First train in 60 years calls at new station

The first train has called at a station which closed 60 years ago.

Ashley Down station in Bristol has been re-opened as part of the West of England Combined Authority's work to add or re-open stations in the area.

It is hoped the station will reduce congestion around the nearby Memorial Stadium and County Cricket Ground on match days.

Tom Pierpoint, GWR Business Development Portfolio Director, said: "There's 13,000 people living within a short walk of this station and it will reconnect Ashley Down and Lockleaze to the rail network."

Ashley Down has been built on the site of the former Ashley Hill station, which closed in 1964 as part of the Beeching cuts.

The cuts saw roughly 5,000 miles of track closed and more than 2,300 stations axed in the 1960s.

The new station will be served by an existing hourly service between Bristol Temple Meads and Filton Abbey Wood.

It was jointly funded by the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority (WECA), Great Western Railway and Bristol City Council.

Mayor for the West of England, Dan Norris MP, said the station was a "strong signal to Bristol that we are investing in public transport".

He added: "We are investing in railways and it's fantastic news."

Ashley Down is the second station to be opened in Bristol recently. The Portway Park and Ride station, the city's first new rail stop for a century, opened last year.

The new station will formally open to passengers on Saturday.

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