The Portishead Line
Our work
- GSM-R: the railway’s mobile communication system
- Our regions
- Digital Railway
- Long-term planning
- Looking after the railway
- Asset management
- Asset Protection and Optimisation
- Bridges, tunnels and viaducts
- Delays explained
- Earthworks: cutting slopes and embankments
- Level crossings
- Our fleet: machines and vehicles
- Planned works
- Litter and fly-tipping
- Responding to weather impacts on the railway
- Signalling
- Track
- Vegetation management
- Our routes
- Anglia route
- About the Anglia route
- Improving the railway in Anglia
- Keeping our communities safe in Anglia
- East Coast route
- East Midlands route
- North & East route
- West Coast South route
- North West route
- Central route
- Kent route
- South East upgrade
- Hither Green station Access for All improvements
- Peckham Rye station upgrade
- Shortlands station Access for All improvements
- Blackheath Tunnel Upgrade
- Hungerford Railway Bridge Refurbishment
- Lewisham resignalling
- Landslip prevention works at Chislet
- Upgrading the sea defences at Folkestone Warren
- Renewing the lifts at Sevenoaks station
- Petts Wood station footbridge refurbishment
- Hastings to Tunbridge Wells, and Hastings to Bexhill line closure
- Bexley station subway
- Dartford Junction: Line closure between Dartford and Gravesend
- South East upgrade
- Sussex route
- Network Rail High Speed
- Scotland route
- Wales route
- Wessex route
- Wessex railway upgrade plan
- Heart of Wessex line upgrades
- Feltham and Wokingham re-signalling programme
- Portsmouth Direct Upgrade
- Wessex Access for All schemes
- Improving London Waterloo station
- West of England line improvements
- Island Line Improvements
- North Downs Line signalling upgrade
- Portsmouth and Portcreek area improvement work
- Staines to Windsor improvement work
- Barnes to Feltham via Hounslow Upgrades
- Berrylands Station Upgrade
- London Waterloo and Clapham Junction line closures
- Reading improvement works
- Bournemouth to Dorchester South Line Renewals
- New Malden to Twickenham Renewals
- Western route
- South West Rail Resilience Programme
- Oxfordshire Connect
- Tackley Level Crossing
- Bristol Rail Regeneration
- Dartmoor Line
- MetroWest rail upgrades
- Old Oak Common lineside logistics compound
- Devizes Gateway feasibility study
- HS2 Old Oak Common Station
- Mid Cornwall Metro
- The Portishead Line
- Gloucester signal box upgrade
- Langport bridge
- Frome Railway Bridge
- Autumn drainage work in Somerset
- Anglia route
- Train operating companies
- Living by the railway
- Railway Upgrade Plan
We’re restoring the Portishead Line from Bristol to Portishead.
The branch line was closed in 1964 but when reopened in 2028, it will reconnect more than 50,000 people to the railway. The project is funded by Government, the West of England Combined Authority and North Somerset Council and is being delivered by Network Rail.
The restored railway will provide an hourly direct train from Portishead to Bristol Temple Meads in 25 minutes. The route runs along one of the most scenic stretches of railway in the country, through the Avon Gorge and past the Clifton suspension bridge.
The railway still exists from Bristol through Pill to Royal Portbury Docks, but only for freight. We need to rebuild three miles of railway from Pill to Portishead, build new stations at Portishead and Pill and install signals.
What work is taking place?
In October 2025, work began to remove trees along sections of the disused railway. This will create the space needed to build site compounds, car parks, the two new stations and the railway line. Pedestrian crossings over the disused railway at Tansy Lane and Moor Lane will be closed to keep everyone safe.
A diversion will be in place, see map below. The map shows the footpath diversion around the disused railway line. Further tree clearance continues during November and December towards Pill.
From Monday 8 to Friday 19 December, some trees will be cleared along Quays Avenue and Harbour Road in Portishead. Work will mainly take place from 8am-5pm on weekdays. To keep everyone safe, temporary traffic lights will be installed on all approaches to the Quays Avenue roundabout adjacent to Harbour Care Centre, from Quays Avenue itself, Harbour Road and Phoenix Way. There will also be single sections of Harbour Road and Quays Avenue where trees are being cleared that will need temporary traffic lights installed and minor footpath diversions.
Ecology work has taken place to ensure species living near the railway are protected, such as toads, reptiles, badgers and bats.
Why is the work needed?
The Portishead Line is phase one of the widerMetro West project to improve rail links in Bristol and surrounding areas, improving connectivity and enhancing the local economy. Phase two will include new stations on a rail line to Henbury.
In total Metro West aims to provide seven new stations and five new or enhanced rail links by 2028.
New stations:
- Portway Park and Ride – opened August 2023
- Ashley Down – opened September 2024
- Charfield – construction in progress
- North Filton/Brabazon – construction in progress
- Portishead
- Pill
- Henbury
Get in touch
If you have any questions or require further information in the meantime, you can get in touch with us by visiting ourcontact us page or by calling our 24-hour national helpline on 03457 11 41 41.