Media centre

Tuesday 28 Feb 2017

Pulling out the stops - Cambridge North station car park completed

Region & Route:

Eastern: Anglia

| Eastern

A 450-space car park is now complete at the new Cambridge North station, as the opening day fast approaches.

Nearly 2,000 hours were spent building the new space which comprises more than 600,000 paving stones in an area spanning over 12,000sqm - equivalent to the size of two football pitches.

Work continues to fit-out the main station building with a ticket office and retail units. New road surfaces and the public square are also currently under construction at the new station which is anticipated to handle 3,000 passenger journeys a day. The station will provide an alternative connection point for commuters in the north east of the city and provide improved access and journey times for passengers, as part of Network Rail’s Railway Upgrade Plan.

In the coming months, work will focus on completing the interior of the main building, the cycle shelter and electrical works, before the station opens in late May.

Richard Schofield, Network Rail’s route managing director for Anglia, said: “It won’t be long before passengers are reaping the benefits of this new station, we are really in the home straight now. This station will transform the way people travel around Cambridge and bring a welcome boost to the local economy as part of our Railway Upgrade Plan.”

Daniel Zeichner, MP for Cambridge, said: “The completion of the car-park is another important step forward for Cambridge North, which is eagerly awaited by people in and outside Cambridge. With more than twice as many cycle-parking spaces, and close links to the bus-way, the station will help many more people switch from cars and help ease congestion across the City. It can’t come soon enough.”

Cambridgeshire County Councillor Ian Bates, Chairman of the Economy and Environment Committee, said: “Anybody who has travelled this line has seen this much needed station start to take shape and the finishing of the car park is the latest milestone in seeing it open to the public. We have campaigned, with partners, to see this station opened as part of our drive to provide excellent transport links that will serve local communities and business. Cambridgeshire is one of the fastest growing areas in the country and this station is part of new transport measures being built to make sure we support our existing and new communities, while boosting the local economy.”

Once complete, the station will have three platforms, parking for 450 vehicles and 1,000 cycles, and solar panels that will provide up to 10% of the station’s power.

The station is on course to open in late May and will serve Cambridge Science Park and the suburb of Chesterton. Funded by the Department for Transport and developed by Network Rail in partnership with Cambridgeshire County Council, Cambridge North station will alleviate the pressure on the existing Cambridge station, where people travelling to the science and business parks currently need to leave the train and find alternative ways to complete their journey.

It is expected that the station will encourage new businesses to the area as well as aid the expansion of existing businesses, and encourage additional employment opportunities. In the meantime, the station will serve staff already working at the Science Park and St John’s Innovation Centre.