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Cambridge South new station construction progress.

Bald Rick

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TheDavibob

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Promises of an upcoming consultation:

https://www.greatercambridge.org.uk...plans-for-cambridge-south-to-be-held-in-2020/
Greater Cambridge Partnership said:
Plans for a new railway station at Cambridge South will be set out by Network Rail at public consultation launched early next year.

The six week consultation on plans for Cambridge's third station will start on 20 January. The plans include four platforms, taxi and drop off areas, cycle and blue badge parking, shops and toilets.

The station would immediately become the third busiest in the county, according to a study on the transport needs of the Cambridge Biomedical Campus (CBC) published earlier this year by the Greater Cambridge Partnership, organisations on the CBC and transport consultants Atkins.

Cambridge South would work with fast public transport links and cycling improvements being developed by the Greater Cambridge Partnership.

Cllr Aidan Van de Weyer, Chair of the Greater Cambridge Partnership’s Executive Board, said:

“Our role is to deliver transformative public transport to make it quicker and easier for people to get to jobs, education and opportunity to maximise the economic boom happening in Greater Cambridge.

“We fully support Cambridge South which would unlock the full potential of the Greater Cambridge economy and enable the thousands of people who travel to the Cambridge Biomedical Campus quick and sustainable public transport – helping to cut congestion on our roads and improve air quality.”

For more information visit www.networkrail.co.uk/cambridge-south-station.

The corresponding NR lin does not particularly contain anything interesting.
 

cle

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So according to the map, it seems like this would only serve the line down to Stansted - so today the Liverpool St-Cambridge services, Stansted-Brmingham and Stansted-Norwich - is that correct? This is 4tph each way, I think - 2tph Liv St and 1tph others - with a third Liv St planned.

What is the motivation, therefore, behind the four platform and four track station? Might this be used for terminating services from the north, like the Ipswich for instance?
 

TheDavibob

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It would be north of Shepreth Branch junction, so would include a selection of trains towards Kings Cross/St P, though quite which I think is up for grabs.

If you mean the NR map, that railway-esque curve southwestwards is the ex-line towards Bletchley with the southern part of the Cambs busway.
 

jopsuk

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The new station is very much to be served by East West Rail which will come this way; using the old alignment that now has the busway and the radio telescope on it is more or less entirely ruled out but that's a matter for a E-W Rail thread.
 

bluenoxid

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Well this is a major change of direction. Last month, the combined authority was talking about a temporary station because the EWR question was unanswered.
 

D365

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I had no idea that a temporary station was ever put forward.
 

MikePJ

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Glad to see this is coming to fruition - a four platform station is definitely what's required. Better to do it properly than to make a half-baked job of it and then have to do it again later. The issue locally is going to be parking. The local authorities (rightly, in my view) don't want people from outer Cambridge and the surrounding villages to drive to the new station to catch trains to London, as the traffic and parking situation around the hospital site is already terrible. To this end, no "ordinary" parking will be provided at the station, only a drop-off, disabled parking and cycle parking. I suspect that they will have to introduce a large residents parking zone around the whole area, as there are already issues with hospital staff parking for free in the residential streets.
 

D365

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I’m not surprised, from what I remember, the new Addenbrookes Road is crowded enough as it is. The trouble is, in all other aspects, the station would be in a ideal location for Park & Ride...
 

camflyer

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I’m not surprised, from what I remember, the new Addenbrookes Road is crowded enough as it is. The trouble is, in all other aspects, the station would be in a ideal location for Park & Ride...

Limiting the packing around Cambridge South is exactly the right thing to do as the area has far too many cars to start with

In terms of park and ride provision, Whittlesford Parkway is due for a major redevelopment including doubling of car parking spaces and I would do a total rebuild of Foxton to provide extra capacity and to finally get rid of the level crossing there.
 

cle

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It would be north of Shepreth Branch junction, so would include a selection of trains towards Kings Cross/St P, though quite which I think is up for grabs.

If you mean the NR map, that railway-esque curve southwestwards is the ex-line towards Bletchley with the southern part of the Cambs busway.
That’s exactly what I was looking at and wondering, so thanks for the clarification!

In which case then we can assume maybe 2tph to St P/Kings Cross at least - from whichever patterns and based on pathing.

Will this station be useful for overtaking, or is it close to Cambridge to make a difference (southbound anyway). As both lines but especially the Foxton line are pretty stretched.
 

Bob M

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How about closing the current Cambridge station? It isn't in a very useful place.
 

D365

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How about closing the current Cambridge station? It isn't in a very useful place.

I have no idea how the station could be relocated to get any closer to the city centre...
 

cle

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Yep that's a non-starter. The railway was deliberately built far from the university/historical centre (see Oxford), which will always be a huge demand draw, alongside the newer employment locations.

At least having North and South alleviates the absolute reliance on the 'Central' station. But it is growing too, as the whole city is doing so well. It probably is fine for platforms, now that 7 and 8 are in action. But I'd suggest a fourth at North might be useful as the lines are there already.
 

Steve Harris

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How about closing the current Cambridge station? It isn't in a very useful place.
That's the best joke I have heard all year !!

IF you have been to Cambridge on a weekend you will know how many tourists visit. And I can't see Canbridge North being more handy for tourists than the current Cambridge station.
 

Ianno87

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How about closing the current Cambridge station? It isn't in a very useful place.

If anything the station needs further expansion. The main platform can be dangerously crowded at times.

