Bristol Airport access

[mrmartin]

Does anyone know of any plans on this?

It's been in the press that Bristol Airport is starting a major expansion project (on top of the new carpark/bus station), and also asking for an increase past 12m passengers.

Given I believe it was one of the fastest growing airports after the pandemic, assuming growth doesn't stall out I think it's reasonable to project it be at potentially 15m passengers in the near future.

Access is absolutely terrible currently, with a substandard road for bus access (with very limited bus priority).

I know there was this idea of a bristol underground a while back but that (to me at least) was pretty pie in the sky back then, before all the construction inflation.

I'm a bit surprised there hasn't been some provision of an improved rail link as part of the expansion past 12m.

Found this document which details the current plan for surface access. https://www.bristolairport.co.uk/media/kbjlosmq/bristol-airport-asas-2023-final.pdf

Basically, the only real improvements to public transport planned are the new bus/coach station and an improvement in frequencies of the airport bus to eventually a bus every 7 minutes. There are some minor improvements to the A38.

Just not sure how the airport is meant to cope with even 12m passengers without some sort of segregated public transport access is a bit of a sorry story.

 

[Alfonso]

The airport is about 170 metres higher than the nearest bit of railway line, which doesn't make things easier and cheaper. Considering how difficult it's been to open a railway to Portishead that's mainly already there, I don't think you'll be seeing a railway link anytime soon

 

[zwk500]

The bus transfer from Bristol Temple Meads is pretty good - every 12-15 minutes through the day and a good luggage rack, although it does function as a local bus through south Bristol so is slower than it could be and is quite expensive.
Given the entire daily flight list is often showable on a single screen, the justification for a rail link is really not there. If Bristol got a light rail/transit system then I could see that being viable to reach out to the airport.

 

[OscarH]

Both Worle and Bristol Temple Meads benefit from tickets which integrate the rail and bus services, improving options for travel to the airport throughout the southwest.

Shame this isn't a consultation so we can't complain that the integrated ticketing is rather broken

 

[Alfonso]

Not familiar with integrated tickets via Worle?

 

[The exile]

Given the entire daily flight list is often showable on a single screen, the justification for a rail link is really not there. If Bristol got a light rail/transit system then I could see that being viable to reach out to the airport.

Must be a big screen - there are 34 departures between now and midnight.
Apologies - that was arrivals, but what comes down usually goes back up again.
Still not enough for a heavy rail link given the topography.
First requirement for the Airport should be to drop the surcharge on public transport access.

 

[takno]

Does anyone know of any plans on this?

It's been in the press that Bristol Airport is starting a major expansion project (on top of the new carpark/bus station), and also asking for an increase past 12m passengers.

Given I believe it was one of the fastest growing airports after the pandemic, assuming growth doesn't stall out I think it's reasonable to project it be at potentially 15m passengers in the near future.

Access is absolutely terrible currently, with a substandard road for bus access (with very limited bus priority).

I know there was this idea of a bristol underground a while back but that (to me at least) was pretty pie in the sky back then, before all the construction inflation.

I'm a bit surprised there hasn't been some provision of an improved rail link as part of the expansion past 12m.

Found this document which details the current plan for surface access. https://www.bristolairport.co.uk/media/kbjlosmq/bristol-airport-asas-2023-final.pdf

Basically, the only real improvements to public transport planned are the new bus/coach station and an improvement in frequencies of the airport bus to eventually a bus every 7 minutes. There are some minor improvements to the A38.

Just not sure how the airport is meant to cope with even 12m passengers without some sort of segregated public transport access is a bit of a sorry story.

You couldn't make Bristol Airport cope with that kind of numbers without a complete rebuild. It's already a horrendous cramped mess of a terminal with an awful layout.

In terms of connectivity I'd have thought that improving links to the wider south-west would be more of a concern than spending a fortune linking it more heavily into Bristol - doubling the frequency of the Falcon, and possibly making it so horrifically unreliable, and running more buses to Cardiff and other locations. For the Bristol shuttle itself, by the time you have a bus running more than every 15 minutes, the most logical way to determine whether it should be more frequent is to see if it is regularly leaving passengers behind.

 

[Topological]

Bristol Airport has a terrible location. A good chance to move it was missed and as a result the airport does little to help passengers from north of Bristol. That ship sailed though.

Whenever I use the shuttle it does risk leaving people behind. I only just squeezed on after landing in Bristol last time. The extra frequency would help.

I do not know if there is a better way to get the bus into Bristol itself. A higher frequency might offset some of the delays. Additional passengers would clog the road to the airport up more though.

As others have mentioned the terminal is far too small. Small terminals do not seem to stop the budget airlines though. As long as people can physically fit between the various money-extracting concessions in the building then there is no reason for the terminal to expand.

