Dyer & Butler celebrate the opening of Portway Park & Ride

Dyer & Butler, a part of M Group Services’ Transport Division, was delighted to attend the opening of Portway Park & Ride, alongside its client Network Rail and Great Western Railway.

The station, which marks the first to be built in Bristol for 96 years, was officially opened by Secretary of State for Transport, Mark Harper.

The Portway Park & Ride project took 10 months to complete on site works, with a further four month design period, as part of the solution to reduce congestion and pollution in the Bristol area. Portway Park & Ride will provide another sustainable transport option for Bristol city centre, Avonmouth and the wider rail network. The project forms part of the wider MetroWest programme of transport improvements, to improve sustainability and make journeys easier for commuters, with the addition of six new stations.

Dyer & Butler worked with its client, Network Rail and partners Bristol City Council, West of England Combined Authority and Great Western Railway, in the design and construction of the new station at Bristol Portway. This included undertaking allof the above ground works, including the platform construction, telecommunications, new shelters, platform furniture and bespoke fencing.

The business constructed the new platform from below the ground, working upwards, alongside the existing live rail. Prior to the commencement of the works, Dyer & Butler were required to infill the significant void occupying, in part, the footprint of the new platform which included disposing of 2,500t of excavated material and importing and placing 2,700t of stone.

The station has been built on the city's Severn Beach line and sits alongside the existing bus park and ride site on the A4 Portway, close to Junction 18 of the M5.

Speaking on the project, Matt Kirk, Regional Manager at Dyer & Butler, said: “The project was challenging but ultimately very rewarding, when considering that a new working station is in place servicing the residents of Bristol and the wider public now and for many years to come.”

The station opened to the public on the 1 August 2023, the day after the official opening ceremony. We are proud to have been a part of this project, which is a testament to the power of working together.