Cambridge South station has received the final regulatory approval required to enter passenger service, with the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) authorising the new station to open on Sunday 28 June.
The approval marks the final major milestone for the project following more than three years of construction and clears the way for one of the most significant new railway stations to open in the East of England in recent years.
Over the past year, GBR Anglia has worked closely with the ORR to demonstrate that the station meets all the safety and operational standards required before entering public service. Principal contractor Murphy and the wider project team have completed the extensive assurance process needed to secure the regulator’s approval.
The new station is expected to serve around 1.8 million passengers each year, providing direct access to the Cambridge Biomedical Campus (CBC), Europe’s largest centre for medical research and healthcare.
The station will improve connectivity for employees, patients and visitors travelling to Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Royal Papworth Hospital and the wider biomedical campus, while supporting the continued growth of one of the UK’s leading science and innovation clusters.
Passengers will benefit from direct rail links to destinations across East Anglia, including Ely and Norwich, alongside services to London, Birmingham, Brighton and major international gateways including Stansted Airport, Gatwick Airport and London St Pancras International.
Cambridge South will also provide frequent local connections, with up to nine trains per hour operating between Cambridge and Cambridge South during peak periods.
Services will be operated by Greater Anglia, Great Northern, Thameslink and CrossCountry, creating a significant increase in transport options for the rapidly expanding biomedical campus.
Emily Heria, Senior Sponsor for GBR Anglia, said the regulator’s approval represented a major achievement for everyone involved in delivering the project.
“Gaining the authorisation from the ORR to open Cambridge South is a massive achievement and reflects all the hard work done by everyone involved in the project,” she said.
“We are all so excited to open the new station on Sunday 28 June and can’t wait to welcome our first customers and see their reaction to their new railway station. We hope they will be as proud of their new station as we are to have built it.”
The opening of Cambridge South forms part of the Government’s wider programme of rail investment and network expansion, while also becoming one of the first stations to open under the emerging Great British Railways identity.
Beyond improving passenger connectivity, the station is expected to support economic growth by enhancing access to one of the UK’s most important life sciences hubs, helping connect businesses, researchers, healthcare professionals and patients with the wider national rail network.
