Cambridge North sees commuters get much needed service improvement

The new Cambridge North Station will complement existing services operating in the city but also improve access and travel times to the Cambridge Science Park. The station is expected to handle 3,000 passenger journeys a day.

Work has already started on the project, which is part of Network Rail’s £40bn Railway Upgrade Plan, to build the track, points, overhead line cabling and power supply. New lift shafts and platforms will be constructed from next month. Once completed, the station will have three platforms, parking for 450 vehicles and 1,000 cycles, and solar panels will provide up to 10% of the station’s power.

The project is the first major enhancement project to be delivered by VolkerFitzpatrick and their partners Atkins and Network Rail as part of the Anglia Route Collaboration (ARC), set up to carry out improvements on the rail network during the control period 5 (CP5) rail infrastructure phase.

Richard Schofield, Network Rail’s route managing director, said: “The new station will both provide benefits to passengers in terms of better connections and journey times, and will also help the economic growth of the area and improve people’s journeys in and around the city of Cambridge.”

Andy Gardner, ARC operations director said: “We are delighted to start work on this state-of-the-art rail station that will benefit commuters in Cambridge for many years.

“As part of the CP5 programme, the ARC team has made many improvements to help boost capacity and future proof the network. We hope that the new Cambridge North Station further develops the rail services offered in the region.”

As well as the construction of Cambridge North Station, the ARC team will also be relocating the Chesterton Freight Terminals and carrying out the required works to ensure their connection to the main network.

The new station is set to open in May 2017.