Exhibition highlights rail link

The SRA's move to axe funding for the line angered the local council

A new rail exhibition could open in Portishead, with residents hoping it may act as a reminder of a "need" for a new link for the town.

A year ago the Strategic Rail Authority said there would be no funding to reopen the line between Bristol and Portishead.

The move angered North Somerset Council who had included the rail link in its 10-year transport plan.

The last passenger train to use the line was 40 years ago in 1964.

Part of the line, from Bristol to the Royal Portbury Docks, reopened in 2003 to freight trains.

The exhibition will aim to show Isambard Kingdom Brunel's links with the town and the now disused railway.

The town's residents claim that recent housing developments mean the town has grown to a size where the rail link should be reopened.