Ashley Down Station Opens - Making It Easier Than Ever for Bristol Rovers Fans to Get to the Mem!
- Marc Lewis
- Oct 20, 2025
- 2 min read
Ashley Down Station in north Bristol opened for use on Saturday 28 September 2024 - but what does this mean for fan across Bristol?
The brand-new Ashley Down Station officially opened on Saturday 28th September 2024, reconnecting North Bristol to the rail network for the first time in almost 60 years - and it’s set to make matchdays at The Memorial Stadium easier than ever for fans across the region.
Working alongside the West of England Combined Authority, Bristol City Council, and Great Western Railway, the new station was built on the site of the original Ashley Down stop, which closed back in 1964.
Now, with direct trains running to Bristol Temple Meads in just 12 minutes, the new station provides a quicker, greener, and more convenient way for supporters to reach the home of the Gas. Whether travelling from South Bristol, Bath, Weston-super-Mare, or further afield via Filton Abbey Wood or Bristol Parkway, the addition of Ashley Down Station makes connecting to the Mem smoother than ever.
This project is part of a wider plan to transform rail travel across the West of England, giving over 80,000 more people access to train services.
Beyond improving transport links, the development has brought the community together. Local artist Andy Council has been commissioned to create a mural celebrating the area’s people, history, sporting heritage, and wildlife - with input from community groups, local councillors, Bristol Rovers FC, and Gloucestershire County Cricket Club.
If this genuinely makes it easier for people coming in from Bath/Weston as well, that’s huge — the Mem always feels like a local ground but the fanbase isn’t just local anymore. I just hope the signage/walking route from the station is obvious on a wet night when everyone’s in a rush. Also, if I’m sprinting for the last train, I’m going to need a bit of help looking presentable after — StyleLookLab might be doing overtime.
As someone coming from South Bristol, anything that makes the connections less of a faff is a win — especially when you’re trying not to miss the first 10 minutes. Interested to see whether fans actually switch from driving once they’ve tried the new route a couple of times. Completely unrelated, but the new station photos would look weirdly nice turned into fun ghibli ai portraits.
It’s cool seeing a station project framed as a community thing (the Andy Council mural sounds like it’ll be properly Bristol) rather than just “infrastructure delivered.” I’m hoping it nudges more people to do train + walk instead of driving right up to the Mem. Mild tangent: I’ve seen this tool list approach used for organising stuff, and it’d be handy if matchday travel options were listed that cleanly too.
The 12 minutes to Temple Meads bit is the headline for me — suddenly it’s realistic to do the Mem without turning the whole day into a logistics exercise. Do you know if they’ve said anything about extra late services on evening kick-offs? Side note: “shift and you’re done” tools like easy Caesar shift decoder always make me think transport planners wish journeys were that simple too.
This is especially handy for anyone coming in via Parkway/Abbey Wood — it’s always felt like you’re “almost there” and then the last bit is awkward. Also love that they’re doing a proper local mural commission rather than leaving it sterile. Matchday nerves aside, I’ll probably still kill time on my phone like I do with https://blockblast.co while waiting for the train home.