Tag: Transport

The press release issued by the Department for Transport on 26 June 2026.

This £250 million government investment cuts journey times, boosts rail links and supports further employment growth in the region.

• Cambridge South station opens this weekend delivering direct rail access to Europe’s largest biomedical campus
• £250 million government investment will deliver major transport improvement for over 20,000 current bio-medical campus staff with up to 9 trains an hour to London, Stansted and Birmingham Airport
• new station will cut journey times to a single 45-minute direct train, transforming access to world-class healthcare, jobs and opportunities for the 40,000 people who visit Cambridge Biomedical Campus every day

Thousands of visitors will be able to travel from the new Cambridge South station from Sunday (28 June 2026), as it opens its doors to boost transport links and reduce journey times across the region.

Backed by £250 million of government funding, the new station is expected to welcome around 1.8million passengers a year, transforming connectivity across the region, with up to 9 trains an hour connecting passengers to Cambridge city centre and beyond.

Passengers will also be able to take trains to London, Birmingham, Stansted Airport and international rail services via St Pancras, with up to 20 services calling at Cambridge South in peak hours, improving access to jobs, homes and opportunities for millions of people.

Services operated by Greater Anglia, Great Northern and Thameslink CrossCountry are expected to call at the new station from day one.

The new station will directly serve Cambridge Biomedical Campus – home to world-class science, NHS hospitals and business facilities. The campus currently contributes £4.7 billion annually to the UK economy, with every 10 jobs on the campus supporting a further 10 jobs across the UK.

Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander, said:

The newly opened Cambridge South station cuts journey times, improves access to jobs and makes everyday life that little bit easier for thousands of people.

This £250 million investment means a journey that once took over an hour – involving a train, a bus, a walk – is now a single 45-minute direct train from London. That’s a real, tangible difference in people’s lives.

With up to 20 services in peak hours connecting passengers to London, Birmingham, Stansted and beyond, Cambridge South will connect people with opportunities across the region and the wider country. This is Great British Railways (GBR) in action.

Designed to blend in with its surroundings, the station integrates with the existing Hobson’s Park nature reserve, helping to protect valuable green space, recreational areas and wildlife habitats.

Its ‘green roof’ includes a wildflower meadow environment and a rainwater catchment system that will store and slowly discharge rainwater back into the environment and the nearby brook, while the station’s overall design and construction efficiencies have reduced the station’s carbon footprint by over 22%.

Jamie Burles, Managing Director for GBR Anglia, said:

Welcoming the first customers through the door of Cambridge South on Sunday will mark the completion of a new gateway for the 1.8 million people expected to use the new station every year.

Cambridge South will be a game-changer, providing a more sustainable travel option for workers and visitors at the biomedical campus and for local residents too, supporting regional growth and boosting connection to major cities and transport hubs across the UK.

Hundreds of people across the rail industry and our supply chain have worked incredibly hard to deliver this for Cambridge. I know they will all be proud to see it open for our passengers and community. We look forward to serving you as you visit.

Prior to the station opening, someone travelling from London King’s Cross station would need to take a train, a bus and walk to reach the Biomedical campus in a journey taking over one hour. However, thanks to the brand-new station, passengers can take one 45-minute direct train from London to Cambridge South.

Shaun Grady, Chair of AstraZeneca UK, said:

AstraZeneca, alongside local partners, has been supportive of Cambridge South from the start, so we are very excited to see the station opening. It is not hyperbole to say it will be transformative for the Cambridge Biomedical Campus and for the rest of the city.

From colleagues and visitors coming up to Cambridge for appointments, going down to London for meetings and flying in via Stansted, the station will help people get to where they want to go. Improving connectivity to and from the campus has always been the key priority and this new station will greatly support the UK’s ambition to be a global leader in innovation, science and technology.

Peter Denton CBE, Chair of Cambridge Biomedical Campus Limited, said:

This new rail station will be transformational for the Cambridge Biomedical Campus, making it easier to collaborate through better connectivity to London, Manchester, Stansted and beyond.

Cambridge South will deliver long-term growth and have an immediate impact for hospital visits and those seeking jobs and career opportunities within the world-leading life sciences, health, research and education organisations which we are lucky to have here.

The new station is connected to the local cycle network with 1,000 spaces for cycles and blue badge bays and is located next to the guided busway system, providing visitors with more sustainable transport options from the local park and ride facilities or the city centre.

Cambridge South will be the first new GBR-branded station – with clearer information and better support stations that are simpler to move around, from planning journeys to getting help on the day.

Already one of the UK’s most dynamic economic regions, the Oxford-Cambridge corridor has a combined value of £143 billion and is driving growth with employment rising 40% faster than elsewhere in the country, with around 30% of jobs in knowledge-intensive sectors – almost triple the national average.

The press release issued by the Department for Transport on 14 October 2022.

Today, 14 October 2022, the A47 – A11 Thickthorn Junction application has been granted development consent by the Secretary of State for Transport.

The application involves the improvement of the interchange between the A47 and A11, improving access into Norwich. The project consists of two new uni-directional slip roads connecting the A11 south to the A47 east with widening and full signalisation of Thickthorn Interchange the gyratory. The side road strategy will include mitigation measures for the severance issue caused to Cantley Lane South.

The application was submitted to the Planning Inspectorate for consideration by National Highways on 31 March 2021 and accepted for Examination on 28 April 2021.

Following an Examination during which the public, Statutory Consultees and Interested Parties were given the opportunity to give evidence to the Examining Authority, recommendations were made to the Secretary of State on 20 June 2022.

This is the 117th Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project and 44th transport application to have been examined by The Planning Inspectorate within the timescales laid down in the Planning Act 2008.

The Planning Inspectorate’s interim Chief Executive, Navees Rahman said:

“The Planning Inspectorate has now examined more than 100 nationally significant infrastructure projects since the Planning Act 2008 process was introduced, ensuring local communities, the local authority and other interested parties have had the opportunity of being involved in the examination of projects that may affect them.

“The Examining Authority listened and gave full consideration to all local views and the evidence gathered during the Examination before making its recommendation to the Secretary of State.”

The decision, the recommendation made by the Examining Authority to the Secretary of State for Transport and the evidence considered by the Examining Authority in reaching its recommendation are publicly available on the project pages of the National Infrastructure Planning website.