UK: Trains returned to Ashley Down for the first time in 60 years on September 28 when Great Western Railway began serving the newly rebuilt station north of Bristol.
Ashley Down is located in north Bristol between Stapleton Hill and Filton Abbey Wood, on the site of the former Ashley Hill station closed in 1964. Two platforms linked by lifts and a footbridge have been added on the Relief lines, and the station is initially being served by an hourly train linking Bristol Temple Meads with Filton Abbey Wood.
Under the MetroWest programme this service is to be extended along a currently freight-only route to serve new stations at North Filton and Henbury, which are now expected to open in 2026. The cost of MetroWest Phase 2 covering Ashley Down and the Henbury route was put at £73m by Bristol City Council in June last year, an increase of £18m compared to the original business case approved.
Ahead of the opening, Network Rail Western Route Director Marcus Jones said ‘I’d like to thank our contractor BAM, and all those involved through the supply chain, for getting this over the line. It’s a huge achievement to have delivered a new station for the community of Ashley Down on time and on budget, and with an impeccable record on safety throughout too. I look forward to continuing this great work and playing our part in leaving a lasting legacy for Bristol and beyond.’
Celebrating the opening, West of England Mayor Dan Norris added that ‘if you give people easy access to good, reliable public transport, they will use it. Now 15 000 people in Lockleaze, Horfield, and Ashley Down will live closer to a railway station than they did yesterday.
‘The new station looks fantastic, and I’m thrilled to have taken the first train to arrive there in 60 years. But this is only the beginning of our quiet rail revolution. Our Reverse Beeching programme is now in full swing, and we are moving on to plans to deliver stations North Filton and in Henbury next.’
