As we step into the new year, Western Gateway is excited to share the progress we’ve made over 2025.
Our commitment to improving connectivity, sustainability, and innovation remains stronger than ever.
📊 Strategic Investment Plan 2025–2035
Completion of the Strategic Investment Plan following a public consultation with work published.
🚆 Rail
Completion of Intervention Assessments report for Dorset Metro and final Strategic Outline Business Case (SOBC) published, which sets out the rationale for investment in the Dorset Metro rail corridor, spanning from Brockenhurst to Weymouth, incorporating key regional centres such as Bournemouth, Poole, Wareham, and Dorchester.
Service enhancements feasibility work commissioned for West of England Line and final Strategic Outline Business Case (SOBC) published. The West of England Line is the railway line between Worting Junction (to the west of Basingstoke) and Exeter St. David’s.
Completion of the Bristol to Oxford ‘Case for Change’ document with England’s Economic Heartland for new services and rolling stock.
🚛 Freight
Successful running of the Southwest Freight forums for key stakeholders including the three sub groups and one main group.
Successfully delivered multiple workshops for local authority officers to upskill them and increase awareness of freight across the region, alongside producing tailored learning materials including short informative guides, resources, and case studies, designed specifically to meet the needs of local authority officers and councillors.
Completion of the Rail Freight Terminal feasibility study at Avonmouth
Evaluation of the Backloading Trial, giving 10 South West hauliers access to Transport Exchange Group’s (TEG) platform, cutting empty HGV miles and saving 11,380 kg CO₂ over 13,667 miles, while driving collaborative logistics and capturing key lessons for future pilots.
Publication of the South West Freight summary report.
🚌 Coach
Successful running of the Coach forum and delivering of the Coach parking audit, providing a broader understanding of the availability and nature of coach parking facilities across the Western Gateway STB region.
Publication of Coach feasibility study aimed at improving coach connectivity along the Strategic Gap Corridors in Western Gateway.
🌱 Rural Mobility
Successfully awarded a grant of £60,000 to help fund three innovative transport pilots aimed at improving low-carbon, inclusive, and accessible mobility across rural communities in the Western Gateway region. These includes:
1) Gloucestershire Community Rail Partnership is leading a community-driven research and engagement project to explore how Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) can improve access to free green spaces across the South Cotswolds and Vale of Berkeley.
2) Forest of Dean District Council is piloting low-carbon transport options, including car hire, e-bike hire, and shared mobility services, to promote sustainable travel in the Forest of Dean.
3) Bridport Town Council is introducing a low-cost, frequent weekend bus service between Bridport and West Bay to improve community mobility and reduce reliance on cars.
Advanced the Rural Mobility pilot by shortlisting organisations for its second round of £50,000 and completing grant offers, creating an opportunity to build on previous learnings and deliver innovative solutions to rural mobility challenges. The three organisations include: Gloucestershire County Council, West Dorset Commons and Dorset Council.
🔌 Electric Vehicles
Successful running of the Southwest EV forum and engaging with key stakeholders including National Highways, Energy Saving Trust, Network Distributions and Charge Point Operators to support the roll out of Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure.
🏛️ Regional Centre of Excellence
Production and publication of the Interchange Guidance and Active Travel, Social Value and Health guidance to support Local Authorities, establishing common standards across the region.
Launch of Regional Centre of Excellence Hub as an online portal for local authority officers to access a range of tools, guidance, models, mapping and regional information.
Launched a regional digital Spatial Planning Tool integrating geographic data, planning policies, and connectivity insights to support housing site allocation and assessment in the Western Gateway region.
Delivered flexible internship programs to students from the University of the West of England and the University of Gloucestershire, providing meaningful real-world experiences and industry exposure to strengthen regional talent pipelines.
Vision-led planning – convened partnership groups with LA officers, Homes England, National Highways, ATE and Network Rail to advance vision-led land use and transport planning.
🚲 Cycling
Delivery and publication of Western Gateway Strategic Cycle Network Plan which identified key cycling routes that provide connectivity throughout the region.
Collaboration remains at the core of the Western Gateway’s mission. We will continue working hand-in-hand with Local Authorities, Network Rail, National Highways, Homes England, and other partners to deliver projects that improve connectivity, foster innovation, and create sustainable transport solutions for communities across the region.
