Waterbeach (Cambs) station relocation.

[Nodding Cat Ch]

Waterbeach in Cambridgeshire is about to get a new railway station in a different location. The new station is proposed to support the Waterbeach New Town development. The project had initially been proposed to be developer-led, but the Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP) agreed in July last year to take on the responsibility of the £37million project in order to “unlock” the proposed 4,500 new homes.

There are plans afoot to replace the existing rather basic Waterbeach station with a new one, that'll be up the line a bit.
The plan is designed to accommodate the vast expansion of this pleasant little town with 4500 plus new homes, mostly on the old Waterbeach army barracks site.

There are no spades in the ground yet. But work is likely to start on the new station soon.

This film checks the new location and looks at the existing station.

Waterbeach is currently served by 1 Thameslink, and 1 Great Northern train in each direction an hour.
Passing through is Anglia Railway's line to Norwich, and Cross Country to Birmingham.

 

[Magdalia]

Waterbeach is currently served by 1 Thameslink, and 1 Great Northern train in each direction an hour.
Passing through is Anglia Railway's line to Norwich, and Cross Country to Birmingham.

No Thameslink services go north of Cambridge, all of the Ely/Kings Lynn services that stop at Waterbeach are Great Northern services to/from Kings Cross. However a few of these trains are worked by class 700s with Thameslink branding.

Greater Anglia serve Waterbeach at peak hours mainly Ely trains to/from Liverpool Street trains but 0730 Norwich-Cambridge and 1751 Stansted-Norwich also call at Waterbeach.

 

[Nodding Cat Ch]

Oh I did wonder, that's a kings cross train, using Thameslink stock

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 12 Jul 2023 ==

Also there looks like GWR train in the film, (2 m 45s) one with all it's labels taken off, wonder how that ended up on this line in East Anglia.

 

[D6975]

Oh I did wonder, that's a kings cross train, using Thameslink stock

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 12 Jul 2023 ==

Also there looks like GWR train in the film, (2 m 45s) one with all it's labels taken off, wonder how that ended up on this line in East Anglia.

3 ex GWR class 387s have gone off lease and subsequently been picked up by GN. I saw 2 of them when I was at Ally Pally last week.
They have also got a GatEx one and all the ex C2C 387/3s.

 

[MikeWM]

Oh I did wonder, that's a kings cross train, using Thameslink stock

Yes, we got rid of them for a while but unfortunately 700s have crept back in north of Cambridge. Hopefully they go away again soon.

As for the new station, I suppose the relocation makes sense but it also seems rather unfair on the fairly substantial number of people living much nearer to the current station (and who no doubt have paid a premium for the location). On the other hand, I don't really want any more stops being added between Ely and Cambridge!

 

[SargeNpton]

If the new station doesn't overlap the footprint of the existing station there will need to be an ORR public consultation.

 

[Cowley]

Thread reopened for @bspahh to update.

 

[bspahh]

The Cambridge News reports that there is a delay to moving Waterbeach station

The Greater Cambridge Partnership said some work on the new Waterbeach Station has faced some delays after the rail industry asked for more information.
Work on the new Waterbeach Station project has been delayed, but the Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP) still hopes to complete the station next year. The GCP’s executive board heard this week (January 5) that the rail industry had asked for additional survey work to be undertaken, pushing back the completion of the full business case.

However, the project is still listed as being on track to be completed in 2025 in a report published by the Partnership. The GCP agreed to take on the project to relocate Waterbeach Station in June last year. At the time the GCP said the scheme was expected to cost £37million to complete, but accepted there was a risk these costs could increase.
Following this the Partnership agreed to take on the project in order to “unlock” the Waterbeach New Town housing, and the developer RLW Estates proposed to contribute £17million towards the cost of relocating the station. At the executive board meeting this week Councillor Mike Davey, leader of Cambridge City Council, said he noticed the report mentioned the project had faced a delay and asked what the reasons for the delay were and what the implications could be.
Peter Blake, transport director at the GCP, said: “The delay relates to projected underspend for this year. We had hoped that we were going to complete the full business case by the end of the financial year, actually Network Rail and the rail industry want a little bit more survey work and preliminary design work undertaken, so that means we are probably going to trip into the early part of the new financial year. That is likely to mean, albeit we have not finalised it, but it is likely to mean that instead of bringing a report back to you in the summer, it will come back to you in the autumn, that will be the impact of the further work we are doing.”

