Brunel's Old Station Welcomes Extra Platforms at Temple Meads
News that Bristol Temple Meads station may undergo a serious renovation to increase its capacity is good news for nearby Bristol event venues.
Brunel’s Old Station adjoins Bristol Temple Meads as part of the vision that the master architect Isambard Brunel had for the terminus of the Great Western Railway.
A full 14 years before London Paddington was built, Isambard Brunel was working out how to accommodate ticketing space along with hundreds of horses and a passenger hall. The answer he came up with still stands today – The Passenger Shed - and it is now a premier Bristol conference venue which hosts exhibitions, special events, dinner parties and more.
There are two factors driving this – the need for more connecting trains with the nearby Bristol Parkway station and the electrification of the London Paddington railway line.
However any refurbishment work will go far beyond just improving the railway line. Developers will also then have to expand the infrastructure. That would involve improving parking and easing congestion that could occur around the Bristol train station entrance if there were extra passengers arriving.
One of the main reasons that people choose Brunel’s Old Station for their conferences, dinner parties and Bristol weddings is that it is so convenient to get to.
If these National Rail plans go ahead in conjunction with the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), they will make this fantastic location even more accessible and have a big impact on the business of this esteemed Bristol event venue.
© Brunel's Old Station is the trading name for Empire Museum Ltd, a company limited by guarantee and incorporated in England & Wales.
