Road, Rail & Access Issues

[TheLocalYokel]

A2 Bus

From today the A2 bus operated by First between Weston-super-Mare and Nailsea via BRS will extend to Clevedon and Portishead on alternate journeys. It will remain hourly in both directions with the first bus leaving Weston at 0445 and the last bust returning there at 2259. Looking at the timetable it seems there is now a need for four buses rather than the previous three to maintain the schedule.

During the evening the buses will travel only as far as Nailsea. Timings at BRS are almost unchanged although at times the Weston-bound bus will call there two minutes earlier than in the previous schedule.

A4 Air Decker

This service operated by the Bath Bus Company between Bath and the airport via south Bristol that was increased from hourly to half hourly in March never seems to carry many passengers. I use it from time to time, not always to/from the airport, and on most days I see it passing, and if it's carrying more than six or eight then it's having a busy run.

How the provision of double deckers with these sorts of loads is profitable, even at £20 return between airport and Bath, I can't imagine. Mini buses might be thought to be more realistic although suitcase storage provision might be a difficulty.

I don't know whether the airport subsidises the A4 service in any way.

A1 Flyer

This service operated by First Bristol on behalf of the airport seems to go from strength to strength with high loads a frequent occurrence throughout much of the day, although inevitably there are times when loading is sparse because of the peaks and troughs of the airline network.

There is an argument for double deckers on this route but I'm told they would not be able to get under the canopy at the top of the Temple Meads station main approach road where the Flyer stop is situated.

National Express service 216

This is the 12 x daily service between Cardiff, Newport and BRS. I've seen it loading and unloading at the airport on a number of times this summer and my impression is that generally it's not quite as heavily used as its predecessor, First Greyhound, although that one served Swansea as well on many of its daily journeys.

 

[superking]

the last 3 weeks i have had to go into bristol. going via the a38 i have met the double decker on its way to the airport.it must be a 6am arrival at the airport.
on the 3 times i have seen it i noted that the top and bottom decks just about full.with loads like that early might help the route paying when the loads are light later in the day.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

the last 3 weeks i have had to go into bristol. going via the a38 i have met the double decker on its way to the airport.it must be a 6am arrival at the airport.
on the 3 times i have seen it i noted that the top and bottom decks just about full.with loads like that early might help the route paying when the loads are light later in the day.

That's good to hear. I use it quite a lot to get to the airport, but not to fly out. It's handy to get me out into the area where I do a lot of walking. When I'm flying out I usually take the car and park it in the long stay. I'll be doing that next week.

I used the Air Decker twice today. The 1010 arrival had five passengers including me, although two others had got off along the route. The 1530 departure had me and another bloke plus the driver.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Rail Electrification

Not directly related to the airport although the Flyer bus picks up numerous passengers at Temple Meads station and what follows will affect the regions's economy and indirectly the airport, but the chairman of Network Rail has said today that the electrification of the railway line from Paddington to South Wales via both Bristol lines (ie those via Bath and via Badminton) will be delayed for at least two years. It was due to open in 2017. Furthermore, Temple Meads might have to wait a good deal longer than that because of unspecified (at least in the local paper today) work there. It was reported today that it's the only major station in the country that has not been brought up to 21st Century standards.

How can such highly paid people as the bosses of Network Rail be so hopelessly wrong with their timescale predictions? Might as well have had a class of primary school kids guess the completion date. They'd probably be more accurate.

I smile wryly when I hear about a North-South Divide and the Northern Powerhouse because so far as rail is concerned South West England and South Wales are in the Dark Ages.

Even when the electrification is complete it will not extend south-west of Bristol so the main part of South West England will have to make do with diesel for many years to come with not even a date pencilled in that gives a clue when the overhead wires might appear in such counties as Somerset, Devon and Cornwall.

I don't know about HS2. We'd be delighted here with what most of the rest of England has had for many years - electrified lines.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

A 38 closed

According to the BRS website the A 38 is closed at Star (between Churchill and Sidcot) which is about five miles south of the airport and the usual route for air travellers from/to the South West leaving or joining the M 5 at Brent Knoll.

The reason for the closure is shown as fallen trees - not really a surprise given the gales and heavy rain that have been around all day so far.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

M5 closed

A tanker containing aviation fuel overturned this morning on the M5 near Bridgwater. The motorway has been closed in both directions all day although the southbound has re-opened in the last hour. The northbound will remain closed throughout the night as the carriageway has to be resurfaced following the incident.

