Impact of Proposed Bristol Port Company Expansion
Date: March 2009The Port of Bristol (The Bristol Port Company) is proposing a major expansion of facilities which will allow the largest container ships to use Avonmouth dock. The proposal is to build a new dock on brown field land near the old oil terminal. Included in this is the provision of rail facilities and to remove around 30% of the new freight by rail. This will involve the Henbury loop. FoSBR was asked to comment and made a statement.
FOSBR are pleased to support the plan of the Port but are very concerned that the promised rail facilities and levels of traffic may not materialise. The need to improve the Henbury loop and the provision of enough paths for future passenger services on the loop and to Severn Beach must be planned for NOW at the planning stages.
RESPONSE TO PORT COMPANY
Our main worries are that there will not be enough paths for freight and passenger trains with the present infrastructure.
1) Present passenger paths are 22 each day (none on sundays - yet) for the trains to Severn Beach. We are arguing the case for the reopening of the Henbury loop to passenger traffic (as this would provide access to the port and other major employers in Filton, helping your 'green' transport plan) This would we hope be half hourly in each direction and could therefore need around 60+ paths (30 in each direction) along with the Severn Beach pathings (which we wold also like to see increased - perhaps a shuttle to Avonmouth) We would therefore urge that at least the final 1600 metres of track into the junctions at Filton should be doubled to avoid a bottle neck.
2) Container traffic does not only require local infrastructure improvements, but I understand form Network Rail that currently trains of coal are being routed via the Severn tunnel, Newport and Hereford to access power stations in the Midlands because the track between Gloucester and Cheltenham is unable to take more trains. We would therefore urge the Port to encourage Network Rail to increase capacity at such pinch points, otherwise the amount of freight leaving Avonmouth by train will be severely curtailed and the possibility of local passenger traffic reduced.
3) One possible answer to help capacity on a short term basis might be for better use of the line from Portishead by either taking coal from Avonmouth via the tunnel for loading there or even diverting coal shipping to Portbury and increasing the capacity of that line. Of course this would need better rail infrastructure up the line between Temple Meads and Filton (i.e. re quadrupling that line) all of which are being talked about...
4) We hope too that the Port will encourage usage of the railway for workers coming to work, be it to Avonmouth or St Andrews Road. The distribution of timetables and other info might encourage this. I am sure we would be happy to help if this were required.
Thank you again for your letter - we look forward to hearing how the project develops and to see rail taking a major part in the transport solutions for both Avonmouth and Portbury Docks.