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

  • Development banks pledge US$175 billion for clean transport
    June 21, 2012
    Eight of the world’s largest multilateral development banks (MDBs) banks yesterday pledged to invest US$175 billion over the next 10 years to support sustainable transport in developing countries. The pledge was made at the UN Sustainable Development Conference in Rio de Janeiro (Rio+20) by the African Development Bank, Asian Development Bank, CAF- Development Bank of Latin America, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, European Investment Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, Islamic Developme
  • UK tunnel officially opened
    April 20, 2012
    UK transport secretary Philip Hammond yesterday cut the ribbon at the Hindhead twin bore tunnel in Surrey, signifying the end of a US$605 million, 1.8 km-long bypass of Hindhead village on the A3 between London and Portsmouth. The new tunnels will be used by 30,000 vehicles/day.
  • ARTBA president: what happened to the hoverboards?
    October 28, 2019
    What keeps Dave Bauer up at night? David Arminas caught up with the head of ARTBA at his Washington, DC office during daylight hours Dave Bauer doesn’t really have many sleepless nights. He might sleep, though, with one eye open, just in case. “We have become a much more divided country politically,” says Bauer, president of ARTBA – American Road and Transportation Builders Association. “Whether you are thinking about federal government, or state or local government, there’s a hostility now in our politi
  • FTA awards funding to build TEX Rail in Texas
    December 20, 2016
    The US Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has made a US$499 million federal grant agreement with the Fort Worth Transportation Authority (FWTA) to build TEX Rail, a commuter rail line between downtown Fort Worth and the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. The project will link three of the region’s major activity centres and provide an alternative to travel on the area’s congested roads. The 26.8-mile commuter rail line will serve downtown Fort Worth, the City of Gra