The Portishead Railway
The Portishead Railway line was originally proposed back in 1839 and named the Brunel line after the famous engineer. It officially opened after the completion of the track line by the Bristol and Portishead Pier and Railway Company back in April of 1867. At this time the track was only a one line broad gauge branch that offered access from Portishead to Bristol. After its initial opening in 1867 it was maintained and run by the Bristol & Exeter Railway until 1884 when it entered the GWR lines.
Passenger traffic on the Portishead Railway was killed off in September of 1964 and has not reopened to the public for travel since then although currently the Portishead Railway Group is attempting to campaign for its reopening to allow for traffic from Portishead to Bristol.
Freight traffic ceased to exist on the Portishead Railway in 1981 at which point the track was not used outside of stream specials here and there until 2002 when most of the track was reopened for commercial use. Currently, only three miles of the track are not in use on the Portishead Railway located between Portishead and the Royal Portbury Docks although the tracks are still in place for use if reopened in the future.
