The new Eastern Entrance to Bristol Temple Meads railway station has won two awards at the Institute of Civil Engineers (ICE) South West awards.
The new entrance is a major investment into the Grade 1 listed station that will dramatically improve access to the station for communities and businesses in St Philip’s Marsh and east Bristol.
Recognising this achievement, the project was awarded both the People’s Choice Award and the Community Award at a black tie ceremony in Bristol yesterday (23 October).
The entrance is the first of three new entrances to the station to have been delivered using part of the £94.7m awarded to the Bristol Temple Quarter project in 2022.
Judges described the project as a “shining example of how thoughtful infrastructure projects can transform public spaces and enhance communities”.
The judges were impressed with how the project team of Network Rail, the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority, and BAM Nuttall balanced the need to modernise with the nationally significant heritage of the station.
The entrance was delivered in two phases, using a rail possession window to complete enabling works before the main construction phase, which included tunnelling under railway lines and platforms that remained operational throughout.
These challenges were overcome on time and on budget. The Eastern Entrance will open in September 2026 alongside the new University of Bristol Enterprise Campus. It is expected to serve 2.5 million passengers each year by 2030.
Karen Mercer, CEO, BTQ LLP, said:
“Winning two awards for the new Eastern Entrance is testament to the success of the Bristol Temple Quarter partnership. By working together with our partners at Network Rail and the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority, we have delivered a new entrance to the station on time and on budget. This will dramatically improve access to the station for communities and businesses in east Bristol and is a key part of our wider aspirations for connectivity around Temple Quarter.”