I can't see anything about Waterbeach station at the January 5th meeting at https://www.greatercambridge.org.uk/

 

[Magdalia]

There is also a report on the BBC News website here:

Work to relocate Waterbeach railway station held up

Planners hope the station will open next year, despite the need for more preparatory work.

www.bbc.co.uk

Work to relocate a station has been delayed, but those behind the project say they hope it will still be completed by next year.
Network Rail wants to carry out additional survey work that will slightly delay the completion of the Waterbeach Station move.

...

The £37m project is being overseen and funded by Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP) which agreed to take it on in order to "unlock" the new housing after the developer had difficulty raising enough money.
At a meeting of the GCP executive board this week, councillors were warned that the preliminary work was taking longer than planned, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
Peter Blake, transport director at the GCP, said: "We had hoped that we were going to complete the full business case by the end of the financial year.
"Actually, Network Rail and the rail industry want a little bit more survey work and preliminary design work undertaken."
He said their final reports would not be available until the autumn, meaning that work to build the new station would start late.

 

[Baxenden Bank]

Delayed a further 12 months.

BBC News article - 16 February 2024

Waterbeach station relocation delayed for second time

By Hannah Brown

Local Democracy Reporting Service

The relocation of a railway station has been delayed for a second time and will open 12 months behind schedule.

The new Waterbeach Station, in Cambridgeshire was expected to open in 2025 to allow for housing development.

A new station was required before 4,500 new homes could be built as part of Waterbeach New Town.

The Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP) said it was aiming to submit a full design package to Network Rail by the end of the month.

The £37m project is being overseen and funded by the GCP, which agreed to take it on in order to "unlock" the new housing after the developer RLW Estates had difficulty raising enough money.

RLW Estates proposed to contribute £17m towards the cost of its relocation.

At a meeting of the GCP executive board in January, councillors were warned that the preliminary work was taking longer than planned, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The new date was presented at a meeting of its joint assembly.

As there is not enough room in the timetable for trains to call at two stations, the decision was taken to move the existing one a mile-and-a-half (2.4km) up the line to where the new development is being built.

 

[quite98]

If the new station doesn't overlap the footprint of the existing station there will need to be an ORR public consultation.

The new station is about a kilometre away from the existing station but considerably further by road/foot. The users of the existing station are generally unhappy about the closure of the existing station in favour of a new station intended to attract buyers of houses in a large development. The ORR public consultation may not go as the Greater Cambridge Partnership hope.

 

[paulmch]

The new station is about a kilometre away from the existing station but considerably further by road/foot. The users of the existing station are generally unhappy about the closure of the existing station in favour of a new station intended to attract buyers of houses in a large development. The ORR public consultation may not go as the Greater Cambridge Partnership hope.

Opinion is more mixed than that - the current station is some distance from parts of the village, and is at the end of a really poor walking/cycling route. For a considerable chunk of Waterbeach residents the new station will be much more suitably located.

 

[Baxenden Bank]

Opinion is more mixed than that - the current station is some distance from parts of the village, and is at the end of a really poor walking/cycling route. For a considerable chunk of Waterbeach residents the new station will be much more suitably located.

A fraction of £37m may solve that! Including providing porters to carry luggage / bicycles 24/7/365 for decades!

It does seem a bit unfair that existing users are 'disbenefited', losing their long established station in favour of a new station, basically required to justify a large housing development rather than because a new station is needed in itself.

 

[paulmch]

A fraction of £37m may solve that! Including providing porters to carry luggage / bicycles 24/7/365 for decades!

It does seem a bit unfair that existing users are 'disbenefited', losing their long established station in favour of a new station, basically required to justify a large housing development rather than because a new station is needed in itself.

There will certainly be some people who would prefer it to stay as is, though they will also benefit from a much quieter street once the railway traffic has gone.

I think a much larger conversation needs to be had about the future of Cambridge and the surrounding area - like it or not, it's becoming a hugely important economic hub and it will need to adapt to that challenge.

 

[Baxenden Bank]

There will certainly be some people who would prefer it to stay as is, though they will also benefit from a much quieter street once the railway traffic has gone.

I think a much larger conversation needs to be had about the future of Cambridge and the surrounding area - like it or not, it's becoming a hugely important economic hub and it will need to adapt to that challenge.

Looking it up last night, the existing station is off to one corner of the existing settlement (south-east/bottom right), about 570m from the village centre. The new station would be 2.1km from the same point but most of the existing settlement is north of that so the distance evens out somewhat.