 

[Grimsby town]

The bus transfer from Bristol Temple Meads is pretty good - every 12-15 minutes through the day and a good luggage rack, although it does function as a local bus through south Bristol so is slower than it could be and is quite expensive.
Given the entire daily flight list is often showable on a single screen, the justification for a rail link is really not there. If Bristol got a light rail/transit system then I could see that being viable to reach out to the airport.

I'd agree that light rail is probably more feasible than heavy rail but an airport with over 10 million passengers generally justifies some sort of rail link. As far as I can tell, the only airports in Europe (Canary Islands are excluded) without a current or under construction rail link that are busier than Bristol are:

• Dublin - has a detailed plan for a metro
• Palma de Mallorca - had early plans for a metro service
• St Petersburg
• Budapest- early plans for a rail link
• Prague - construction planned to start on a rail link soon
• Venice

It's possible that Bristol could be in the top 3 busiest airports in Europe without a rail link by the mid 2030s.

If the airport was mainly serving hot holiday destinations then an airport would make less sense but Bristol, Bath, Cardiff have large student populations and are tourist attractions in their own right. The airport also has a decent number of domestic flights which are far more likely to be open to public transport use than package holidays. If a heavy rail link could be built cost effectively (big if) then I definitely think it would be well used by passengers to Cardiff and Bath.

 

[stuu]

I'd agree that light rail is probably more feasible than heavy rail but an airport with over 10 million passengers generally justifies some sort of rail link. As far as I can tell, the only airports in Europe (Canary Islands are excluded) without a current or under construction rail link that are busier than Bristol are:

• Dublin - has a detailed plan for a metro
• Palma de Mallorca - had early plans for a metro service
• St Petersburg
• Budapest- early plans for a rail link
• Prague - construction planned to start on a rail link soon
• Venice

Venice has a rail link under construction right now

Just not sure how the airport is meant to cope with even 12m passengers without some sort of segregated public transport access is a bit of a sorry story.

Melbourne is over 30m and has nothing. Which doesn't mean it's a good idea not to have public transport access

 

[Envoy]

More money being pumped into an airport which is not in a good location. A new airport should have been built near the Severn bridges and on the mainline railway.

Readers might like to read this thread about airport location for this region:> https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/where-would-you-build-a-new-rail-connected-airport-to-serve-sw-britain.275987/

"Both Cardiff (Rhoose) & Bristol (Lulsgate) Airports developed from wartime airfields. Nobody in their right mind would have chosen either location for a modern airport to serve SW Britain. Of the old wartime airfields, Filton would have been the best option (railway alongside) but by the time it was no longer used for plane making, Cribbs Causeway shopping Mall (alongside) and Bradley Stoke housing had already been built".

 

[Topological]

Filton should have been used. It had all the runways needed and was used for aeroplanes until relatively recently. Whilst it is a built-up area, the connections with rail would have been very easy.

 

[red cuillen]

Does anyone know the percentage of people than come from the Bristol area? As has been mentioned, it is the airport for the majority of SW England and Wales. We use the Falcon bus, which is good, but getting too popular and we still need to get to the pick up point. A38 off the M5 to the airport is about as bad as it could be, feel sorry for the villages it passes through. Not sure if we'd ever use a rail link, trains are awful for people with luggage (and for the moment very unreliable). We don't even bother with rail to get to heathrow any more. BRS itself is pretty good actually, now they have sorted out security, just need more space for food and drink outlets.

 

[Grimsby town]

Venice has a rail link under construction right now

Thanks I missed that one. Adds further weight to the argument.

Does anyone know the percentage of people than come from the Bristol area? As has been mentioned, it is the airport for the majority of SW England and Wales. We use the Falcon bus, which is good, but getting too popular and we still need to get to the pick up point. A38 off the M5 to the airport is about as bad as it could be, feel sorry for the villages it passes through. Not sure if we'd ever use a rail link, trains are awful for people with luggage (and for the moment very unreliable). We don't even bother with rail to get to heathrow any more. BRS itself is pretty good actually, now they have sorted out security, just need more space for food and drink ououtlets.

The 2019 CAA Departing Passnger Survey shows the regions people travel from. 76% are from the south west and 21% from Wales.

 

[JKF]

I did the bus recently from Bristol bus station and it was terrible, seemed to wind through the city centre to Temple Meads then crawl out through Bedminster. Calling it the ‘Flyer’ is a bit of a misnomer, ‘stumbler’ would be more accurate, with a journey time of something like 50 mins to cover a distance of under 8 miles as the crow flies. I thought it would use the expensively-built guided bus way around Ashton to speed up journey time (I was under the impression that was built for the airport) but none of that infrastructure was used. I can drive it in 15 minutes and usually do if picking people up or dropping them off.

Could they build an ‘airport parkway’ type station at somewhere like Flax Bourton and have some sort of people mover/cable car or something like that up to the airport? It could also double-up as a park and ride into the city.

