Random Stuff!

[Jerry]

The only thing about a ME3 flight out of BRS is the lack of cargo. Would Emirates be happy with just passengers?

 

[Marko1]

Food for thought: Was Emirates ordering of the A330neo today bristols golden ticket for a middle east flight?

I was thinking exactly the same thing. Having emirates would be a game changer and having flown emirates and been to Dubai it would be a service I definitely would use

 

[aviatorconcorde]

I was thinking exactly the same thing. Having emirates would be a game changer and having flown emirates and been to Dubai it would be a service I definitely would use

I could only see it happening if they couldn’t grow no further at Heathrow in my opinion. I don’t think they’d come severnside just to compete with Qatar.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Remember that Qatar's B787s could have operated from BRS to DOH with no load penalty but Qatar chose not to. Emirates operates from LHR and BHX, so probably correctly believes that the West Country is covered from there, particularly at LHR.

If BRS was desperate to get Emirates and lack of cargo was a sticking point, would they not seek to put that right in terms of facilities? I imagine there would be enough cargo customers in the region if the opportunity was there. Given the hundreds of millions of pounds spent in recent years by the airport owners to upgrade all manner of facilities and which continues unabated, would they they let cost stand in their way? I wonder though if they are that desperate. In terms of an increase in footfall - of great importsnce to feed the ancillary revenue streams - a daily Emirates flight would not produce more passengers than a couple of extra easyJet or Ryanair flights per day.

In the end though, I tend to agree with aviatorconcorde. What would be in it for Emirates? I agree that trying to compete with Qatar at CWL for the sake of it would not enter their heads. They know their West Country passengers will use them at LHR so why bother with setting up a new route to a destination 100 miles away from LHR?

I wonder if any of us would not use them at LHR but would use them if they were at BRS.

 

[Marko1]

I certainly would use a service from Bristol. The airport must think that a Middle East service is a possibility given the email that some of us received last week and repeated press release mentions of aims to achieve such a route. If potential carriers are really not interested in such a service would all this talk be a waste of time and effort ?

 

[TheLocalYokel]

I certainly would use a service from Bristol. The airport must think that a Middle East service is a possibility given the email that some of us received last week and repeated press release mentions of aims to achieve such a route. If potential carriers are really not interested in such a service would all this talk be a waste of time and effort ?

I imagine they feel they have to keep plugging away. I took the recent initiative as much a means of updating their data base as anything. If an opportunity then presented itself they could use it (provided their research produced a positive picture) when pitching to propective ME airlines.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Globalisation and World Cities Research Network

Bristol continues to feature in a healthy position in the above network, as it has done for many years.

It’s a think tank that studies and rates world cities in terms of globalisation based on their world connectivity under four heads: accountancy, advertising, banking/finance and law. Economics are ranked more heavily than political or cultural factors.

The latest list of this biennial publication is that for 2018.

Cities are classified under four categories, viz:

Alpha Level cities are linked to major economic states and regions into the world economy and are subdivided into Alpha ++, Alpha+, Alpha and Alpha-. There are only two Alpha++ cities and they are London and New York. In total there are 55 Alpha Level cities and the USA has the most with seven. There are no other Alpha Level UK cities other than London.

Beta Level cities link moderate economic regions to the world economy and are subdivided into Beta+, Beta and Beta-. In total there are 80 Beta Level cities, including three in the UK: Birmingham, Edinburgh and Manchester all of which are rated Beta-.

Gamma Level cities link smaller economic regions into the world economy and are subdivided into Gamma+, Gamma and Gamma-. In total there are 77 Gamma Level cities including three in the UK: Glasgow (Gamma+) and Belfast and Bristol (both Gamma).

In addition there are Sufficiency Level cities that have a sufficient degree of services so as not to be overtly dependent on world cities, and are subdivided into High Sufficiency and Sufficiency Levels. In total there are 161 Sufficiency Level cities including eight in the UK: Leeds and Southampton (High Sufficiency) and Aberdeen, Cardiff, Leicester, Liverpool, Newcastle and Nottingham (all Sufficiency).