What! You mean like some kind of national and/or regional strategic planning.

 

[Cantab26]

The ORR public consultation may not go as the Greater Cambridge Partnership hope.

What ORR public consultation might this be, specifically?

 

[Baxenden Bank]

What ORR public consultation might this be, specifically?

One of the news articles suggests that the closure procedure for the existing station has commenced but that the existing station would not close until the new one opened. I think you'd know about that!
[link to follow].

Here is that link, a page of the Greater Cambridge Partnership. Extract:

The station closure process has commenced for the existing station and discussions with Network Rail and DfT are ongoing to ensure that the necessary processes are followed to obtain station closure confirmation from DfT. The existing Waterbeach station will not close until the new station is operational.

 

[Cantab26]

One of the news articles suggests that the closure procedure for the existing station has commenced but that the existing station would not close until the new one opened. I think you'd know about that!
[link to follow].

Here is that link, a page of the Greater Cambridge Partnership. Extract:

Indeed I do know about it.

However, this “ORR public consultation” remains a mystery.

 

[The Quincunx]

Indeed I do know about it.

However, this “ORR public consultation” remains a mystery.

ORR used to conduct closure consultations (from 1994) but the function was moved to the SRA by the Transport Act 2000. Nowadays, DfT would do the consultation (if they accept that closing the existing station is the right thing to do).

 

[Cantab26]

ORR used to conduct closure consultations (from 1994) but the function was moved to the SRA by the Transport Act 2000. Nowadays, DfT would do the consultation (if they accept that closing the existing station is the right thing to do).

So to summarise, there is no ORR public consultation at all.

 

[swt_passenger]

So to summarise, there is no ORR public consultation at all.

AIUI ORR ratify it once it’s been done, check the consultation was done correctly in accord with guidance, but they don’t run the consultation. They have an explanation here, and all their letters about recent decisions, especially Cottongley that was effectively replaced by another station, albeit with a different name:

Closures | Office of Rail and Road

Our role and responsibilities in the ratification of the closure of railway passenger services, stations and passenger networks.

www.orr.gov.uk

 

[Snow1964]

Tender for station has been issued

1 buyer​

• Greater Cambridge Partnership Huntingdon

Description​

This scheme delivers the relocation of Waterbeach Railway Station. Procurement activity includes for the detailed design and construction of the scheme via appointment of a main contractor under NEC Option A/C. The scheme itself constitutes access, plaza, a new car park, platforms, foot bridge and all other required infrastructure for the new station.

Total Quantity or Scope​

This scheme involves the relocation of Waterbeach Railway Station. Procurement activity includes the detailed design and construction of the scheme via appointment of a main Contractor under NEC Option A.
The scheme comprises a new railway station consisting of 2 No. platforms, accessible footbridge, and secondary means of escape (SME), a 200-space car park, taxi and bus drop-off, cycle storage, public realm, and a new access road from Cody Road.
The new highway and car park will be operated and maintained by Cambridgeshire County Council. The scheme also includes the decommissioning and demolition of the existing Waterbeach Railway Station.
It is proposed to transfer ownership, operation, and maintenance of the new station to Network Rail.
The current Station Facilities Operator (SFO) is Govia Thameslink Railway operating as Great Northern. The Contractor will carry out the rail works as ‘Third Party Works,’ as defined in Standard NR/L2/CIV/095 and non-rail works as Outside Party works as defined in NR/L2/CIV/095.
The ES4 preliminary design has been completed by WSP as the Lead Designer and it is anticipated this will achieve the ‘Approved in Principle’ (AIP) milestone prior to the Invitation to Tender (ITT). Sable Leigh Consultancy (SLC) are appointed as ‘Project Manager’ and Client Representative on behalf of the Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP). Volker Fitzpatrick has been undertaking Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) activities.
The key outputs of the ECI work will be shared transparently as part of the tender pack. Network Certification Body (NCB) has also been appointed in ES4 as the independent assessment body for CSM and interoperability.
The Authority have invested in an e-tendering tool in order to facilitate its tendering processes in a compliant and transparent manner. Potential Providers will need to register an account via the "Procontract Portal" at https://procontract.due-north.com/Register before being able to view the full tender details.
In order to access the tender documentation, click "Find Opportunities", then on the drop-down menu, filter by "Cambridgeshire Public Services" by clicking on "Update" to find the relevant opportunity or alternatively within the organisations drop down select Cambridgeshire County Council to also find the relevant opportunity.

