Published on: Tuesday, 25 April 2017
Last updated: Monday, 26 February 2018
A brand new landmark railway station for Cambridge - Cambridge North - is due to open next month.
Greater Anglia is opening Cambridge North station on Sunday 21 May.
It will serve Cambridge science and business parks and the suburbs and villages north of Cambridge city centre. Trains from both Greater Anglia and Great Northern will call there.
Network Rail, which has built the station, is currently putting the finishing touches to Cambridge North before handing it over to the rail company.
The three-platform station will serve trains operated by Greater Anglia on the Cambridge to London Liverpool Street and Cambridge to Norwich routes. Fares include Greater Anglia advance purchase Cambridge North to London single tickets from £7.
Initially four Greater Anglia trains an hour, will serve the station, two in each direction - one service to London, one arrival from London, one Cambridge to Norwich service and one Norwich to Cambridge service.
In 2019, a new direct Greater Anglia Norwich to Stansted Airport service will be introduced, stopping at Cambridge North, when the company brings in all new trains across every route on its network during 2019-20.
Great Northern trains will stop at the station, with two trains per hour to London King’s Cross, of which one will be a stopping train starting at Cambridge North and one a fast train per hour on the new Ely to London fast service,off peak. This will be slightly different in the morning and evening peaks. Great Northern services will be provided by its new modern trains, as it introduces an entire replacement fleet of air-conditioned trains on the Cambridge-King’s Lynn Fen Line.
Details of train times and fares for both operators are now available.
The station includes a 1,000-space cycle park and a car park for 450 cars. It is also served by the Cambridge guided bus service and local buses.
Local cycle routes connect with the new station and it is within easy reach of the A14 and A10.
The station is expected to ease congestion, both on the roads in the city and for passengers using the existing Cambridge rail station.
There will be three ticket machines, a coffee shop and another retail unit in the main station concourse and airport-style waiting rooms on each platform.
All the latest green technology has been used in building the station, including solar panels which provide up to ten per cent of the station’s power.
Metal cladding on the outside of the building and footbridge incorporates a pattern based on a mathematical theory called the Game of Life by Cambridge mathematician John Conway.
Train drivers are currently undertaking test runs through the station to familiarise themselves with its layout and signal positions.
Jamie Burles, Greater Anglia Managing Director, said: “This is great news for Greater Anglia and for Cambridge. The existing station at Cambridge is one of our busiest stations. This station should relieve some of the pressure on it. It takes about 30 minutes to drive from Cambridge station to Cambridge North, but just six minutes by train, so it should be a great boost to people commuting to work in the science park, or for people commuting from northern suburbs or villages.”
“It’s a fantastic design, incorporating Cambridge’s innovative heritage, and one of the most environmentally-friendly stations on the network. Cambridge is a thriving city and this station will help to make rail travel even more attractive, as well as supporting the continued growth of the local economy. I’m looking forward to seeing it open.”
Bob Menzies, service director strategy and development for Cambridgeshire County Council, said:
“We developed a design in partnership with Network Rail that integrated all the local transport into the new station. We very much see it as an integrated transport hub.
“It had to function well as a railway station, be reasonably economical to build but also resonate with Cambridge. I think that it will come to be a bit of a landmark.”
For information about timetables and fares visit www.greateranglia.co.uk or www.greatnorthernrail.com