 

[mrmartin]

Think we are verging into speculation here which isn't the meaning of the thread!

Yes, the problem I see is that if you get another ~50% more passengers I can't see how the bus can operate reliably with all the traffic. It's already really bad at peak airport times. I'd have really expected some plans for some more bus lanes or something at a bare minimum!

 

[takno]

Think we are verging into speculation here which isn't the meaning of the thread!

Yes, the problem I see is that if you get another ~50% more passengers I can't see how the bus can operate reliably with all the traffic. It's already really bad at peak airport times. I'd have really expected some plans for some more bus lanes or something at a bare minimum!

You can run 50% more buses. They will be stuck in the same traffic, but will be about as reliable as the existing buses.

 

[Western Sunset]

At least BRS still has a free drop-off/pick-up parking area near the long stay car park, if you know where to look for it...

 

[zwk500]

I did the bus recently from Bristol bus station and it was terrible, seemed to wind through the city centre to Temple Meads then crawl out through Bedminster. Calling it the ‘Flyer’ is a bit of a misnomer, ‘stumbler’ would be more accurate, with a journey time of something like 50 mins to cover a distance of under 8 miles as the crow flies. I thought it would use the expensively-built guided bus way around Ashton to speed up journey time (I was under the impression that was built for the airport) but none of that infrastructure was used. I can drive it in 15 minutes and usually do if picking people up or dropping them off.

Could they build an ‘airport parkway’ type station at somewhere like Flax Bourton and have some sort of people mover/cable car or something like that up to the airport? It could also double-up as a park and ride into the city.

The detour around Temple Meads is a big problem for the Bus station passengers on the air link. With the airport expansion, running 2 separate buses, one to the bus station and one to the rail station would be a good move, as well as making them limited stop in South Bristol.

 

[Alfonso]

A taxi from the airport to Nailsea and Backwell station is about£15-20 if you want your own DIY shuttle service, which is very reasonable if there are 2,3,4 people

 

[Topological]

The detour around Temple Meads is a big problem for the Bus station passengers on the air link. With the airport expansion, running 2 separate buses, one to the bus station and one to the rail station would be a good move, as well as making them limited stop in South Bristol.

Do you gain much by limiting stops in South Bristol? Are there flexible route options that can be used if the bus does not need to serve specific stops?

The Bristol Airport bus is a bit of a strange one in that it charges a premium price but acts like a bus that the £3 (£2) cap should apply to.

 

[Snow1964]

The bus transfer from Bristol Temple Meads is pretty good - every 12-15 minutes through the day and a good luggage rack, although it does function as a local bus through south Bristol so is slower than it could be and is quite expensive.
Given the entire daily flight list is often showable on a single screen, the justification for a rail link is really not there. If Bristol got a light rail/transit system then I could see that being viable to reach out to the airport.

In the summer there are normally 40+ departures between 06:00 and 08:30, it then quietens down, there is another flurry after lunch (when these flights return from Med/Canaries etc) and lots of evening arrivals too (when early afternoon return)

Although there is a regular (if slow) bus from Temple Meads, getting a train to Temple Meads, that connects with a bus for a 4 or 5am flight check in just doesn't work. Quite simply GWR (and TfW) dont run local trains arriving at Temple Meads at 3 or 4am

The airport is about 170 metres higher than the nearest bit of railway line, which doesn't make things easier and cheaper. Considering how difficult it's been to open a railway to Portishead that's mainly already there, I don't think you'll be seeing a railway link anytime soon

It's roughly 5km (3 miles) from the railway near Flax Bourton, so would be gradient of about 1 in 30. Rather less if the station had been built in basement of new multi storey with bus station at higher level, or the route wasn't dead straight (which unlikely to be as a quarry in the way). So probably nearer 1 in 45 gradient, which a modern airport EMU could easily cope with.

For comparison the Stansted branch is about 6km long

 

[stuu]

Although there is a regular (if slow) bus from Temple Meads, getting a train to Temple Meads, that connects with a bus for a 4 or 5am flight check in just doesn't work. Quite simply GWR (and TfW) dont run local trains arriving at Temple Meads at 3 or 4am

It is a bit surprising there isn't an equivalent to the Falcon service (from Plymouth/Exeter/Taunton) from South Wales all day and night. That's always been very busy when I have used it

 

[Caaardiff]

Could they build an ‘airport parkway’ type station at somewhere like Flax Bourton and have some sort of people mover/cable car or something like that up to the airport? It could also double-up as a park and ride into the city.

There's already a station at Nailsea & Backwell, which is better linked via Brockley Combe than Flax Bourton would be.
The problem is identifying where passengers are actually coming from. I doubt many people from the Southwest would go into Temple Meads to get a bus back out. It may be quicker to connect to the A3 at Weston.
Nailsea & Backwell would be the ideal candidate for a bus link. Similar to how the Cardiff Airport/Rhoose bus meets the train.