Bristol does punch heavily vis-a-vis its weight. It's only behind two of the UK's capital cities and two of the major UK metropolises as well as Scotland's largest city. It demonstrates again the strength of its econonomy and is one the reasons why its airport also punches above its weight given its small site and poor surface connectivity.

 

[kraktoa]

To get cargo status at an airport the HMRC approvals for BRS will have to be renegotiated. An application has to be made to HMRC as they will have to set up extra staffing to cover the checks.

So cart before horse time. get a carrier first and then get approval from the govt or vice versa. Who will wait for who?

 

[TheLocalYokel]

To get cargo status at an airport the HMRC approvals for BRS will have to be renegotiated. An application has to be made to HMRC as they will have to set up extra staffing to cover the checks.

So cart before horse time. get a carrier first and then get approval from the govt or vice versa. Who will wait for who?

I think it's academic anyway because the airport doesn't seem intent on setting up a cargo facility which is probably realistic unless they were certain of something like a regualr ME flight. I seem to remember the cargo facility was moved to Avonmouth many years ago and presumably closed a long time ago. Do you know if that was to make use of the shipping cargo facilities with their freight customs presence at the port, kraktoa?

 

[superking]

Skybound took over the BRS operation in Avonmouth and combined it with their freight. They used to run to Heathrow every night and East Midlands..

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Many thanks for that superking.

 

[alphagolf]

I think it's academic anyway because the airport doesn't seem intent on setting up a cargo facility which is probably realistic unless they were certain of something like a regualr ME flight. I seem to remember the cargo facility was moved to Avonmouth many years ago and presumably closed a long time ago. Do you know if that was to make use of the shipping cargo facilities with their freight customs presence at the port, kraktoa?

Skybound Serviced are still located in Avonmounth and continue their daily operation to London Heathrow, so it’s not inconceivable that they couldn’t return to operating for Bristol Airport.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Arenas

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/massive-attack-gig-bristol-opinion-2601674

Interesting test last night and this evening of the Filton site's capability for being the permanent home to an arena for Bristol, given that the proposed Temple site now seems dead and buried. A temporary structure called Steel Yard has been erected on the Filton site to house two concerts given by the band Massive Attack. Steel Yard has a capacity for 14,000 spectators.

Last night getting to and from the venue seemed relatively straightforward for the 14,000 fans so far as bus and car connectivity was concerned. Shuttle buses were laid on and the car park seemed able to cope efficiently. Taxis though were apparently less avaialble and there was talk of profiteering. What wasn't so good, according to reports, were onsite facilities such as toilet provision and the operation of refreshment outlets.

By coincidence, Steve Lansdown the owner of Bristol City FC and Bristol Bears RFC was interviewed on the local tv news last night before the Bears' vital Premiership win over Gloucester. He said that the new 4,000-seat arena he has planned next to the Ashton Gate stadium as home to one of his other interests, Bristol Flyers Basketball team, was coming along in terms of pre-planning but that the city council was being slow in its response.

Although a Bristol band, Massive Attack hasn't played in the city as often as it might. Its last gig was on The Downs in 2016. It won't play at the city's primary concert venue, the Colston Hall, because of the association with the name Edward Colston who, although a major philanthropist in his day, was also a leading player in the 'Triangular Trade' (the slave trade in which Bristol played a prominent part). The Colston Hall is currently closed for two years as the final stage of the major £49 million upgrade and modernisation takes place.

When it reopens the hall will be renamed, something that is hugely controversial in Bristol. What the new name will be is anyone's guess. Some believe it should reflect African heritage. There is already a bridge over the Harbourside at St Augustine's Reach called Pero's Bridge that acknowledges Pero Jones, who was born into slavery and was brought to Bristol to become the personl servant of an 18th Century Bristol merchant.

