£200m contracts signed to reopen Portishead railway line
One of the South West’s most significant rail projects has taken a major step forward after contracts worth £200m were signed at Bristol Temple Meads to deliver two new stations and reinstate the Portishead railway line.
The project will see passenger services return to the line for the first time since 1964, reconnecting Portishead and Pill with the wider rail network.
Three contracts have been awarded to deliver the scheme. Morgan Sindall Infrastructure will lead construction of the line, as well as highways improvements at Portishead. Colas Rail will design and install a new digital signalling system, while AmcoGiffen has been appointed to deliver bridge works and associated highways work in Bristol.
The core works include building two new stations, relaying three miles of track and installing the infrastructure needed to run a modern, reliable rail service along a corridor that has been dormant for generations.
The project is being funded by the Department for Transport, the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority and North Somerset Council, and will be delivered by Network Rail.
Construction is now underway, with the line expected to open in winter 2028/29. Once complete, it will reconnect more than 50,000 people to the railway and improve access to jobs, education and services across the region.
Journey times to Bristol Temple Meads are expected to be around 25 minutes from Portishead and 20 minutes from Pill, which is around half the time it currently takes to make the same journeys by road.
To mark the signing of the contracts, invited guests took part in a special train journey from Bristol Temple Meads along the line towards Portishead and the site of the new Pill station.
Those on board included West of England Mayor Helen Godwin, North Somerset Council leader Mike Bell, Network Rail Western route managing director Marcus Jones, Great Western Railway managing director Mark Hopwood, Bristol South MP Karin Smith, Bristol East MP Kerry McCarthy and North Somerset MP Sadik Al-Hassan.
The reopening is also expected to provide a significant economic boost. According to Great Western Railway’s Growing Places research, stations across the South West are projected to contribute billions of pounds in economic value and thousands of new jobs by 2036.
The Portishead Line project is forecast to generate an estimated £43m in economic growth each year once complete.
The project has long been viewed as a key piece of regional transport infrastructure, supporting more sustainable travel, reducing reliance on car journeys and strengthening links between North Somerset and Bristol city centre.
