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Thursday 5 Jun 2025

Growing the environmental legacy for Cambridge South station

Region & Route:

Eastern: Anglia

The restoration and the extension of a nearby nature reserve planted with 18,000 trees, plants and shrubs will be the cornerstone of the new station’s environmental and biodiversity legacy. 

As the new Cambridge South station progresses towards opening in early 2026, Network Rail and contractor Murphy are working together to deliver its legacy which will offset the impact of construction and give back a higher quality of biodiversity to the community and the local environment.

Hobson’s Park restoration

On this World Environment Day, work to restore an area of the neighbouring Hobson’s Park nature reserve continues with planting new trees and shrubs, reseeding the meadow areas and providing habitats for wildlife to move back into the area after it was used as a temporary material storage area.

The protection of existing habitats has also been a key consideration when planning the project. Large areas of vegetation including newly planted broadleaf woodland were able to be retained and fenced off to avoid disturbance to existing habitats for nesting birds and allowing a sheltered area for wildlife to exist next a worksite. Instead, grassland areas were used for the temporary worksite which is easier and quicker to restore than woodland areas.

Hobsons Park extension

As part of the project’s target to achieve 10 percent net gain in biodiversity, a 22,000 square metre area of arable land adjacent to Addenbrook’s Way was acquired to expand Hobson’s Park to the south. This area has been used to relocate vital habitats that would have been lost and allow them to thrive in a new location away from the construction area.

It includes a mosaic of native tree and shrubs, native hedgerows, woodland habitats and rich wet grassland. A storm water attenuation basin, suitable to encourage species such as the endangered and protected native water vole to find a home and thrive, has also been provided. Over the coming years, the area will fully establish and grow into a place for local people to enjoy the extended Hobson’s Park with a meandering gravel path and bridge crossings for recreation and exercise. 

Station design and construction

Minimising land take on green belt land with a small footprint has reduced the impact of the station’s construction considerably. By integrating the new station with the existing nature area of Hobson’s Park, preserving this vital area of wildlife and recreation for local residents, the station design has helped to secure the project’s target of ten percent net gain in biodiversity. 

During construction, contractor, Murphy, has monitored the inherent carbon used in constructing the new station including materials, transport, plant, water and commuting. Through a combination of design, construction efficiencies and a drive to minimise carbon use, the overall carbon footprint of the construction of the new station has reduced by 22.5%, contributing to our drive to build a new sustainable transport rail hub for Cambridge.

A key design principle was to follow the provisions of the Cambridge Local Plan 2018 which focuses on promoting sustainable transport and access, to and from major centres of employment, education, research; to encourage a modal shift away from cars to the use of more sustainable transport options for visitors to and from the Cambridge Biomedical Campus.

The new station is being connected to the local cycle network, using cycle ways and footpaths through Hobson’s Park with a facility to store 1000 bicycles. The nearby guided busway system, will provide station users with more sustainable transport options, using the existing park and ride facilities and the bus network to access the station as well as the biomedical campus.

The new station features a 'green roof' which includes a wildflower meadow environment and a rainwater catchment system that will store rainwater inside an underground attenuation tank the size of a tennis court. Water will slowly discharge back into the environment and the nearby brook. The green roof also includes solar panels that will generate green electricity for the station and reduce its reliance on power from the national grid. 

The station’s main forecourt will provide a pleasant environment for station users, with broad leafed tree walkways between Francis Crick Avenue and the eastern station entrance, and a rain garden built into the central reservation of the forecourt’s road system. A living fence along the station’s boundary line adjacent to the neighbouring campus building will add to the overall green environment. 

Emma Sharpe, Network Rail’s senior sponsor for Anglia said: “We’re committed to delivering a greener railway that is fit for the future, while caring for the environment and helping communities to thrive for generations to come.

“Our approach in building this new station will not only support Cambridge’s sustainable transport plan, but locally it is delivering a range of sustainable commitments that will enhance the quality of biodiversity in the Hobson’s Park nature reserve.

“Not only will this help us reach our biodiversity targets, it will deliver a better environment for wildlife and expand the nature reserve for the enjoyment of the local community, who will be able to use this new station in 2026.”

Josh Smith, environmental lead for Murphy at Cambridge South station said: “Our team is hard at work delivering an extensive landscaping scheme to achieve a 10% increase to biodiversity. The landscaping will not only extend Hobsons Park for the local community, but it will also improve the quality of the habitats within and provide a welcome refuge for our native wildlife to thrive.

"The improvements to our local greenspace, coupled with the low carbon design and build of the station embodies our commitment both to our mission of improving life by delivering world-class infrastructure and ‘Never Harm’ value. We look forward to completing the restoration of the nature reserve so that it can be enjoyed by everyone for generations to come.”