The Colston Hall is one of a number of Bristol's main entertainment venues that have seen multi-million pound amelioration projects in the last two or three years. The historic Theatre Royal in King Street, home to the Bristol Old Vic, was closed for over two years and reopened towards the end of last year. St George's concert hall, Brandon Hill off Park Street, with its superb accoustics and a regular venue for BBC concert broadcasts, saw an extension opened a year ago that provides new cafe, bar and performance spaces. Of the principal theatres/halls only the Bristol Hippodrome has not seen significant refurbishment/upgrading in recent years.

Space in the central areas is still limited though. The enduringly popular annual Bristol Harbour Festival has had to spread itself along nearly three miles of waterway in recent years to accommodate all those who wish to attend. Only this week Bristol's Gay Pride announced that it was switching its main event to The Downs this year because of its ever-increasing popularity. It began by using the centrally located Castle Park before lack of space forced it to move to the Amphitheatre on the Harbourside. Now that is not big enough. The parade will still take place around the central areas though.

Bristol must be the largest British city without an arena. Whether it will finally get the long-awaited facility remains to be seen. Some say it's not needed because the really big acts can and have and used Ashton Gate (Elton John and the Rolling Stones, to name but two) and this summer Tom Jones will perform at the Gloucestershire County Cricket Club ground at Bishopston which is situated midway between the city centre and Filton.

 

[superking]

Not seen any thing about this subject in these forum pages.The date has just passed when the first concorde took to the skies,it was the French concorde that beat us to it for getting it in the air by a few days,and this was 50 years ago. Time flies by very quick.Had to put this pun in.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Not seen any thing about this subject in these forum pages.The date has just passed when the first concorde took to the skies,it was the French concorde that beat us to it for getting it in the air by a few days,and this was 50 years ago. Time flies by very quick.Had to put this pun in.

I forgot to respond to your post at the time, superking.

The first British-built Concorde (002) took off from Filton on 9 April 1969. I managed to get to Cribbs Causeway (the road not the shopping centre) in time to see the take-off to the west. 002 went to RAF Fairford where most of the subsequent tests took place, I presume because the 2,600 metre-long Filton runway was not long enough. Fairford has another 400 metres or so.

I found a video of 002's maiden flight - see below link. The muck that was chucked out from the engines is substantial and as the aircraft leaves the ground the site of the future out-of-town shopping centre can be seen amongst the fields and trees.

 

[superking]

When 002 was being tested I worked in smoke lane Avonmouth and every day it went over on its way into Filton and every body in the yard stopped work and eyes to the sky. I always thought what a lovely airliner. Also used to see the Vulcan most days with the concorde engines fitted,flying test bed.Memories of that plane will never forget..Also the day the last concorde flew into Filton I was working in Yate and stopped what I was doing to watch and it brought back memories of the days we used to watch overhead at Avonmouth.Concorde 002 in in Yeovilton air museum inside the big hall.Walked through it many times and thought how small.It still has all the test gear inside.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

When 002 was being tested I worked in smoke lane Avonmouth and every day it went over on its way into Filton and every body in the yard stopped work and eyes to the sky. I always thought what a lovely airliner. Also used to see the Vulcan most days with the concorde engines fitted,flying test bed.Memories of that plane will never forget..Also the day the last concorde flew into Filton I was working in Yate and stopped what I was doing to watch and it brought back memories of the days we used to watch overhead at Avonmouth.Concorde 002 in in Yeovilton air museum inside the big hall.Walked through it many times and thought how small.It still has all the test gear inside.

