submitted a funding bid to re-open the Portishead rail link to passenger trains.
But while the bid is earlier than planned the timeline for getting the line operational remains unchanged.
Last month the Transport for Greater Bristol Alliance (TfGB) was criticised by council deputy leader Elfan Ap Rees for unfairly attacking the area’s local enterprise partnership (LEP) for delays in getting the green light for the long-awaited scheme.
Coun Ap Rees, whose portfolio includes strategic planning and transport, told Bristol Business News at the time: "It will be at least a year before we can put in a bid and we do not believe it is realistic to expect the line to be up and running for passengers before 2015.”
However, the council appears to have changed its tune following mounting public pressure to re-open the line. Late on Friday it confirmed a bid has been sent to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills for £43.3m Government funding, with a further £4.8m promised from council resources and funds previously collected in connection with developments in Portishead.
The council says the rail link to Bristol Temple Meads station will not only help tackle Portishead’s notorious traffic congestion but bring increased business productivity, job creation and support economic growth.
Cllr Elfan Ap Rees declared: "This project would dramatically reduce travel times, with a train journey time of just 17 minutes between Portishead and Temple Meads. Ideally during the morning and evening commuter peak hours the service would operate every 30 minutes, with this reducing to hourly for off-peak hours and evenings. The service would initially operate six days a week and an option for operating on Sundays could be explored in the future."
The project involves major works to both the existing freight line serving Royal Portbury Dock and the disused section of line between Pill and Portishead.
The council says the project depends on winning planning consent to build and operate it. This involves a detailed environmental assessment and the submission of an Environmental Statement. It is also likely that a Transport and Work Act Order application will need to be made to central government.
The timescales for these can vary widely depending on the extent of objections raised and constraining factors.
The council concluded its announcement by saying: "If funding and planning processes run smoothly then the project could open to passenger trains in 2015 – however this timescale is optimistic therefore an opening date of 2017 is more likely."
The council expects a response to its bid later this year.
