Thousands of passengers will be able to travel through the new Cambridge South station from Sunday 28 June, marking a major milestone in improving transport links across the East of
England and providing direct rail access to Europe's largest biomedical campus.
Delivered through a £250 million government investment, the new station is expected to serve around 1.8 million passengers each year, offering faster, simpler and more sustainable journeys for workers, patients, students and visitors travelling to Cambridge Biomedical Campus.
The station will be served by up to 20 train services during peak hours, with direct connections to London, Birmingham, Stansted Airport and international rail services via London St Pancras. Passengers will also benefit from up to nine trains every hour linking Cambridge South with Cambridge city centre and destinations across the wider rail network.
The new station will transform journeys for the 40,000 people who visit Cambridge Biomedical Campus every day. Travellers from London King's Cross can now reach the campus on a single 45-minute direct train, replacing a journey that previously required a train, bus and walk and often took more than an hour.
The station directly serves Cambridge Biomedical Campus, home to world-leading NHS hospitals, research institutions, universities and life sciences businesses. The campus contributes £4.7 billion to the UK economy every year, with every ten jobs created on the campus supporting a further ten jobs elsewhere across the country.
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».
The station has been designed with sustainability at its heart, integrating with the neighbouring Hobson's Park nature reserve to protect green space and wildlife habitats. A living green roof features a wildflower meadow and rainwater management system, while efficient construction methods have reduced the station's carbon footprint by more than 22 per cent.
Jamie Burles, Managing Director for GBR Anglia, said:
"The opening of Cambridge South creates a new gateway for the 1.8 million passengers expected to use the station each year.
"It will provide a more sustainable travel option for staff, patients, visitors and local residents while strengthening connections between Cambridge and major cities and transport hubs across the UK.
"This achievement reflects the dedication of hundreds of people across the rail industry who have worked together to deliver a station that will benefit the community for decades to come."
The station is expected to play a significant role in supporting continued growth across the Oxford-Cambridge corridor, one of the UK's most productive economic regions, valued at £143 billion and home to one of the country's fastest-growing knowledge economies.
Business leaders have welcomed the opening as a major boost for innovation and investment”.
Shaun Grady, Chair of AstraZeneca UK, said:
“AstraZeneca, alongside local partners, has been supportive of Cambridge South from the start, so we are very excited to see the station opening. It is not hyperbole to say it will be transformative for the Cambridge Biomedical Campus and for the rest of the city.
From colleagues and visitors coming up to Cambridge for appointments, going down to London for meetings and flying in via Stansted, the station will help people get to where they want to go. Improving connectivity to and from the campus has always been the key priority and this new station will greatly support the UK’s ambition to be a global leader in innovation, science and technology”.
Peter Denton CBE, Chair of Cambridge Biomedical Campus Limited, said:
“This new rail station will be transformational for the Cambridge Biomedical Campus, making it easier to collaborate through better connectivity to London, Manchester, Stansted and beyond.
Cambridge South will deliver long-term growth and have an immediate impact for hospital visits and those seeking jobs and career opportunities within the world-leading life sciences, health, research and education organisations which we are lucky to have here”.
Cambridge South also supports more sustainable travel, with 1,000 cycle parking spaces, accessible parking, direct links to the guided busway and easy connections to local park and ride services.
The station is the first to carry Great British Railways branding, reflecting a commitment to creating a simpler, more connected railway with clearer information and a better passenger experience. Photo by Kesseki, Wikimedia commons.
