Portishead railway cost hike creates funding gap

Delays in the planning process have pushed up the cost of restoring the Portishead railway line.The West of England Combined Authority (WECA) has confirmed that the cost of the project has risen to £152M, meaning an additional £25.5M is needed. When plans were first submitted the cost of restoring the rail line to Bristol was estimated to be in the region of £116M.The combined authority has committed an extra £10M to the scheme but is asking the Department for Transport (DfT) for the missing £15.5M.According to the combined authority, the cost hike has been caused by “delays to approval of the scheme’s Development Consent Order (DCO) and unprecedented global increases to the cost of energy, labour and construction materials”.WECA leader Steve Bridger said: “Portishead rail remains one of our key schemes with the potential to transform the area by getting cars off the road, providing access to jobs and contributing to sustainable economic growth. Despite the frustrating recent delays beyond our control, we remain committed to working together with our partners and to lobbying Government to help address any funding shortfall.”That is why we are looking to pledge an additional £10m of investment into the scheme, boosting connectivity and cutting journey times so that more North Somerset residents can seize the opportunities in our growing region. We will continue to work hard to push and progress the scheme, so that the residents of Portishead can finally see the line become a reality.”Back in late 2019, North Somerset District Council received approval from the Planning Inspectorate to examine plans for the scheme to restore rail services to the MetroWest branch line between Bristol and Portishead. Since then, the scheme has overcome many planning hurdles to satisfy National Trust, National Highways and the Environment Agency.However, it is yet to receive planning sign off from transport secretary Grant Shapps, who has twice delayed his decision on the development consent order application.In April, Shapps said that he was “of a mind” to approve the scheme, but requested more information on costs before giving the green light.Last week, West of England metro mayor Dan Norris labelled the DfT’s concerns as “groundless”.The West of England Combined Authority and North Somerset Council project would be delivered in partnership with Network Rail.Network Rail launched a search for contractors to build the proposed Portishead to Pill rail line in February last year.Like what you’ve read? To receive New Civil Engineer’s daily and weekly newsletters click here.