New and remodelled bus stops have been brought into use at Bristol Parkway railway station as a £650k scheme of improvements to bus/rail interchange facilities nears completion.
The project, which has been jointly funded by the West of England Combined Authority and station operator GWR, has seen upgrades to two existing bus stops and the installation of two new MetroBus-specification stops.
The station forecourt has been remodelled to accommodate the new bus stops and permit new bus movements.
The scheme has also included re-alignment of the access road to the station from the east, which has allowed the routes of the 19 and Y6 services to be altered to pass straight through the station and serve the stops near the park & ride on Hunts Ground Road.
Implementation of the scheme began on Monday 3rd February 2020 but has been delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Temporary bus stops located further down the station approach road were in use until Monday 5th July 2021.
The Journal understands that buses could now potentially enter from the east and make a U-turn to exit the same way, although First Bus has said there it has no plans to divert the M1 MetroBus to serve the station.
The two new MetroBus-style stops will eventually be used by buses running on the Cribbs Patchway MetroBus Extension, although this is not planned to be running until 2023, subject to a commercial operator being found.
This article originally appeared in the July/August 2021 issue of the Stoke Gifford Journal magazine (on page 22). The magazine is delivered FREE, nine times a year, to over 5,000 homes in Stoke Gifford, Little Stoke and Harry Stoke. Phone 01454 300 400 to enquire about advertising or leaflet insertion.
