Cambridge South is a new railway station being developed by railway operator Network Rail, south of Cambridge, England, UK, on the West Anglia Main Line. It will be operated and serviced by Greater Anglia.
Network Rail submitted a Transport and Works Act Order (TWAO) application for planning permission for the station and related infrastructure in June 2021.
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The TWAO application was approved in December 2022 and the construction of the station building compounds commenced in January 2023.
The estimated investment in the project is £200m ($249m). The station is expected to be operational in 2025. It will serve 1.8 million passengers a year and will employ 300 workers during the construction period.
Station location
The new station is located close to the Cambridge Guided Busway between the Cambridge Biomedical Campus and Hobson’s Park. The station site is located within the Green Belt and is near a nature reserve, a scheduled monument, a listed building, and a conservation area.
It will serve the Cambridge Biomedical Campus, an internationally significant health and life sciences cluster located near Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge.
Cambridge South station design and features
The Cambridge South station will be a two-storey station building comprising an eastern and a western building. It will consist of four passenger platforms, one of which will be a shared island platform.
The eastern building will include a ticket office, accommodation for staff, and a retail area with views over the concourse and the forecourt. The western building will have similar facilities, along with the railway plant equipment, including substations and power backup.
A curved ergonomic roof on the station building will be developed using laminated wooden beams. It will be installed with solar panels and a green biodiverse surface that collects and reuses rainwater. A partial canopy will provide weather protection for passengers.
The station will feature designated waiting areas, information boards, accessible public toilets, ticket vending machines, and a baby change area that will be directly accessible from the concourse, beyond the gate line.
It will also include a dining area and a drop-off/on-street access point from both ends of the station.
The station will feature two entrances located at Francis Crick Avenue in the east and Hobson’s Park in the west.
Elevators will provide step-free access to the bridge level that connects the two entrances to the new platforms. A secondary footbridge will be available at the southern end of the station.
The station will have 1,000 cycle parking spaces spread across the east and west entrances.
Other developments
The Cambridge South station project will also include the refurbishment of the existing track layout, the installation of two extra track loops to house a four-platform station, and improvements to the Shepreth branch junction.
The railway line on the southern access to the Cambridge station and the existing signalling infrastructure will be upgraded.
In addition, overhead line electrical infrastructure will be installed, and two private level crossings will be closed and alternative access will be provided.
Contractors involved
J Murphy & Sons, an engineering and construction company, was awarded a £93.4m contract to undertake main works for the railway station in October 2023.
South Rail Systems Alliance was awarded a £40m contract in September 2023 to deliver the rail systems for the station along with upgrades to the Shepreth branch junction.
Arcadis, a design and engineering consultancy, was appointed to provide town planning, environment and heritage services, planning consultancy and station design services. It also provided inputs for the TWAO.
The company delivered the architectural components in collaboration with subcontractor architect, Fereday Pollard, using 3D models.
Project benefits
The new Cambridge South station will provide access to a growing area of high-quality employment and help reduce traffic in the local community by promoting sustainable transport in Cambridge.
The station will link the Cambridge Biomedical Campus to potential points of interest in London, including Central London, London Stansted Airport, as well as Ely and Birmingham. It will offer a new means of transport to and from the campus for patients, visitors, and staff.
In addition, the station will offer direct connections to several potential train paths on the network for South Cambridgeshire passengers, as well as better connections to the southern edge of the city.
The station will also contribute to the region’s fast-developing economy, which is projected to add 27,000 new jobs and create 4,500 new dwellings by 2031.
