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The Portishead railway line could see construction commence this year and welcome its first trains by 2027, according to North Somerset Council - provided the government approves the project. The restoration of the disused railway link between Bristol and Portishead was initially planned to start last year, with £32m already invested.

However, following the general election, the new Labour government scrapped the funding for their part of the project, leaving the scheme in a state of uncertainty pending a government review. At a full council meeting on January 14, North Somerset Council members voted unanimously to push forward with measures to begin building the railway this summer, contingent on the government's final business case approval.

Council leader Mike Bell commented: "What we [...] know with this project is that delay equals more costs, which equals more delay - and we have been stuck in that doom loop for far far too long."

"So I am very pleased that our local MPs and all parties in the council have been supporting the case to the Department of Transport for a quick decision. And with a favourable wind and a quick decision and the approval of this report and recommendations tonight, we can begin construction this summer with the intent of getting trains running by the autumn of 2027.

"But all of this remains subject to government approvals. We are in a review process at the moment. We have been given encouraging indications that that is being [...] fast tracked - and let's hope they stick to that."

Councillor Roger Whitfield of Portishead East (Portishead Independents) said: "I know many many people have spent an awful lot of time trying to get this project off the ground and just as we were getting somewhere with it the government decided to put a review on it. [...] It's good to see we're now at a final stage and I just hope that the government will give us the decision that we want and, I think, that we deserve."

Cllr Peter Burden of Portishead South (Conservative) reminded councillors that the town has been awaiting the railway line since the late 1980s and said: "Let's do all we possibly can, but it's not in our hands. Leaders of this council and the region have done absolutely everything they possibly could for the last 25 years to bring this to fruition and I sincerely hope it works."

The railway project, with an estimated cost of £152m, was set to be financed by the West of England Combined Authority, the Department for Transport, and North Somerset Council, reports . However, just prior to Network Rail's submission of the full business case to the government, the new Labour government announced the cancellation of the Restoring Your Railway fund, which was intended to provide the government's share of the project funding.