The last ever flight of a Concorde, G-BOAF which is now the centrepiece of the Aerospace Bristol museum at Filton, took place on 27 November 2003.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/bristol/3238674.stm

I went to Dundry that morning with its wonderful views across the city and surrounding counties including parts of South Wales. I was doing video recording then (not professionally I hasten to add) and filmed AF as she appeared not quite overhead having just overflown BRS. I tracked her with my camera (I had a 20:1 optical zoom) as she swooped over the Suspension Bridge, over the city and eastwards towards the Wiltshire border before executing a 180 degrees turn to line up for what turned out fo be her last final approach. I was able to follow her through my camera viewer almost all the way into Filton the other side of the city until she disappeared behind high buildings immediately prior to landing.

There were hundreds of people at Dundry and thousands more at vantage points around the city and beyond.

On summer evenings my wife (she's not normally interested in aviation but was fascinated by Concorde) would listen in our garden for the evening flight into LHR. It routed up the Bristol Channel before becoming subsonic and we would vie to be the first to spot her on a clear summer evening. You had to look ahead of the engine noise.

Had she been American-built I have no doubt there would have been many aircraft operating in airline service but the US's power and protectionism ensured that Concorde had a limited customer base.

We shan't see her like again, superking. I hope the younger generation might see a future version at some point.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Bristol-London rail connectivity

Last week when giving evidence to the Welsh Affairs Committee on APD devolution a senior Welsh Government official told the committee that Bristol was much better connected with London by rail than Cardiff. He said that Cardiff has two services per hour whereas Bristol will rise to six per hour. I’d be surprised if Cardiff-Paddington was not increased from the current two per hour to take advantage of electrification on the entire route.

I read a report a couple of years ago that suggested four trains an hour from Temple Meads, plus the Parkway services, although it was thought that some of the increased Temple Meads services would also route via Parkway rather than via Bath. This was allied to electrification between Temple Meads and Bath and between Temple Meads and Parkway which has since been abandoned.

In the 1950s and 1960s when the non-stop Bristol-Paddington Bristolian was steam-hauled, later diesel-hauled by Warship-class, the down service routed via Bath and the up service via Stoke Gifford (now the site of Parkway Station) and Badminton.

I could only get as far as the end of May with Rail Enquiries which still showed the current situation, i.e. two trains an hour from Temple Meads via Bath and two trains an hour from Parkway via Badminton using the South Wales services.

Has anyone any more recent information on the frequency intentions?

Incidentally, I was at Parkway yesterday and saw a Cardiff-bound Hitachi bi-mode HST departing under diesel power. I walked a quarter of a mile eastwards and watched a London-bound Hitachi HST departing for Paddington 'under the wires'. The rate of acceleration of the electric train and the lack of engine noise were impressive, far better than the diesel on both counts. Parkway is currently the limit of operational electrification from Paddington.
























.

 

[superking]

Some body posted quite a while back that the new trains would not save much funds with the electric side working where its installed as the weight of the engine and fuel would eat into extra profits with electric.We know why its not electric with many gaps, but they either do all or none at all. To me it looks like wasting money by doing part electric.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Some body posted quite a while back that the new trains would not save much funds with the electric side working where its installed as the weight of the engine and fuel would eat into extra profits with electric.We know why its not electric with many gaps, but they either do all or none at all. To me it looks like wasting money by doing part electric.

Apart from being cleaner for the atmosphere electric trains have much better acceleration which means that more train pathways can be fitted into a given section of track. Of course, that pre-supposes that there is rolling stock available to create those extra trains.

I still haven't been able to establish whether the bi-mode trains have to stop in order to lower/raise the pantograph when the electrified sections of line end/begin. Currently the end/beginning of electrification is at Parkway and all trains stop there per the timetable. However, as far as I'm aware the Wootton Basset-Bath-Temple Meads line will still be electrified as far as Thingley Junction between Chippenham and Bath. If that is so and trains need to be stationary in order to raise/lower the pantograph a stop at Thingley Junction would be ridiculous. Practically I imagine they'd have to move the pantograph when calling at Chippenham station.

Labour say they will return to the original plan to electrify the Temple Meads lines to London and Parkway if elected to government, but political parties make lots of promises when in opposiiton that they don't carry through when in government.