Bristol Airport does employ a lot of people who would likely use the A1 to get to and from work, so it's not just passengers. Bristol is working towards increasing to 12m passengers a year up from the 10m cap. As numbers grow a more direct link for the A1 might work alongside the current route taken.

The way Bristol Airport has grown with very little change to access roads is astounding, and won't be improving any time soon. Aircraft parking space is becoming very limited with little space for growth, so the peaks will become more spread out as the flight times will need to alter by using aircraft from other locations flying in and back out, rather than based aircraft all departing in the morning, returning lunchtime then back out again, as described above with the morning peak.

It is a bit surprising there isn't an equivalent to the Falcon service (from Plymouth/Exeter/Taunton) from South Wales all day and night. That's always been very busy when I have used it

There is. National express has run the 216 from Cardiff for several years, and now Flixbus have recently started their service from Swansea via Bridgend, Cardiff and Newport.

The train from Bristol Airport - Swansea takes around 2hr30 with 2 changes (Temple Meads - Parkway - Swansea) whereas Flixbus takes around 3 hours with no changes. Driving by car takes around 1h45-2hours.

 

[stuu]

There is. National express has run the 216 from Cardiff for several years, and now Flixbus have recently started their service from Swansea via Bridgend, Cardiff and Newport.

The train from Bristol Airport - Swansea takes around 2hr30 with 2 changes (Temple Meads - Parkway - Swansea) whereas Flixbus takes around 3 hours with no changes. Driving by car takes around 1h45-2hours.

5 times a day according to NX. The Falcon runs nearly every hour 24 hours a day, so not really that comparable

 

[takno]

5 times a day according to NX. The Falcon runs nearly every hour 24 hours a day, so not really that comparable

The Falcon would be good, except that it's only hourly, and half the times I've caught it I've been over an hour late, on one occasion because the bus broke down. As a result I end up needing to get to the airport over 3 hours early just to be on the safe side. It's also difficult to make a tight connection on the way down because walk-up singles are massively expensive, and short-notice online purchases are impossible because of the Megabus website being absolute garbage. In a lot of ways it would be nice if Flixbus took it over.

 

[Caaardiff]

5 times a day according to NX. The Falcon runs nearly every hour 24 hours a day, so not really that comparable

I've just done a check departing Thurs 14th. There's 16 departures from Cardiff to Bristol Airport.
National Express - 10 departures 0230, 0430, 0620, 0845, 1100, 1300, 1515, 1805, 2015, 2210
Flixbus - 6 departures - 0220, 0505, 0820, 1105, 1450, 2335

According to the Falcon timetable there's 20 departures a day.

 

[I'm here now]

I'd agree that light rail is probably more feasible than heavy rail but an airport with over 10 million passengers generally justifies some sort of rail link. As far as I can tell, the only airports in Europe (Canary Islands are excluded) without a current or under construction rail link that are busier than Bristol are:

• Dublin - has a detailed plan for a metro
• Palma de Mallorca - had early plans for a metro service
• St Petersburg
• Budapest- early plans for a rail link
• Prague - construction planned to start on a rail link soon
• Venice

It's possible that Bristol could be in the top 3 busiest airports in Europe without a rail link by the mid 2030s.

If the airport was mainly serving hot holiday destinations then an airport would make less sense but Bristol, Bath, Cardiff have large student populations and are tourist attractions in their own right. The airport also has a decent number of domestic flights which are far more likely to be open to public transport use than package holidays. If a heavy rail link could be built cost effectively (big if) then I definitely think it would be well used by passengers to Cardiff and Bath.

Palma de Mallorca has a heavy rail line funded to the Airport and beyond. See: https://www.majorcadailybulletin.co...een-light-for-mallorca-airport-rail-link.html

 

[takno]

One counter from the rail side of things of course is that a large number of the departures are domestic routes which could arguably better be done by rail. Why invest money or time in connecting an airport which runs 5 flights a day to Edinburgh when you could invest it in carriages and speed increases for the direct trains the rail network runs in competition?

Personally I'm only on the plane because I've been priced off the trains anyway.

 

[fgwrich]

The airport is about 170 metres higher than the nearest bit of railway line, which doesn't make things easier and cheaper. Considering how difficult it's been to open a railway to Portishead that's mainly already there, I don't think you'll be seeing a railway link anytime soon

Nevermind Portishead (though it is local and shows how slow anything rail related in the area can be), if Heathrow cannot have its Western link (WRATH wasn’t it?), then Bristol has even less chance. Edinburgh was another Airport once destined to have a rail connection but has since lost out.

Somehow I don’t think anyone will have as good access as Southampton though.