Network Rail is looking to get planning permission on plans to build new railway station Cambridge South, to serve both the city and the new biomedical campus.

The company has submitted a Transport and Works Act Order (TWAO) application for the new station and associated infrastructure, following two consultation rounds in 2020 to select the stations’ location, facilities, and access provision.

The new station would provide connections between Cambridge and the biomedical campus, as well as destinations such as London, Stansted Airport, Ely and Birmingham, as well as Europe via King’s Cross St Pancras.

Ellie Burrows, Network Rail’s route director for Anglia said ” this application marks a major milestone in the development of a new station for the southern fringe of Cambridge and takes us a step toward realising the benefits that this station will bring for the biomedical campus and wider community.

I am really proud of the team for the hard work they have done working in collaboration with our partners to reach this stage of the development for Cambridge South.”

The TWAO application is comprised of a two-storey, four platform station on the West Anglia mainline, which would also include a ticket office, ticket machines, lifts to all platforms, accessible toilets, bike parking, pedestrian access, and road modification to assist station access.

The application also seeks to improve current rail infrastructure to support the new station, including remodelling the existing track layout, installing two additional track loops to support the four platforms, and modification of new signalling equipment, to name but a few.

The application is supported by several local organisations such as AstraZeneca, the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, the Greater Cambridge Partnership, and the Department for Transport, who all worked together in the early stages to provide funding and realise the benefits of the scheme.

Dr Nik Johnson, mayor of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined authority said “I know from experience how important it is to improve transport links to hospitals and healthcare, while the economic future of the UK depends on the success of the industries Cambridge South Station will help to support with its better connections.

I want the Combined Authority to carry on championing not only this important project, but also the wider transport improvements that will be needed to get the full value out of it, and to support well-planned development of the biomedical campus and the Greater Cambridge economy so they can bring new jobs and new skills for local people.”

Cllr Neil Gough, vice chair of the GCP’s executive board, said: “I welcome this important next stop on the journey to delivering Cambridge South station, which will help to unlock the full potential of the Greater Cambridge economy.

Cambridge South will link in with other schemes being delivered by the GCP to transform how thousands of people travel in and around the city and the key employment sites every day, helping to cut congestion on our roads, improve air quality and help tackle climate change.”

Dr Andy Williams, vice president of Cambridge strategy at AstraZeneca, said: “Another important milestone has been reached in the development and delivery of the Cambridge South station. The TWAO submission represents a significant step towards the future provision of easier and environmentally sustainable ways for thousands of patients, visitors, and employees to reach the Cambridge Biomedical Campus each day. We believe Cambridge South will bring significant benefits to the life science sector and the city and we will continue to work with Network Rail and other stakeholders to help deliver the station.”

Currently, as part of the TWAO process, anyone with interest in the scheme can submit support or objections to the scheme to the Secretary of State, with the period of objection closing on August 2.

Image source- Network Rail

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