Mayor Paul Bristow says Cambridge South opening crucial to getting region moving

Mayor Paul Bristow says Cambridge South opening crucial to getting region moving

Mayor Paul Bristow has described Cambridge South as vital to help ‘Get Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Moving’ in a visit to the rail station construction site.

Cambridge South will serve the busy Cambridge Biomedical Campus and is expected to handle an estimated 1.8 million passenger journeys a year.

A computer-generated image of Cambridge South

The campus is at the heart of the region’s world-leading health and life sciences sector. Together with Addenbrooke’s Hospital, it supports thousands of jobs, and is set to grow significantly with a forecast 27,000 jobs by 2031. The new station will play a vital role in providing better transport for this expanding part of the city.

The station’s opening date has been revised to early 2026 to align with two other infrastructure schemes: the stage two commissioning of the Cambridge Re-signalling project and introduction of the East Coast Main Line timetable changes supporting more Great Northern services between Kings Cross and Cambridge.

During the visit, Mayor Bristow toured the striking new station building with Network Rail and site contractors Murphy, and viewed progress on interior fit-out work.

Mayor Paul Bristow said: “The opening of Cambridge South will be a crucial step in my mission to get this region moving. Being able to get a train to work or to medical appointments on the Biomedical Campus will make a huge difference for a lot of people’s lives. This station will support the growth of one of the UK’s most important employment sites, and which is a base for world class patient care, cutting-edge life sciences and scientific breakthroughs.”

Nick Kirby, Managing Director of Cambridge Biomedical Campus Limited, said: “The train station will make such a big difference for the tens of thousands of people who come to the Campus each day, reducing pressure on local roads and improving connections to the rest of the region and beyond.”

Katie Frost, route director for Network Rail Anglia said: “Cambridge South will provide a much-needed option for passengers to access the vitally important medical and research campus by rail. We were delighted to host the new Mayor and show him the progress being made so thousands of passengers can use it each day from early 2026.”

Cambridge South was an early priority for the Combined Authority, which provided early-stage funding and helped drive a delivery strategy that separated it from the East West Rail project. It is designed to accommodate future East West Rail services.

The station will be managed and served by Greater Anglia, with other operators expected to run services subject to final timetabling agreements.

The new station will also connect to potential destinations such as central London, London Stansted Airport and Birmingham. There will be step free access to all four platforms, accessible toilets, cycle parking for 1,000 bikes to encourage active travel, a drop off area and access to the station for pedestrians on both sides.

 

Network Rail’s Cambridge South project page: https://www.networkrail.co.uk/running-the-railway/our-routes/anglia/improving-the-railway-in-anglia/cambridge-south-station/