Picturesque English town is getting new £27m train line for first time in 60 years – & will cut journey times by an hour

The Sun

11-07-2025

A PICTURE-POSTCARD town in the English countryside is set to get a train line for the first time in 60 years.
The quaint town, in the west of England, is currently one of the largest towns in the UK without a railway station.
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However, this will not be the case for much longer, as Portishead has been given a whopping £27.6 million sum to build a new one, which will take passengers to Bristol in just 25 minutes.
The Bristol to Portishead line closed way back in 1964, meaning residents have been unable to travel to the city by train for over 60 years.
When the new train line opens, in three years' time, an hourly service will run to Bristol, transporting commuters from the coastal town to the bustling city.
Work to start in spring 2026
Work is due to start on the train line in spring 2026, and will hopefully be completed in 2028.
The neighbouring town of Pill is also set to get a new train line to Bristol.
The line has already been restored for freight trains but will be made more suitable for passenger trains.
Helen Godwin, the West of England mayor, said: "The West of England and North Somerset, with government backing and industry partners, will connect more people to opportunity, leisure and nature.
"We're investing in jobs and economic growth. Local people will see and feel the difference from commutes being cut in half through train travel, and building this key transport infrastructure will unlock sites for much-needed new homes.
"Pill and Portishead are two of the five new railway stations being built in the West over the next few years.
"But our ambition goes further. Delivering projects like the Bristol & Portishead Line now lays the foundations for a better transport system overall for the West of England, building the suburban railway network that other places take for granted."
Incredible plans to tunnel underneath UK city centre for massive train network are unveiled
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This comes as bold new plans to tunnel beneath a major UK city for a massive underground train and tram network have been officially unveiled.
The dramatic move aims to transform how people travel in and out of the busy urban centre and tackle future congestion.
The ambitious project, based in Manchester and led by Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, would see trains and trams running below ground for the first time in the city's history, aiming to ease congestion and support future economic growth
Plus, a direct train service between a central Scottish city and London is due to launch as early as spring 2026.
Lumo, which is part of FirstGroup, will run four return services a day to Stirling in Scotland, with the exception of Sundays, where there will be three.
The route will provide first-ever direct services to London for Whifflet, Greenfaulds, and Larbert.
Currently, the Lumo brand runs on the East Coast Main Line between London King's Cross and Edinburgh.
The new West Coast services were due to start this year, however FirstGroup said they are "currently expected to commence mid-2026 following the delivery of the trains and staff training".
Lumo's new route will link London Euston directly to Stirling, also calling at Milton Keynes, Nuneaton, Crewe, Preston, Carlisle, Lockerbie, Motherwell, Whifflet (serving Coatbridge), Greenfaulds (serving Cumbernauld) and Larbert.