Some trains working between Cardiff and Taunton or Exeter St Davids call at peak hours and in the evening.

On Saturday there is a similar pattern, but with no services beyond Bristol Parkway or Weston-super-Mare except during the early morning and late evening.

[10] Sited approximately 57 chains (1.1 km) from the Bristol & Exeter's northern terminus at Bristol Temple Meads and 119 miles 08 chains (191.7 km) from the Great Western Railway's London terminus at Paddington,[1] there were two tracks, both originally 7 ft (2,134 mm) broad-gauge, but the line was reconstructed as a mixed gauge line to accommodate local 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)-gauge traffic by 1 June 1875.

There was a 74 lever signal box to the east of the northern platform, and also a small siding to serve local coal merchants.

Local services were franchised to Wales & West when the railway was privatised in 1997,[19] which was in turn succeeded by Wessex Trains in 2001.

The work included removing foliage from the platforms, new lighting and artwork for the subway, community display panels and the installation of help points.

[27][28] As part of this scheme, the Portishead Branch Line, which runs along the south side of the River Avon from a junction just beyond Parson Street railway station, will be reopened.

[30][31][32] The line was built in the 1860s, but closed to passenger traffic in 1964, leaving Portishead as one of Britain's largest towns without a railway station.

[33][34] The scheme was given the go-ahead in July 2012 as part of the City Deal, whereby local councils would be given greater control over money by the government.

[29] Subject to final business case approval, construction work on the line is now expected to start in December 2021 and then take around two years to complete.

[36] The Down Relief line between Bristol Temple Meads and Parson Street is to be partially reinstated as part of the MetroWest scheme in order to ease congestion.

[36][37] According to the Great Western Route Utilisation Strategy, in the December 2007 timetable period, the line through Parson Street was running at over 75% capacity in the morning peak between 8 and 9am.

[30] While the three tracks could cope with traffic generated by the reopening of the Portishead Line, campaigners note it would leave little room for growth.

[39] Three years later, on 23 September 2004, the 12:10 Wessex Trains service from Penzance to Bristol Temple Meads struck and killed a 12-year-old boy on the Up Relief line, who had been hiding under the platform.

[40][41][42][43] What used to be the westbound relief line at Bedminster was converted into a carriage siding, and is used to stable trains to avoid clogging the platforms at Bristol Temple Meads.

[45] British Transport Police statistics noted a 53% reduction in reported crime at Bristol area stations between 2007 and 2012.

[26] On 6 January 2009, the Windmill Hill bridge, just to the west of Bedminster station, was hit by a vehicle, causing some delays to train services while it was assessed for damage.