The station is expected to open in 2028
An aerial view of the Henbury station site where development is ongoing in the surrounding area.(Image: Network Rail)
Planning permission could be approved for a new train station in a Bristol suburb next week. Henbury station would be built next to the A4018 Wyck Beck Road on the border between Bristol and South Gloucestershire.
Henbury is one of several new stations in the area, with another planned nearby at the new YTL Arena, as part of the MetroWest rail scheme led by the West of England Combined Authority. Trains would run once an hour to Filton Abbey Wood and Bristol Temple Meads, from a single platform. If given permission, the station would be due to open in 2028.
South Gloucestershire Council is considering the application, as the station lies just on the north side of the border between the two council areas. The plans will be voted on by councillors on the strategic sites delivery committee on Wednesday, October 1. Planning officers are recommending that the committee vote to approve permission for the new station.
An access ramp would be built connecting to Wyck Beck Road for people walking and cycling, and a small car park with 31 spaces would also be created. New train stations are also planned in Charfield in South Gloucestershire, North Filton next to the arena, Portishead and Pill. Stations were recently opened in Ashley Down and at the Portway Park and Ride.
The station was initially due to open in 2021. Recent delays have been caused by concerns over flood risk and changes to the access ramp. Conservative Councillor Mark Weston, representing Henbury and Brentry, raised fears over the prolonged delays during a meeting of the West of England’s overview and scrutiny committee on July 14.
Cllr Weston said: “MetroWest has been allowed to drift, and it seems to be drifting towards the Pacific. We now have a 2028 opening date for Henbury station. It was 2021 initially. I’m quite nervous that some of these big ticket items are just going to go on and on and on forever. When it comes to rail, we may be on track but we are moving glacially slowly.”
The Henbury line is currently used just for freight. There used to be a station at Henbury which closed in 1964 as part of the Beeching cuts, which saw many stations across the country shut. The new station will be unstaffed but will have a covered waiting area on the platform.
There were plans for the reopened line to link up with the Severn Beach line in Avonmouth, forming a loop around the city. But these were scrapped a decade ago as experts predicted too few passengers would use the loop. Instead, Henbury station will be at the end of the line, where trains will stop and then go back towards Temple Meads.