Some people were stationary for five hours. Given that this route is the most important one for air travellers accessing BRS from the South West it's very likely that some people missed their flights.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

REVEALED: Bristol Airport is the MOST expensive to travel to for holiday-makers

Bristol Airport is the most expensive in the country for holiday makers to reach.

A study into the UK's busiest airports have revealed journeys to and from Bristol Airport cost more per mile than Gatwick, Birmingham, Heathrow and Manchester.

In fact travellers heading for the West Country airport spend 50p per mile more than journeys to and from Gatwick and Heathrow.

Full article at http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/REVEALED-B ... story.html

This is a bit of a contrived issue as it only measures costs from the nearest city centres to the airports in question. Most airport travellers tend to travel further than that so the cost of the section of the journey between airport and city centre (and I would think that most people don't go via city centres if they can help it) has to be measured against the overall journey costs.

 

[tpm]

Maybe also depends on whether they looked at return fares or single fares: if I remember correctly the flyer wants £10 for a return, and £8 for a single from the centre.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

It's been announced today that Stagecoach will operate a new route from Plymouth calling at Exeter, Taunton, Bristol Airport and Bristol. It will commence next month with 19 journeys each day, seven days a week.

http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/Stageco ... ory.html#1

This will mean that the airport bus/coach connectivity will be as follows:

1. A1 Bristol Airport Flyer (liveried) 24 hours per day, seven days per week at 8-9 minute intervals for much of the time, less in the later evenings and overnight (operated by First Bristol on behalf of the airport).

2. A2 North Somerset Link (liveried) connecting Weston-super-Mare, Clevedon, Portishead and local villages with the airport, at hourly intervals in both directions from early morning until late evening (operated by First West of England).

3. A4 Bath Air Decker (liveried double deckers) connecting Bath, Saltford, Keynsham and south Bristol with the airport, at half hourly intervals for much of the time, hourly early morning and late evening, from 0300 until midnight (operated by Bath Bus Company).

4. Service 216 (liveried as Bristol Airport Express) connecting Cardiff and Newport with airport, 12 return journeys each day around the clock (operated by National Express in special airport livery).

5. Falcon service connecting Plymouth, Exeter and Taunton with airport around the clock according to operator but timetables yet to be published (operated by Stagecoach South West).

6. Service 404, overnight service between London and Penzance calls at airport each night at 0245 (operated by National Express).

 

[TheLocalYokel]

[textarea]Falcon set to fly across the region

Stagecoach South West announced today the launch of the South West Falcon: the first dedicated 24/7 coach service connecting major locations across the South West.

Stagecoach launching first 24/7 coach service connecting the South West region

Investment of £2.5m in fleet of eight new coaches, all with free Wi-Fi

Service starts Sunday 14th February with 19 journeys a day, 7 days a week

From 14 to 27 February all journeys will cost just £1

Thereafter normal fares start from just £5 for under 25s and OAPs

The service starts on Sunday 14th February (3.30am departure from Plymouth and 7am departure from Bristol) and will operate 19 journeys a day, 7 days a week between Plymouth, Exeter, Taunton,

Bristol Airport and Bristol City Centre, allowing passengers to travel to their chosen destinations both day and night.

To celebrate the launch of Falcon single and return journeys will initially cost just £1(14-27 February). From the end of February, normal fares will apply, all of which make Falcon a cost effective alternative to the train. These include £5 return journeys anywhere along the route for under 25’s and OAP’s and adult returns from just £7.50. All return fares are valid for up to 28 days. Weekly and monthly ticket options for regular commuters will also be available, with prices starting from only £20 a week.

The eight brand new coaches represent a £2.5 million investment by Stagecoach. All feature free Wi-Fi as well as air conditioning, leather seats and charging sockets.

Bob Dennison, Managing Director of Stagecoach South West, said: “Falcon is a bold new step in making it easier for people to travel across the region. It’s a ‘round the clock’ service between the main towns and cities across the South West plus Bristol Airport.

“I am confident this new 24/7 connection will prove extremely popular with commuters, University students, shoppers, day trippers and, of course, holidaymakers flying from Bristol.”

Steve Hindley, Chair of Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership, said “We welcome this new round-the-clock service connecting major towns and cities in the heart of the South West. We support and campaign for improvements across the full breadth of the transport agenda – road, rail and air – so this new services adds real value to the connectivity of the area.”