Expansion, but also moving it towards being foot / bus / cycle accessed only (possibly with an east-side entrance too). The current roads to access the station are simply inadequate; Car/Taxi* drop off should really be encouraged at Cambridges North and South (preferably North, which should be the main Cambridge railhead park and ride).

*I know there is a heck of a lot of Taxi trade between the current station and city centre. I'm not sure that's something to keep encouraging when there's such a frequent bus service, and more pedestrian/cycle space on the roads may be practical.
 

dk1

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That's the best joke I have heard all year !!

IF you have been to Cambridge on a weekend you will know how many tourists visit. And I can't see Canbridge North being more handy for tourists than the current Cambridge station.
I'm still in o_O at the mere thought of closing it. Award for the most Pointless post of 2019 possibly?
 

camflyer

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Expansion, but also moving it towards being foot / bus / cycle accessed only (possibly with an east-side entrance too). The current roads to access the station are simply inadequate; Car/Taxi* drop off should really be encouraged at Cambridges North and South (preferably North, which should be the main Cambridge railhead park and ride).

*I know there is a heck of a lot of Taxi trade between the current station and city centre. I'm not sure that's something to keep encouraging when there's such a frequent bus service, and more pedestrian/cycle space on the roads may be practical.

An Eastern entrance (as proposed here: https://www.railfuture.org.uk/east/...mbridge-Station-Eastern-Entrance-proposal.pdf) would make a big difference and help the redevelopment of the Clifton Rd area.
 

MikePJ

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In terms of park and ride provision, Whittlesford Parkway is due for a major redevelopment including doubling of car parking spaces and I would do a total rebuild of Foxton to provide extra capacity and to finally get rid of the level crossing there.

A massive car park has recently been proposed at Foxton, but there’s a lot of justifiable local opposition to it. Search “foxton travel hub” if you want to see the details.
 

camflyer

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A massive car park has recently been proposed at Foxton, but there’s a lot of justifiable local opposition to it. Search “foxton travel hub” if you want to see the details.

If anything the Foxton Travel Hub isn't ambitious enough as it doesn't deal with the level crossing.
 

MikePJ

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If anything the Foxton Travel Hub isn't ambitious enough as it doesn't deal with the level crossing.
Not wishing to get too far off topic but .... yeah. From what I know of dealing with the many and various local authorities, doing anything involving the railway is a massive longwinded PITA from the point of view of the planners and highways engineers. So they’ve proposed a massive car park, because that’s a thing they can achieve relatively easily. There are separate proposals, apparently, but not yet announced, to provide better access to the station (i.e. a footbridge) for people actually trying to reach the station platforms from the new proposed car park. And then there are still further (much more expensive) proposals to remove the crossing and reroute the road via a bridge to the west of the existing site.
 

Bald Rick

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Not wishing to get too far off topic but .... yeah. From what I know of dealing with the many and various local authorities, doing anything involving the railway is a massive longwinded PITA from the point of view of the planners and highways engineers. So they’ve proposed a massive car park, because that’s a thing they can achieve relatively easily. There are separate proposals, apparently, but not yet announced, to provide better access to the station (i.e. a footbridge) for people actually trying to reach the station platforms from the new proposed car park. And then there are still further (much more expensive) proposals to remove the crossing and reroute the road via a bridge to the west of the existing site.

Plans to close Foxton crossing have been around since at least 1955. But the relevan5 highways authority don’t have the cash.
 

gingerheid

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How about closing the current Cambridge station? It isn't in a very useful place.

Haha!

Though even at that, just quite the number of people that clearly think it's in a useful place surprises me; the road network is so bad that buses can't complete on routes you'd expect them to be able to compete on like Ely / Newmarket / Royston - Cambridge. When I moved here 12 years ago the old sized station was unpleasantly busy and needed expanded. These days the new-sized station (one of two) is getting close to equally unpleasant and busy.

It's a shame that so much development around the railway line through Cambridge had been allowed - unless Brexit screws Cambridge up completely there's going to need to be some really big changes in capacity soon!
 

Steve Harris

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Haha!

Though even at that, just quite the number of people that clearly think it's in a useful place surprises me; the road network is so bad that buses can't complete on routes you'd expect them to be able to compete on like Ely / Newmarket / Royston - Cambridge. When I moved here 12 years ago the old sized station was unpleasantly busy and needed to be expanded. These days the new-sized station (one of two) is getting close to equally unpleasant and busy.

It's a shame that so much development around the railway line through Cambridge had been allowed - unless Brexit screws Cambridge up completely there's going to need to be some really big changes in capacity soon!
All the development around the station has happened within the last 30 years.

I'm surprised why you think it was allowed to happen though, considering you have lived in Cambridge the last 12 years. You just have to look at the excuse for a Ring Road and what changes have happended on Newmarket Road to see that there really isn't any sensible planning in Cambridge.
I will admit though the planners probably don't have many options considering no doubt how much influence the university's have.

Regards capicaty, if no one commuted out of Cambridge because they worked in Cambridge I bet there wouldn't be any need to have changes in capacity.
 
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Class 170101

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At least having North and South alleviates the absolute reliance on the 'Central' station. But it is growing too, as the whole city is doing so well. It probably is fine for platforms, now that 7 and 8 are in action. But I'd suggest a fourth at North might be useful as the lines are there already.

Not much (if any room) for through services using Platforms 1,4, 7 and 8. Notice the Norwich - Stansted service has more services on a Saturday / Sunday than a weekday.
 

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