Cambridge South railway station
Station being built in Cambridge, England
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cambridge South railway station is a railway station under construction in the south of the city of Cambridge, England. It will serve the Cambridge Biomedical Campus and the adjacent suburb of Trumpington. The station will be on the Cambridge line and the West Anglia Main Line. Construction started in January 2023 and was originally scheduled to open in December 2025. However, the project was delayed twice (the latter being due to a contractor's bankruptcy) and is now scheduled to open on 28 June 2026. It will be the first station to carry Great British Railways branding.
England
Cambridge South  | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Construction progress of the Cambridge South railway station as of 14 May 2024 | |||||
| General information | |||||
| Location | Cambridge Biomedical Campus England | ||||
| Coordinates | 52.1741°N 0.1310°E | ||||
| Platforms | 4 (planned) | ||||
| Other information | |||||
| Station code | CMS | ||||
| Key dates | |||||
| January 2023 | Construction began | ||||
| 28 June 2026 | Scheduled opening[1] | ||||
| |||||
Background
History
A temporary station, Trumpington railway station, was once located approximately 570 m (1,870 ft) north of the current Cambridge South station site. It was specifically constructed for the Royal Agricultural Society's show for four days between 4 July and 8 July 1922. After the event concluded, the station was then permanently demolished. Nothing of the original station survives or is visible today.[2]
Between 1962, when Barnwell Junction station closed to passengers (and to goods four years later),[3] and 2017, when Cambridge North station opened, Cambridge station was the only passenger railway station serving the city of Cambridge.[4]
Proposal
Another new station in Cambridge to the south of Cambridge station was proposed in 2017.[5] In August 2017, the Transport Secretary backed plans for a new station as part of the East West Rail plan,[6][7] with a possible opening date of 2021,[8][9] that could also include a light rail link.[10] An unsuccessful application was made to the New Stations Fund 2 in 2017,[11] but £5 million was allocated to the project in the November 2017 Budget Speech.[12]
Funding for Cambridge South station was announced in the budget of March 2020.[13] Three options for its location near Addenbrooke's Hospital were identified between the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway bridge on Cambridge Biomedical Campus to the north and the Addenbrooke's Road bridge to the south.[14] Network Rail stated that its preferred location for the station was at a site adjacent to the Biomedical Campus and the Guided Busway crossing[15] and submitted a Transport and Works Act Order application in June 2021 for a station on this site.[16]
In September 2022, the government announced Cambridge South as one of the "138 major infrastructure projects that the Government aims to fast-track, although "inclusion in the list [does] not guarantee funding, planning consent or approval at this stage".[17]
Funding approval
In December 2022, the station was given a Transport and Works Act Order approval, which authorised construction of the station and track laying. The station will be fully accessible by people with disabilities and have 1,000 cycle spaces. Elsewhere, but as part of the works, improvements will also be made to Shepreth Branch Junction, and a new crossover will be installed at Hills Road.[18] Construction work then started in January 2023.[19]
Construction and facilities
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In October 2023, Network Rail awarded a £93.4 million contract for the construction of the station to J Murphy & Sons Ltd. It is to have four platforms and anticipates 1.8 million passengers per year.[20] The station was originally due to open in December 2025,[21][22] but in February 2025 it was announced that this would be delayed until early 2026 due to an upgrade to signalling across Cambridge.[23] In November the same year this was further changed to June 2026 as one of the subcontractors involved in the internal fit-out of electrical and mechanical systems of the station went into administration.[24] In May 2026, the Department for Transport announced that the station would open on 28 June 2026.[22] It will be the first station in the country to carry the Great British Railways (GBR) branding in advance of the full renationalisation of passenger services in England under GBR.[1][25]
Network Rail projects that 95% of passengers using the station will travel onwards by public transport, walking, or cycling.[26] The station will have no public car park, with its 15 spaces reserved for disabled drivers, staff, taxis, and pick-up/drop-off.[27] The station will have 1,000 bike spaces.[28] When work began in January 2023, Network Rail had estimated that the station would cost £173 million. As of 7 November 2025, the estimated cost had increased to £228 million, "due to a sub-contractor going into administration" and "additional signalling works that were not part of the original scope".[19]
Services
Network Rail anticipates that all trains that currently pass through Cambridge South will stop once the station opens in June 2026.[29] It is planned that the station will serve CrossCountry, Greater Anglia, Great Northern and Thameslink services. [30]
| Preceding station |  National Rail |
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Future Services | ||||
| Foxton | Cambridge line | Cambridge | ||
| Shelford | West Anglia Main Line | Cambridge | ||
| Cambourne | East West Rail | Cambridge | ||
See also
- Cambridge East railway station – Proposed station in Cambridge, England to serve a new suburb to occupy the Cambridge Airport site.