Bryony Chetwode, from Travelwatch South West, added, "The Falcon enables people to travel across the whole of the South West easily, frequently and reliably – and at a great price. The launch of the Falcon marks a positive development in the region's network of public transport. Passengers will really benefit from this streamlined service which is time efficient and passenger friendly and Stagecoach is to be commended."

Liz Macnaughton, Commercial Manager – Ground Transportation, Bristol Airport said, “We are delighted to welcome the Falcon coach service which will give customers from key catchment areas easy access to and from Bristol Airport. We are committed to working with transport partners on improving surface access to the Airport now and in the future. This is the first time a service will be available to customers from Plymouth, Exeter and Taunton and I am sure it will be a success.”

Falcon will run up to every hour during the day and at various times overnight, providing connections to the South West’s main towns and cities as well as a 24 hour service to Bristol Airport, the region’s busiest transport hub. Journeys are timed to meet the needs of commuters, leisure and holiday travellers.

Falcon is a ‘turn up and go’ service, with tickets, including weekly season tickets, bought in cash direct from the driver. A select number of tickets will also be available to pre-book via http://www.megabus.com, where fares will be available from as little as £1 plus 50p booking fee. 4 week season tickets will be available to buy online at http://www.stagecoachbus.com. All 1 and 4 week season tickets will be issued on StagecoachSmart cards.

Stagecoach is holding a number of roadshows to promote the new service at Taunton (Castle Green) on Thursday 11th February, Exeter (Princesshay) on Friday 12th February and finishing in Bristol (Broad Quay) on Saturday 13th February. Here, people will be able to step aboard one of the new coaches, find out more about the service and pick up copies of the new timetable.

More details of the new service, including fares information and the full timetable, will be announced shortly online at http://www.swfalcon.com.[/textarea]

There is now an airport press release on the new bus service from Plymouth etc to the airport.

http://www.bristolairport.co.uk/about-u ... stagecoach

 

[TheLocalYokel]

New long distance bus service linking Devon and Somerset with Bristol Airport

Further to recent posts re this Falcon service operated by Stagecoach, the timetable has now been published.

When the original press release spoke of 19 daily journeys I assumed that, as in airline-speak, this would be single journeys, but in fact there will 19 daily return journeys, seven days per week operating right through the 24-hour cycle.

They are hourly for the most part and two-hourly through the small hours.

I don't know how many airport-related passengers are expected as this service also links the major centres of Plymouth, Exeter, Taunton and Bristol as well as BRS with some other en route stops as well. Journey time between Plymouth and Bristol city centres is three and a quarter to three and a half hours.

https://tiscon-maps-stagecoachbus.s3.am ... EVISED.pdf

 

[TheLocalYokel]

South West Falcon coach service

This Stagecoach operated service commenced today. It will operate 19 return journeys in each 24-hour cycle connecting Plymouth, Exeter, Taunton, Bristol Airport and Bristol, with some other stops in between.

I noticed the coaches last week on what appeared to be route familiarisation training for the drivers. On Saturday one was parked at Broad Quay in the city centre apparently publicising the route. I suspect that similar initiatives took place at the other main centres along the route.

This afternoon, as is so often the case at the moment with the major Metrobus-related road works at a number of locations central area, traffic was stationary/extremely slow moving for about half a mile along Anchor Road and I noticed a Falcon coach taking over 20 minutes to cover this short distance. Not the ideal way of trying to keep time on such a long route.

Perhaps 19 return every 24 hours journeys is rather ambitious anyway.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Re the previous post, the Falcon service doesn't seem to have covered itself in glory in the first few days.

Yesterday afternoon I saw one of the brand new coaches in Anchor Road by the Harbourside apparently broken down - the driver was standing on the pavement with the vehicle flashers operating and another Bristol-bound Falcon coach overtook the stationary one suggesting that the first coach had been there for at least an hour.

I was later told that a Falcon coach had broken down at Exeter on Wednesday.

Fortunately, the frequency for such a long distance service is high at almost hourly so any delay of one coach should not cause too much of a problem for passengers, provided there is room on the following coach of course.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

A2 bus service

This service which operates hourly in both directions from early morning until late evening between Weston-super-Mare and Clevedon or Portishead via Bristol Airport and Nailsea will be curtailed from 24 April this year.

