North Somerset can expect to see construction of a major rail network in the area to begin next year, with the help of tunnel lining experts.
Councillor Nigel Ashton stated North Somerset Council has agreed to buy land that will be used to create stations for the network, which will come as part of a £100 million project by MetroWest, North Somerset Times reported.
At the council’s recent executive meeting, Mr Ashton said progress was being made and work will begin to link Portishead and Pill with Bristol Temple Meads.
The local authority agreed to buy the sites for the stations for £880,000, helping the line to open by the planned date of late 2019.
Councillor David Pasley, the executive member for asset management, was reported by the news provider as saying: “[This] is one of the most exciting transport projects this council has undertaken. It comprises rebuilding 5km of disused rail, building a new station in Portishead, building a new station on the former Pill station and upgrading the Portbury freight lines.”
Once the project is complete, trains will run every half an hour from Portishead and Pill to Temple Meads and Bath Spa.
The newspaper was also told by Portishead Railway Group’s vice chairman Colin Howells that the new link will vastly improve the travel infrastructure in the area.
North Somerset is also planning to invest in the regeneration of Weston. The council has acquired key sites in the town centre, allowing it to go ahead with redevelopment plans.