How GWR is giving thousands more customers access to rail
Horizon’s Jasmin Collier spoke with Tom Pierpoint, Business Development Portfolio Director at GWR, about the recent opening of Bristol’s Ashley Down station and what it means for the community.
Back in September, Bristol’s Ashley Down became the sixth new station in recent months to be opened by GWR. We spoke with Tom Pierpoint, GWR’s Business Development Portfolio Director, to find out about what went into this project, what it means for the nearby communities, and what else the operator is doing to embed social value and sustainability.
From early planning to opening day, the Ashley Down project must have been a huge undertaking. What went into it?
It was a huge undertaking. It relied on collaboration between everyone involved, including the West of England Combined Authority as the scheme promoter; Network Rail as the future infrastructure owner; Bristol City Council, who are responsible for the cycle path adjacent to the station and who carried out works to improve access; and GWR as the future station and service operator.
It all starts with strategy. Ashley Down is part of the West of England Combined Authority MetroWest programme, which aims to transform rail travel across the wider Bristol area through a series of new stations, services, and line openings. Having everyone aligned behind this strategy and committed to a long-term partnership really supports the delivery of individual schemes.
All infrastructure projects face their own challenges, but every project is an opportunity to improve. And the project team took lessons learned from the opening of the new Portway Park and Ride station last year. This led to an earlier focus on the Entry into Service process, securing the necessary authorisations sooner and making the opening much smoother.
The whole thing was greatly supported by the Mayoral Combined Authority and local MP and Mayor Dan Norris, who has made transforming rail a key priority for the West of England.
You mentioned that this project wouldn’t have been possible without collaboration. Why is cross-industry collaboration vital for the future of rail?
No single party can deliver infrastructure projects on the railway. It must be a collaboration, not just between track and train, but between the rail industry and the community. We’ve made great strides in recent years to be more aligned with industry partners. But it’s also about collaboration with partners outside of the industry, and in my view, it’s essential that the railway is focused on the regions and the communities that we serve and that we’re really able to respond to local strategy and opportunities if we want to continue to grow.
The railway can drive economic growth, support development, and enable social inclusion, and we work with local authorities and partners all across our network who really recognise the role the railway can play. We know that the new government has prioritised development, and by listening to our partners, identifying joint objectives, and aligning our strategy as best we can, we can position the railway as an enabler and continue to see significant investment in enhancements to enable the railway to grow.
Another new station in a city like Bristol, which saw widespread rail closures in the 1960s, has immense social value. What does Ashley Down mean for the communities nearby?
There are roughly 13,000 people within a short walking distance of Ashley Down station who can now use the railway as part of their daily lives more easily. For them, it means more convenience and better access to work, school, social, and leisure opportunities. For us, it makes our services more attractive and enables us to entice new customers.
The station is also close to the County Ground, home of Gloucestershire County Cricket Club, as well as Bristol Rovers’ Memorial Stadium. So, it’s valuable for people who live close to the station, but it also serves an inward demand for sporting and leisure opportunities.
How does GWR strike a balance between serving communities with regular trains but also carefully managing things like noise and vibration from maintenance works?
There’s always a balance to strike here, and it’s about being engaged with and listening to the affected local communities. Network Rail was responsible for the delivery of Ashley Down station and has a really well-rehearsed, clear strategy for how it keeps neighbours informed.
There were also public engagement events as part of the planning and development process for Ashley Down, which all the partners supported, and a series of updates throughout the construction process to keep local residents informed. Those early efforts allowed us to build up an understanding of why and how the works had to be done and when people should expect noise or disruption.
Ashley Down is also part of the Severnside Community Rail Partnership, and they were able to do advance community engagement. This included an art project with local scouts that was installed at the station in time for the opening.
Ashley Down isn’t the first new GWR station in recent years, and it sounds as though it won’t be the last. What do the next few years hold?
This is the sixth new station that we’ve opened in recent years, following Worcestershire Parkway, Okehampton, Reading Green Park, Marsh Barton in Exeter, and Portway Park and Ride. And it definitely won’t be the last! We’re expecting the next new station to be Okehampton Interchange, building on the success of the reopening of the Dartmoor Line between Exeter and Okehampton in November 2021, which has significantly outperformed its passenger forecasts.
In the Bristol area, we’re working with our partners on North Filton to serve the Brabazon Airfield redevelopment, Henbury, and Charfield, all of which will improve access to our services and support new developments. The scale of development in north Bristol is vast, and by working to deliver the infrastructure as soon as possible, we can attract new residents and businesses to use the railway as they move in.
We’re then hopeful that the line to Portishead will reopen to passenger traffic. That’s currently under review by the government as part of the former Restoring Your Railways schemes assessment, but it has the potential to open up rail access to an area of Bristol that has a huge amount of congestion. Wellington and Cullompton new stations, and linking Tavistock to Plymouth, are in the same position and awaiting a funding decision. We are, however, continuing with the Mid Cornwall Metro scheme and are excited to see this project completed in 2025, which will enable higher frequency service across central Cornwall.
From this project and a number of others, such as your installation of water refill facilities at some stations to drive down plastic waste, am I right in thinking that sustainability is at the heart of GWR’s agenda?
Absolutely. We really do strive to embed sustainable development in the way we do business. For example, this year, we’ve started a fast-charging battery train trial on the branch line between West Ealing and Greenford, which is testing technology key to supporting the future decarbonisation of UK rail. This trial could be the solution for branch lines across the country in the DfT challenge to remove diesel-only services by 2040.
We’re also now working on our Net Zero Carbon map and researching future rolling stock so that we can eliminate diesel-only trains on our network.
Thanks, Tom. Finally, if you could share one thing you’ve learned from the Ashley Down project with our rail leader readers, what would it be?
A one-team approach is fundamental for efficient delivery in the complex environment we operate in, and we need to continue to build on our successes and identify ways to continue to improve. It’s equally essential that the one-team approach doesn’t just include industry partners; it should bring in local authorities and others who are responsible for shaping our regions and communities. And by harnessing their support, influence, and funding, we can keep the railway growing for the next 200 years!
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