Public transport in Bristol

The majority of people in the Bristol Urban Area are transported by bus, although rail has experienced growth and does play an important part, particularly in peak hours. There were plans for a Light Rail system, however this has now been dropped although it remains in the Long-term local transport plan.

Bus travel

The are 3 main bus companies that operate across the Greater Bristol area. They are First, National Express and Wessex Connect. They provide services around Bristol and in to South Gloucestershire, National Express provides services including London, Plymouth, Glasgow and Swansea. Megabus run services to London, Newport and Cardiff.

Rail Travel

The main railway stations in Bristol are Bristol Temple Meads, near the city centre, and Bristol Parkway in the northern suburb of Stoke Gifford. Although the latter is in the Bristol urban area, it is in South Gloucestershire. There are services to UK destinations from both Temple Meads and Parkway stations. There are also smaller stations across Bristol on different railway lines, including the Severn Beach Line, South Wales Main Line, Cross-Country Route, Great Western Main Line and Wessex Main Line.

Journey time to London is around 90 minutes.

There are 3 private rail companies that operate across the Greater Bristol area. They are First Great Western, CrossCountry and South West Trains. First Great Western operate all the local and regional services and intercity serivces between London Paddington and South Wales/Southwest England that pass through or terminate at Bristol. CrossCountry run cross-country intercity services that serve Bristol on routes between Southwest England and the Midlands, North of England and Scotland. South West Trains operate two services a day between Bristol Temple Meads and London Waterloo via Salisbury.

There are several local, suburban rail routes throughout Bristol but many have either been closed or seen massively reduced services. The Severn Beach line which runs from Temple Meads to Severn Beach is regarded as a particularly attractive route. [ [http://www.bbc.co.uk/insideout/west/series6/railway.shtml BBC Inside Out - Bristol's Severn Beach Railway Line ] ]

Following a successful campaign by FOSBR (Friends of Suburban Bristol Railway), the Severn Beach Line is going to have an increased frequency from December 2007 to March 2010 [ [http://www.fosbr.org.uk/Victory.htm The Lib Dem Council Cabinet have amended their budget to provide an extra train on the Severn Beach line from December 2007 ] ] .It is hoped this will pave the way for better services across the conurbation. An additional train will operate on the line meaning services should be at the least every 40 mins.

Water travel

The Bristol Ferry Boat operates passenger ferry boat services on Bristol Harbour in the centre of Bristol.

Services are operated both for the leisure market and for commuters to and from both the city centre and Bristol Temple Meads railway station, and serve 15 landing stages throughout the length of the harbour. Services are provided by a fleet of historic, yellow painted ferry boats.

Stops include:

*City Centre
*SS Great Britain
*Bristol Marina
*Mardyke
*Hotwells-Pumphouse (for Hotwells)
*Welsh Back
*Castle Park
*Temple Quay (for Bristol Temple Meads railway station)

References