The Severn Beach line is a local railway line in Bristol and Gloucestershire, England, which runs from to , and used to extend to . The first sections of the line were opened in 1865 as part of the Bristol Port Railway and Pier; the section through Bristol was opened in 1875 as the Clifton Extension Railway.

The line has faced several threats of closure over the years, and has been reduced to single track in many places. In the 21st century it has experienced a surge in passenger numbers, with a 90% increase in the years 2007–2011. All services along the line are operated by Great Western Railway, generally two trains per hour in each direction between Temple Meads and , calling at all stations, with one train per hour extended to Severn Beach. The line carries little freight traffic, with most of the heavy freight traffic to Avonmouth Docks being routed via the Henbury Loop Line through Filton. The line was highlighted by Thomas Cook as one of the scenic lines of Europe.

Beyond Severn Beach, the line used to continue north through the town and further along the bank of the Severn, meeting the Bristol and South Wales Union Railway's line near . It then joined with the South Wales Main Line at .

Services

Services along the line are operated by Great Western Railway, mainly using diesel Turbo units. Until mid-2017, the line had been operated by Sprinter units, occasionally supplemented by Super Sprinter and Express Sprinter units. Until 2012, Pacer units were a regular sight, but these were moved south to work in Devon following a cascade of Class 150/1 units from London Midland and London Overground.

Monday to Friday, two trains per hour run from to , with one extended to and , giving a service at Clifton Down of one train approximately every 30 minutes in each direction. Services start alternately from Bristol and . There is a similar level of service on Saturdays. Sunday sees a roughly hourly service to and from Bristol, with all daytime services extended to Severn Beach.

Clifton Down is the line's main passing point, so trains to Avonmouth usually arrive at the same time as trains to Bristol Temple Meads. Most trains call at all stations. The typical journey time from Temple Meads to Avonmouth is 28 minutes, and 37 minutes to Severn Beach.

All stations on the line are in Travel Zone A (Bristol City) apart from Severn Beach which is in Zone C.

History

The Bristol Port Railway and Pier

Bristol sits on the River Avon, with its docks several miles inland. By the 19th century, ships had grown to such a size that navigating the Avon was not possible any more, and so ships would have to dock at the head of the river at Avonmouth instead. The Bristol Port Railway and Pier company (BPRP) was founded in 1862 with the intent to build a single-track standard gauge railway the from Avonmouth to the city centre alongside the Avon. The railway's act of parliament was passed on 17 July 1862, and the railway opened on 6 March 1865, running from a terminus called Clifton in the Avon Gorge.

As built, the railway was isolated from the rest of the national network, having not been intended for anything more than local traffic, so a connection to the main line railways was needed in order to develop Avonmouth as a port. However, due to the position of Clifton station and the large amount of developed land in the Hotwells area, an extension towards Bristol Temple Meads, the city's main station, would have been prohibitively expensive. Instead, a link was proposed from the BPRP at Sneyd Park, running under Clifton Down and through the suburbs to connect to the main lines of the Midland and Bristol and South Wales Union railways. The connection was authorised in 1867, but the BPRP was in financial difficulties, and so unable to complete the line. It entered into negotiations with the Midland and Great Western Railways (the latter now the owner of the Bristol and South Wales Union Railway). The fare to Temple Meads was 6d first-class and 3d third-class.

In 1910, Clifton Down saw 17 Great Western services from Avonmouth to Temple Meads and 15 the other way, a further 20 trains each day operating between Clifton and Temple Meads, and 13 Midland trains each way between Clifton and Fishponds or Mangotsfield. Midland services were suspended from 1 January 1917 to 15 May 1919 due to the First World War. Passenger numbers however dropped sharply in 1961 as the result of a fare increase, and so in 1962 a new reduced timetable was enacted, which lost more passengers, and saw the withdrawal of a special schoolchildren's service.

On 20 October 1981, the Severn Beach line saw one of the first uses of a railbus on passenger services, when British Rail Engineering Limited Railbus RB003 operated the 10:08 service from . The first railbus concept, LEV1, would begin operations on the line less than a week later. Later model Pacer railbuses would be a regular sight on the line until 2012. In 1995, an hourly timetable was introduced for peak times, but services terminated at Avonmouth so that a single Sprinter unit could work the service. There was a better service on Saturdays as more rolling stock was available, which was succeeded by Wessex Trains in 2001.

