West of England Mayor Dan Norris has said Bristol will not be getting the long-awaited underground system planned by the city's Mayor Marvin Rees. Speaking on BBC Points West on Monday, where he was being interviewed about the state of Bristol's bus network, he was asked: "In one word, are we going to get the underground in Bristol?" to which he replied: "No."
Plans for a mass transit system for the city, with a mixture of overground and underground networks, were officially introduced by Mr Rees in his State of the City Address in 2017. As yet, there has still been no construction work on the project, and the estimated cost of £4 billion several years ago will now almost certainly have increased due to years of delays and high inflation.
During last year's State of the City speech, Mr Rees, said: "We have continued the work to build a mass transit system that will transform the way we move around the city region. The economic and geological assessment work has been done.
Read more: Bristol’s new underground rail network will see an extra £15m spent on the plans
"We are about to commit a further £15 million with our neighbours to take this work to the next stage. Overground and underground networks are fast, efficient, low-carbon transport systems.
"They are essential for a modern, crowded city. Bristolians have waited long enough. There cannot be any U-turns, no shying away from the challenge of delivery for those who come next, be they Bristol councillors or the combined authority."
At the time, both Bristol City Council and the West of England combined authority were asked exactly what the £15 million would be spent on, but the council did not respond to questions. Mr Norris said: "Of course, we need better public transport across Bristol and the West of England. That’s why I was pleased to secure the highest per-person transport settlement in the country last year, which will predominantly be spent on buses.
“However, the kind of long-term government investment for a bells and whistles transport system would be around 20 times more than that. While inflation is sky high and we are saddled with a Tory government that crashed the economy and which is embarking on another huge round of cuts, we have to be realistic."
According to the Bristol City Council website, WECA has already invested £1.5 million to look into options for mass transit and investigate and develop possible routes. The total amount spent so far is unknown.
In October 2022 cabinet papers revealed that Bristol City Council could face a funding shortfall of up to £87.6million within five years, cabinet papers reveal. The authority also announced that it needed to find an extra £31 million next year to balance the books as a result of soaring costs and inflation and demand for services.
Bristol live has approached Bristol City Council for comment.
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