Secretary of state for transport Chris Grayling was in Stoke Gifford on 13th April to officially open a new (fourth) platform at Bristol Parkway station.
The installation of the new platform is part of Network Rail’s Railway Upgrade Plan in the west of England, representing a multi-million pound investment and including its biggest ever signalling upgrade which took place earlier this month in the Bristol area. The brand new platform 1 will allow for an increase in capacity on the network, enabling new services to be introduced and reducing delays.
Bristol Parkway is an important station in the west, servicing passengers from Wales and south west England as well as Birmingham, the Midlands and beyond. Train operating companies GWR and CrossCountry will benefit from the increased capacity on the network, and improvements to the track layout will be advantageous for freight companies such as Freightliner.
Unveiling a plaque to mark the official opening, transport secretary Chris Grayling said:
“We are investing in the biggest modernisation of the railways since the Victorian era, delivering better, more frequent and faster journeys for passengers.”
“This vital upgrade at Bristol Parkway is a fantastic example of how we are enhancing rail travel up and down the country, benefiting millions of passengers. These improvements will boost reliability, increase the number of trains serving Bristol and along the route, and also allow new intercity trains to stop at the station too.”
Mark Langman, route managing director for Network Rail’s Western route said:
“The opening of the brand new platform 1, together with the extension of existing platforms at Bristol Parkway marks another key milestone in the Greater West Programme.”
“This region will continue to benefit from investment in the railway as later in the year we will be doubling the number of tracks into Bristol allowing more services to run to London and the west, as well as improving reliability and punctuality for services to the south west, Birmingham and the north.”
GWR will be releasing a new timetable in early 2019, providing more seats and reducing journey times to London Paddington.
Photo: Transport secretary Chris Grayling unveils a plaque to mark the official opening of the new platform.
This article originally appeared in the May 2018 issue of the Bradley Stoke Journal news magazine (on page 27). The magazine is delivered FREE, EVERY MONTH, to ALL 8,700 homes in Bradley Stoke. Phone 01454 300 400 to enquire about advertising or leaflet insertion.