21st century

Following action by Friends of Severn Beach Railway (FOSBR, later renamed Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways) and a string of protests, services had increased to 10 per day in each direction by 2005, with Bristol City Council paying a subsidy of £138,000 per annum to fund services. A new subsidy agreement had been reached in 2003, following a threat that the end of subsidy would see services along the line halved. However, even with the subsidy, the line still suffered to keep the rest of the network running. Mike Holmes, station manager for most of the line's stations, told the Bristol Evening Post that:

<blockquote>Before we put real effort into the Severn Beach line it was really the sacrificial lamb for other services. So if we needed a spare train, we would pull one off the line and cancel it, which was why punctuality and reliability was so poor. After the public campaign in 2006 we decided that we didn't want to take that to carry on any more.</blockquote>

Protesters would chant "The Severn Beach is a mighty fine line; Clean and friendly and sometimes on time." A 1-hour minimum service requirement was written into the new franchise agreement. In 2007, the council agreed to subsidise a service of at least one train every 45mins in each direction along the line, unanimously agreeing to pay £450,000 per annum to fund extra services from May 2008 for three years, which resulted in a 60% increase in passenger numbers along the line, and a 25% year-on-year increase between June 2009 and June 2010. Sunday services to Severn Beach were restored in 2010, funded by South Gloucestershire Council.

The council subsidy was halved in 2011 at the end of the three-year deal, with the council stating that with the large increase in passenger numbers, such a large subsidy was no longer necessary. Local groups, including FOSBR and the Green Party claimed that services became less reliable following the cut, but First Great Western and the council stated that reliability problems were not due to the cut in subsidy, but instead due to breakdowns and track maintenance. The council subsidies, for both increased services and Sunday services, were due to be replaced by national funding in 2015.

First Great Western declined an option to continue the Greater Western franchise beyond 2013, citing a desire for a longer-term contract due to the impending upgrade to the Great Western Main Line. but the process was halted and later scrapped due to the fallout from the collapse of the InterCity West Coast franchise competition. A two-year franchise extension until September 2015 was agreed in October 2013, and subsequently extended until March 2019.

With the coming upgrade to the Great Western Main Line, the main line from London to Bristol was due to be electrified by 2016; however, delays and cost overruns led to removal of Temple Meads from the programme. The electrification was not planned to extend beyond the main lines, so the Severn Beach line continues to be served by diesel trains. Stephen Williams, MP for Bristol West, questioned whether electrification could continue to . Secretary of State for Transport Philip Hammond replied that it would have to be looked at in the future. Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways (FOSBR) supports the electrification of the entire Severn Beach line.

Improved services along the line are called for as part of the Greater Bristol Metro scheme, a rail transport plan which aims to enhance transport capacity in the Bristol area. There is an aspiration for half-hourly services, however due to the large sections of single-track and the congested main line from Temple Meads, such frequency is not currently feasible. However, it is expected that with the four-tracking of Filton Bank, including the Severn Beach line between Temple Meads and Narroways Hill Junction, that there will be sufficient capacity to allow half-hourly services. The Invitation to Tender for the Greater Western franchise asked bidders to include costs for two trains per hour each direction on the Severn Beach line, one between Severn Beach and , the other between Severn Beach and , both calling at all stations. These services are to run from December 2017, operating 18 hours a day Monday-Saturday and 9 hours a day on Sundays.

The metro plan also calls for the reopening of the Henbury Loop Line, which could allow a service from Temple Meads to via the Severn Beach line. The metro scheme was given the go-ahead in July 2012 as part of the City Deal, whereby local councils would be given greater control over money by the government, but it is as yet unclear which elements will be implemented. FOSBR and other local groups lodged concerns with the Department for Transport that the reopening of the Henbury Loop was not included in the ITT for the new Greater Western franchise. A one-off service, operated by First Great Western, ran on the line on 27 July 2013.

The Portway Park and Ride railway station was opened in August 2023 between and to serve the A4 Portway Park & Ride scheme. The new station plan was included in the Bristol Metro proposal, and for some years the project had the support of the FOSBR and the Bristol branch of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers.

Passenger volume

Below are the passenger usage statistics from years starting April 2002 to April 2022. Comparing 2002 with later years has shown a general increase on the line in usage. The most recent figures have been attributed to an improved service. The high usage at Clifton Down is due in part to its proximity to Bristol Zoo (though that closed in September 2022) and a major shopping area.

Comparing over a full decade from April 2012 to April 2002, on the main line, Lawrence Hill and Stapleton Road have increased 130% and 82% respectively. On the branch line, the stations with the biggest changes were Severn Beach, St Andrews Road and Clifton Down with 363%, 228% and 178% respectively. The lowest increase was at Shirehampton with only 35%. Montpelier, Redland, Sea Mills and Avonmouth have increased by 103%, 89%, 68% and 144% respectively.

The annual change from the year starting April 2011 to the year starting April 2012 varies from an increase of 63% at St Andrews Road through to a decrease of 2% at Redland. During this year, Redland was the only station to see a decrease, with the average change for all stations on the line being an increase of 11%.

See also

  • Rail transport in Bristol

References

  • http://www.severnbeachline.org&nbsp;– Severnside Community Rail Partnership's website for the line
  • http://www.fosbr.org.uk/&nbsp;– Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways.