Proposals to replace the long awaited Portishead rail link with a bus service into the heart of Bristol have been put forward.

The proposal – the idea of former computer engineer Barry Cash – would see plans for a rail line scrapped and a commuter bus service introduced along the route instead.

Mr Cash says instead of restoring and upgrading the rail line between Portishead and the city at a cost of tens of millions, a ‘STRAIL’ system should be used.

STRAIL is a system of thick interlocking panels made from virgin and recycled rubber that fit between and beside railway lines.

They are in use at 30,000 locations on five continents to provide level crossings for road traffic to drive over railways and have been in use for 40 years.

Mr Cash says buses could then go along the route – and to the Cumberland Basin where it could join the existing bus route network.

(Image: Bristol Post)

Rather than the one train service an hour, as planned as part of the £116 million Metrowest project to open the Portishead railway line, he estimates the scheme could be completed for around £40 million.

The scheme could also see numerous buses on the link at peak commuter times, taking a higher number of passengers and easing the gridlock in Portishead as people travel to work in Bristol.

Freight trains - currently around 10 a week - could still run from West Dock at Portbury into the city, around the bus timetable.

A fenced cycle link could also be installed along the STRAIL route, offering a traffic free more direct route into the city.

As part of the idea, buses would pick up from locations right around Portishead and join the line on the Portbury Hundred – negating the need for the defunct three miles of track to be restored.

Mr Cash said: “The railway will offer a train an hour which will only take a limited number of passengers.

(Image: Bristol Live)

“The STRAIL initiative would see a much larger number of buses, offering a better route to commuters and providing a much more realistic solution to easing the issue with congestion in and out of Portishead.

“The buses would be able to pick up from all over Portishead and go straight into the centre of Bristol where eventually it could link up with the current Metrowest bus service.

“It would not interfere with the current freight trains using the track, which could be timetabled around the buses.

“It would also have very little impact on existing infrastructure and would offer a much more flexible service.

“This is a simple, more effective and much cheaper solution to tackle the congestion issues in and out of Portishead.”

The final £31.9 million needed to plug a funding gap in the £116 million project, known as MetroWest Phase One, to re-open the Portishead was agreed earlier this year.

Officially called MetroWest phase one, the Portishead to Bristol line has always been viewed as a vital to solving the congestion gridlock faced by thousands of motorists who battle to get in and out of the growing town each day.

The town - which has seen its population grow massively over the last decade due to major development - has often been described as the UK's biggest car park.

(Image: Bristol Post)

The scheme was taken up by Bristol and North Somerset councils in 2008 with the aim of reopening the line to provide half-hourly services between Portishead and Bristol Temple Meads.

The route needs major investment to re-lay sections of track which have been ripped up, and for a viable shared timetable to be created with the freight companies which use part of the line.

A major blow to the project came last spring when it was revealed costs for the first phase had spiralled from £58million to between £145 and £175million.

Officers went back to the drawing board and decided to scale back plans and only offer one service an hour between Bristol and Portishead to bring costs down to £116million.

North Somerset Council is currently preparing a Development Consent Order (DCO) to allow it to carry out the work to re-open the line.

The DCO is expected to be submitted to the Government this July, however it could take up to 18 months to gain approval.

The A369 and M5 roads - the main commuter routes in to Bristol - are regularly congested during peak times, and when one or both are blocked it makes it almost impossible for people to drive to and from the city.

TravelWest - the umbrella organisation for Bristol City Council, South Gloucestershire Council, North Somerset Council and B&NES - estimate that the reopened line will provide a £264million boost to the local economy over the next decade.

Two new stations at Portishead and Pill are proposed under MetroWest phase one plans, and train services will also serve Parson Street, Bedminster, and Bristol Temple Meads stations.

Alongside the Portishead line, phase one of the project includes running half-hourly trains on the Severn Beach Line and to Keynsham and Bath Spa.

A spokesman for North Somerset Council said: “ The reopening of the Portishead railway line is a nationally-significant scheme which will improve transport in the region.

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“The project, which is being led by North Somerset Council and the West of England Combined Authority on behalf of South Gloucestershire, Bristol City and Bath and North East Somerset councils, is due to be submitted to the Government for formal approval this summer.

"Work is being completed on the final stages of this complex application.

"All nationally-significant infrastructure projects require a Development Consent Order (DCO) from the Government before they can progress.

"The Department for Transport (DfT) has also agreed to fund the remaining £32m shortfall in the £116m scheme showing their commitment to the project.

"Changing the scheme from rail is not something under consideration given the funding is now in place and the DCO application process is in its latter stages."