The First Bristol website says that because of very low usage a revised service will be put into operation between Weston-super-Mare and Bristol Airport. the section between the airport and Clevedon or Portishead via Nailsea will be withdrawn.

There is no comment about a reduced frequency on the First Bristol website so the presumption is that the service will remain hourly.

 

[Aviador]

Bus companies tend to run airport service routes round the houses. They usually take far longer than an airport connection really should so there usage tends to be low. So long as bus companies aren't prepared to offer more direct and frequent services it's inevitable their success will be limited.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Bus companies tend to run airport service routes round the houses. They usually take far longer than an airport connection really should so there usage tends to be low. So long as bus companies aren't prepared to offer more direct and frequent services it's inevitable their success will be limited.

First in the Bristol area regularly carries out quite major alterations of bus services - often every four months or so. The next one is from 24 April and includes the A2 service revised timetable.

They admit they never seem to get their Bristol area services quite right and keep tinkering to try to do so. In the last year bus usage in Bristol has increased by an incredible 25% due mainly to the clogged narrow streets of an ancient city's central area and the rolling out of many more residents' parking zones across many suburbs including inner city ones where commuters would often park - a legacy of one of the pet loves of the elected mayor.

The A2 although it serves the airport is not really an airport bus. Its primary function is to link many of the inland villages in the areas between the coastal resorts of Clevedon/Portishead and Weston-super-Mare. Some people, both passengers and staff, do use it for accessing the airport but they are the minority. I do a lot of walking and often use the A2 and there is no doubt that it is much busier between the airport and Weston than in the other direction (Clevedon/Portishead), although most passengers are not airport-related.

Whilst on the subject of airport bus services the new Falcon service from Plymouth, Exeter etc seemed to have got off to a slow start as far as the airport is concerned although this week I was at the airport and saw five people get off one coach and 12 board one going to Devon.

The regular National Express service from Cardiff and Newport still seems busy despite the increasing number of flights at CWL these days.

 

[Aviador]

That's the thing, bus company's change their timetables all too often. Unless you use buses regularly, your average passenger can't keep up with them.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

http://community.alungriffiths.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/South-Bristol-Link-Route-Map.pdf

Does anyone know if the Airport Flyer will use the Temple Meads to Ashton Vale Metrobus route (see map at above link) when it's completed next year before travelling on the South Bristol Link Road (currently under construction) to join the A 38 just outside the city boundary?

 

[tpm]

That's my understanding from various documents relating to the Ashton-Vale-to-Temple-Meads AVTM Metrobus route, the AVTM FAQ says

Bristol Airport estimates that five Airport Flyer buses in each direction would use the guided busway every hour. Airport Flyer services currently use single decker vehicles.

I would expect that in the longer run the flyer service will simply be incorporated into Metrobus network, possibly from two directions even: the AVTM could simply be extended from Long Ashton P+R on the A370 onwards towards the airport via the South Bristol Link road to the A38; equally, the North Fringe to Hengrove Metrobus could be extended from Hengrove to go via the South Bristol Link road to the A38 and on to the airport, although I'm not sure if that's really worth it seeing that there would be multiple interchange points to the AVTM branch. UWE Frenchay campus to Hengrove is timetabled at 41 minutes, so that'd be 55-60 minutes to the airport. Not majorly attractive journey times, but there's something to be said for frequency and not having to change modes (I think by car it would be at least 40-60 minutes, depending on traffic on the ring road, M32 and in the centre, so perhaps not that bad after all).

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Thanks for all that, tpm.

I'm told but cannot confirm that the contract for the Flyer lapses next year - I've no reason to think that First won't be the carrier for the airport in a new contract; it has been since the Flyer began in the days when First was a part owner of the airport along with the city council, but who knows what a tendering process might bring.

What might be relevant is that the 12 Flyer buses, although only five and six years old, are beginning to show signs of ageing. They are not the most comfortable ride any longer and they tend to rattle a lot as well. A new contract might bring new buses - it certainly would if another company won the contract - that are a better fit for the Metrobus system.

If the Flyer stop at Temple Meads continues to be at the top of the incline I understand that double deckers would be out of the question as they would be too high to get under the awning (i doubt that the awning could be removed or replaced as it's probably part of the listed status of Temple Meads station). However, if the much rumoured major makeover of Temple Meads goes ahead there is no reason why the Flyer stop could not be moved to another location nearby, especially if the main approach road, as has been suggested, becomes restricted to just buses and taxis.