Thousands of visitors are now able to travel from the new Cambridge South station as it opened its doors to boost transport links and reduce journey times across the region.
Backed by £250 million of government funding, the new station is expected to welcome around 1.8million passengers a year, transforming connectivity across the region, with up to 9 trains an hour connecting passengers to Cambridge city centre and beyond.
Passengers will also be able to take trains to London, Birmingham, Stansted Airport and international rail services via St Pancras, with up to 20 services calling at Cambridge South in peak hours, improving access to jobs, homes and opportunities for millions of people.
Services operated by Greater Anglia, Great Northern and Thameslink CrossCountry are expected to call at the new station from day one.
The new station will directly serve Cambridge Biomedical Campus – home to world-class science, NHS hospitals and business facilities. The campus currently contributes £4.7 billion annually to the UK economy, with every 10 jobs on the campus supporting a further 10 jobs across the UK.
Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander, said: “The newly opened Cambridge South station cuts journey times, improves access to jobs and makes everyday life that little bit easier for thousands of people.
“This £250 million investment means a journey that once took over an hour – involving a train, a bus, a walk – is now a single 45-minute direct train from London. That’s a real, tangible difference in people’s lives.”
With up to 20 services in peak hours connecting passengers to London, Birmingham, Stansted and beyond, Cambridge South will connect people with opportunities across the region and the wider country. This is Great British Railways (GBR) in action.
Designed to blend in with its surroundings, the station integrates with the existing Hobson’s Park nature reserve, helping to protect valuable green space, recreational areas and wildlife habitats.
Its ‘green roof’ includes a wildflower meadow environment and a rainwater catchment system that will store and slowly discharge rainwater back into the environment and the nearby brook, while the station’s overall design and construction efficiencies have reduced the station’s carbon footprint by over 22%.
Cambridge South will be the first new GBR-branded station – with clearer information and better support stations that are simpler to move around, from planning journeys to getting help on the day.
Already one of the UK’s most dynamic economic regions, the Oxford-Cambridge corridor has a combined value of £143 billion and is driving growth with employment rising 40% faster than elsewhere in the country, with around 30% of jobs in knowledge-intensive sectors – almost triple the national average.
