Skip to main content

Funding announced for next stage of Bristol rapid bus network

A pioneering bus scheme in Bristol will be more than doubled thanks to a huge US$41 million grant from the government, UK Transport Minister Baroness Kramer has announced. The MetroBus network uses dedicated busways to provide new express bus services into the city. The infrastructure will also boost existing bus services, which can use the busways to beat congestion. The new money will support the second phase of the Bristol MetroBus scheme and see the construction of another 3.1 miles of busways in th
January 21, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
A pioneering bus scheme in Bristol will be more than doubled thanks to a huge US$41 million grant from the government, UK Transport Minister Baroness Kramer has announced.
The MetroBus network uses dedicated busways to provide new express bus services into the city. The infrastructure will also boost existing bus services, which can use the busways to beat congestion.

The new money will support the second phase of the Bristol MetroBus scheme and see the construction of another 3.1 miles of busways in the south of the city.

The new South Bristol Link will connect to the Ashton Vale to Temple Meads MetroBus section already under construction. The rapid bus services will help encourage people to use public transport and cut congestion, while cycling and walking will be helped by the inclusion of safe, dedicated paths running alongside the routes.

Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: “Our support for Bristol’s MetroBus scheme shows this government is working to deliver a world-class transport network. This US$41 million will create faster bus services for people who rely on this service every day and will be welcomed by commuters and tourists alike. It is part of the government’s long term economic plan to improve the lives of people up and down the country, by investing in transport, creating jobs and driving economic growth.

Transport Minister Baroness Kramer said: “This US$41 million will help transform travel around Bristol. The South Bristol Link will help get traffic off the roads, spark economic growth and link people to jobs. Our investment continues our commitment to help build stronger local economies, give our cities first-rate transport systems and benefit the UK as a whole.”

The work is scheduled to be completed by November 2016.

Related Content

  • EBRD connects Kosovo to European Railway network
    September 7, 2015
    The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is providing a senior loan of US$44.5 million to finance the modernisation of Kosovo’s railway infrastructure, deepening regional integration and strengthening the country’s economic development. The loan to Infrastruktura e Hekurudhave të Kosovës (Infrakos), the national railway infrastructure company, will provide funding to upgrade Kosovo’s only international rail link, Rail Route 10. The 148 kilometre-long line is divided into three section
  • Government unveils new measures to further improve road safety
    December 22, 2015
    The UK Department for Transport (DfT) has unveiled a raft of measures to improve the safety of Britain’s roads, including US$3 million for research into driver education, including the possibility of giving learner drivers motorway experience with an instructor before taking their test.
  • UK Spending Review ‘increases capital investment in transport by 50%’
    November 26, 2015
    UK Chancellor George Osborne announced major investments in transport in the government’s Spending Review and Autumn Statement, despite a 37 per cent cut in the Department for Transport’s (DfT) operational budget. This was offset with a planned 50% per cent increase in capital expenditure for the DfT - rising to a total of US$92 billion. In addition to protecting overall police spending in line with inflation, an increase of US$1.3 billion by 2019-20, the review includes US$70 billion capital investment
  • Public transport key to climate change, says report
    September 19, 2014
    A new report, released in advance of United Nations Secretary-General’s Climate Summit on 23 September, claims that more than US$100 trillion in cumulative public and private spending could be saved and 1,700 megatons of annual carbon dioxide (CO2) - a 40 percent reduction of urban passenger transport emissions - could be eliminated by 2050 if the world expands public transportation, walking and cycling in cities. The report, A Global High Shift Scenario, from the Institute for Transportation Development