Construction starts on Cambridge’s new railway station

A Network Rail visualisation of the Cambridge South station was first released in 2020. Credit: Network Rail.

Construction has started on Cambridge South, Cambridge’s new railway station, which will serve the city’s Biomedical Campus.

The £200m project, which is fully funded by the government, is due to become operational within the next two years. Cambridge South will have four platforms located on the Cambridge - London main line and is expected to carry 1.8 million passengers a year.

Operated Greater Anglia, the new station is designed to be fully accessible – with lifts providing step-free access to the platforms – and will better connect the leading medical research and health science centre to the wider rail network in the UK.

Cambridge South will be the university city’s third train station alongside Cambridge North and its central station. The project is expected to create 300 jobs for people in the area.

It is hoped that by making access to Cambridge Biomedical Campus easier, the new station will help to encourage investment in science and aid the government’s efforts to make the UK a ‘science superpower by 2030’.

Ms Kristin-Anne Rutter, executive director of Cambridge Biomedical Campus, said: “We are delighted that the Cambridge Biomedical Campus is to get its own railway station in less than two years’ time. Better public transport links will be critical in fulfilling our vision of a more sustainable campus.

“Currently, there are around five times as many visits to the site as there are car parking spaces. We have to find ways of making it easier for the thousands of staff, National Health Service patients and visitors arriving daily to get here without needing to use a car.”

Rail Minister Huw Merriman added: "This brand-new station will not only benefit local passengers but deliver a major boost to the entire city, improving connectivity to a world-leading academic hub while unlocking local business and growth opportunities across the region.

"This is just another step in our efforts to create a thriving, well-connected, passenger-focused rail network to support communities for generations to come."

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