Bristol Airport Rail Link
The Bristol airport rail link is a proposed light or heavy rail line to serve Bristol Airport in southwest England. The project is currently under consideration by the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership as a means to address "poor connectivity between North Somerset, Bristol Airport and Bristol". History. In November 2006 the airport's Master Plan stated that "the provision of a direct rail service is not a realistic prospect". The first mention of a potential airport rail link was in November 2015 in the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership's Joint Transport Study  Key Principles Report as a future transport concept. Then in July 2016 the airport's chief executive officer Robert Sinclair discussed the possibility of a light rail link to the airport. The West of England LEP subsequently announced their application to the Department for Transport’s Large Local Major Transport Schemes fund for the "South West Bristol Economic Link" – a strategy designed to address "poor connectivity between North Somerset, Bristol Airport and Bristol". It was also reported in the Bristol Evening Post in September 2016 that North Somerset Council had applied to the government for "nearly £2 million in  funding to draw up proposals to improve links on the A38 between the city and the expanding Bristol Airport", which included new road options as well as a light or heavy rail line. In October 2016 the local authorities proposed £7.5 billion in public transport investments for the West of England, including the airport rail link. In early 2017 a light rail link to the airport was listed as an election promise in the upcoming West of England mayoral election, 2017 by Liberal Democrat candidate Stephen Williams and independent candidate Dr John Savage. In late 2017 an updated airport  Master Plan was completed, with a railway line part of the options being considered to cater to increasing airport passenger numbers. From 2017 onward, Mayor of Bristol Marvin Rees has proposed an underground line which would link Bristol Temple Meads with Bristol Airport and has commissioned a study into the proposals. As of 2020, the proposed implementation of a four-line mass transit network with underground sections was under review. Route. The West of England LEP's Option Development Report, published in 2016, outlined various possible routes for the new railway line: In October 2017, the "West of England Joint  Transport Study - Executive Summary" described the scheme as a "fully segregated mass transit route connecting Bristol Airport and South Bristol to city centre, with options to be considered for underground running. Route to be determined balancing maximising patronage against engineering costs (options comprise via Ashton Vale, via Hartcliffe Way, via Parson Street/Bedminster, or a segregated route via South Bristol)."