South West & Wales: CIRO Visit Bristol Temple Meads
By Paul Stanford FCIRO
Following the relaunch of the Wales and West CIRO in February; the first visit of the year occurred in late April.
19 people attended a superb tour of Bristol Temple Meads, hosted by colleagues at Network Rail and Great Western Railway.
Aside from being an architectural masterpiece; the station has seen continual growth in train numbers and footfall over the last twenty years. Currently it is served by 580 trains a day; on weekdays, with annual footfall of 10 million per annum.
The station is undergoing a massive transformation; including a full refurbishment of the spectacular train shed roof; spanning 4 lines and dating from 19th century and the provision of a new Eastern end entrance; to link with the extensive wider University development of the St Phillips area of Bristol.
The visit saw the party witness work in hand to refurbish the station roof; with a walk in the service tunnel under each platform to feed the station with supplies and remove domestic waste and then witness the impressive new eastern entrance, to serve the university campus opening to the public in September 2026. Aside from watching station operations during a fascinating visit.
Attendees said what a privilege it was to see a busy station functioning, on a tour led by the very people responsible for its daily operation. We are most grateful to Calum MacKay, Susan Evans and Gabby Colwell of Network Rail and Ben Scott and Harprit Manku from GWR, for making the visit both possible and enjoyable.
70 CIRO | Bulletin 55