Ambitious plans for a mass transit network across the Bristol region are still on track as another £1.3m looks set to be awarded to the project in order to keep it moving forward.
Back in February the West of England Combined Authority (Weca) approved spending an initial £200,000 to further develop a strategic outline business case which is one of the requirements set by the Department for Transport.
During a committee meeting next week (July 19) members of WECA will be asked to approve an additional £1.3m in order to further fund this.
WECA is chaired by regional mayor Tim Bowles and is made up of three member councils – Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol and South Gloucestershire.
North Somerset Council is not part of WECA but sits on the joint committee and gets to comment on issues which affect the North Somerset area such as the mass transit project.
In order for the mass transit project to go ahead WECA needs to meet the business case requirements set out by the Department of Transport.
The DfT has a three-phase process which requires authorities to submit a strategic outline, outline and full business case, and this is expected to cost around £100m and take at least six years to complete.
And this is before a single track or bus lane is even built.
WECA has said this next stage will look in more detail at demand, scope of project, and its potential outputs and benefits.
Initially the mass transit network included just three lines which would connect Bristol Airport with the city centre and as well as lines through the north and east fringes of the city.
But a fourth line is now being considered which would connect Bristol and Bath.
The key routes that are being looked at:
- 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
Bristol to Bath - Initial priority for metrobus corridor to Bath, with longer-term ambition for a high-frequency mass transit solution between Bristol and Bath
