Proposed transport developments in Bristol

In 2018, expansion of Bristol's MetroBus network was under consideration by the West of England Combined Authority.^[1]

Plans to increase the airport's capacity from 10 million passengers per year to 12 million were refused permission by North Somerset Council in 2020, among criticism of effects of the proposals on the environment.^[2]

The MetroWest scheme, previously known as The Greater Bristol Metro, is a proposal to improve the rail services in Greater Bristol. It was first proposed at First Great Western's Stakeholder Event in March 2008, and received political backing in 2012. The scheme includes the reopening of the Portishead Line, and increasing train frequency on the Severn Beach Line as part of phase 1;^[3] and the reopening of the Henbury line and increasing train services to Yate in phase 2.^[4]

In November 2016, the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership began a consultation process on their Transport Vision Summary Document, outlining potential light rail/tram routes from the city centre to Bristol Airport, the eastern and north west fringes of the city, and a route along the A4 road to Bath.^[5]

In July 2017, a leaked draft of that document, due to be published in October 2017, suggested an underground rail network around the most built-up areas of the city as one of many solutions to congestion equating to £8.9 billion.^[6] In September 2017, incumbent mayor, Marvin Rees vocally supported the creation of an underground line in the city. The service would run from Bristol Airport to Temple Meads, the centre and north of Bristol and then to Cribbs Causeway, and would cost an estimated at £2.5bn.^[7] The city council commissioned a £50,000 study to determine the financial viability of the project and Rees has suggested £3 million for a geological survey.^[8][7]

As of 2019, four mass transit lines are proposed (with technology type and exact routes to be determined):^[9]

• Bristol to Airport – connecting the city centre, South Bristol, and the Airport.
• Bristol to North Fringe – connecting the city centre, North Bristol, Southmead Hospital, Cribbs Causeway.
• Bristol to East Fringe – connecting the city centre, East Fringe and East Bristol.

It has been long proposed for there to be a motorway junction linking the A4174 Avon ring road to the M4 motorway near to Emersons Green as they pass very close. In 2010, this attracted support from the Kingswood MP.^[10]

The first plans to electrify the Great Western line, announced in 2009, included the route to Temple Meads via Chippenham as well as the connecting line between Temple Meads and the South Wales Main Line at Bristol Parkway.^[11][12] Electrification of the South Wales line as far as Cardiff was completed in 2019, but in 2016 the government indefinitely delayed work on the Chippenham route and the Parkway connecting line.^[13][14]