The Portishead Railway runs close to the river at the bottom of the woods. It was opened on 18 April 1867, but closed on 3 April 1981. The Great Western Railway built a small station with the aim of attracting tourists to the area; was not very successful and was only in use for less than five years, from 9 July 1928 until 12 September 1932. The line was reopened for freight traffic as far as Royal Portbury Dock on 21 December 2001 and local councils are proposing to reintroduce a passenger service to Portishead as part of their MetroWest plans, although this would not happen before 2019.