Bath & North East Somerset Local Plan Revised Deposit 2003

Chapter D6. Rapid Transit

D6.1  Consideration has been given for a number of years to the possibility of using the former Midland railway on the Western side of Bath to provide some form of rapid transit.  Initially, when it was believed that the capacity of the main railway line could not be increased the proposal was to provide an additional rail link between Bath and Bristol .  Although this is now again being considered, More recently attention has more recently concentrated on the possibility of using the former line to provide possibility of providing an enhanced park and ride service from the Newbridge area with guided bus being the preferred form of transport.

 D6.2     The concept has now acquired greater impetus with the realisation that the regeneration of the Western Riverside area is would be dependent on the provision of park and ride and improved public transport. The Adopted Supplementary Planning Guidance for the area requires the development of an integrated transportation system making use of the disused railway line or a suitable alternative route. Detailed proposals will be drawn up but in the meantime it is necessary to safeguard the line of the former railway for this use.  This is being done under Policy T.9.

D6.3 In 2000 another study investigated the potential for a tram network for the City and concluded that priority should be given to the development of a segregated corridor from Newbridge to the City centre. It may be possible to extend this to the proposed Lambridge park and ride site and other destinations in the City but these proposals are not sufficiently advanced for lines to be safeguarded at the present time.

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