Design & Build - Waterbeach Railway Station [Tender Notice]

This scheme delivers the relocation of Waterbeach Railway Station. Procurement activity includes fo... A Tender Notice by Greater Cambridge Partnership. Value £0-£35M.

bidstats.uk

 

[windjabbers]

A futher update on the new station for Waterbeach can be found in the the papers pubished today by the GCP/Cambridgeshire County Council:-

https://cambridgeshire.cmis.uk.com/ccc_live/MeetingsCalendar/tabid/70/ctl/ViewMeetingPublic/mid/397/Meeting/2232/Committee/36/Default.aspx

Key bit on timings is as follows

Delivery Programme

2.10 The timescale for delivery of the new station and haul road is subject to the
appointment of a contractor, it should be noted that delays have occurred due to the
elongated discussions with the developer, and the processes required by Network
Rail to sign off the initial design. Therefore, the latest indicative programme is:

• Detail Design and Delivery Contract Start– Mid 2025.
• Detail Design End– Winter 2026.
• Haul Road Construction – Summer 2025- Winter 2026.
• Station Construction Start –2026.
• Station Construction End –2027.

This will be followed by appropriate Network Rail processes to bring the station into
service, including ensuring that it aligns with an appropriate timetable change.

BW DC

 

[Class 170101]

Will also depend upon how much new access they can have and how much current access they can piggyback upon,

 

[Magdalia]

Further update on funding reported here:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c774838600ko

A "repayable grant" has been approved by a council to help fund the relocation of a train station in a county.

A new town is being built to the north of Waterbeach, Cambridgeshire, and as part of the development Waterbeach train station will be moved.

Homes England will pay £23m to fund part of the move, and a further £20m has been pledged by the Greater Cambridge Partnership, which has been overseeing the project.

Councillors on Cambridgeshire County Council's Strategy, Resources and Performance Committee approved the funding arrangements at a meeting on Thursday.

 

[windjabbers]

Further update on funding reported here:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c774838600ko

Looks like is then goes back to the GCP Board for final final approval on Nov 7

GCP Board Paper

 

[ainsworth74]

Reopened for @Robski to give an update.

 

[Robski]

Design & Build contract for the relocation of Waterbeach station has been awarded: https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/046505-2025

edit: description of tender below. Awarded to Spencer group.

Value excluding VAT: £28,582,981

[...]

This scheme involves the relocation of Waterbeach Railway Station.

Procurement activity includes the detailed design and construction of the scheme via appointment of a main Contractor under NEC Option A.

The scheme comprises a new railway station consisting of 2 No. platforms, accessible footbridge, and secondary means of escape (SME), a 200-space car park, taxi and bus drop-off, cycle storage, public realm, and a new access road from Cody Road. The new highway and car park will be operated and maintained by Cambridgeshire County Council.

The scheme also includes the decommissioning and demolition of the existing Waterbeach Railway Station.

It is proposed to transfer ownership, operation, and maintenance of the new station to Network Rail.

The current Station Facilities Operator (SFO) is Govia Thameslink Railway operating as Great Northern.

The Contractor will carry out the rail works as ‘Third Party Works,’ as defined in Standard NR/L2/CIV/095 and non-rail works as Outside Party works as defined in NR/L2/CIV/095.

The ES4 preliminary design has been completed by WSP as the Lead Designer and it is anticipated this will achieve the ‘Approved in Principle’ (AIP) milestone prior to the Invitation to Tender (ITT).

Sable Leigh Consultancy (SLC) are appointed as ‘Project Manager’ and Client Representative on behalf of the Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP).

Volker Fitzpatrick has been undertaking Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) activities. The key outputs of the ECI work will be shared transparently as part of the tender pack.

Network Certification Body (NCB) has also been appointed in ES4 as the independent assessment body for CSM and interoperability.

 

[windjabbers]

More info included some pictures of what the new station will look like can be found here:-

"A new railway station for Waterbeach has moved another stage closer after the Greater Cambridge Partnership’s (GCP) executive board agreed the station’s full business case and backed the next steps for its construction.​

The new railway station has been designed to meet the needs of the growing community in Waterbeach, where 11,000 new homes are being delivered.
It will provide wider and more accessible platforms, and longer trains will be able to call at the station in the future. Onward journeys on foot or by bike will be made safer with the Waterbeach Greenway, and there will be a connection to the Waterbeach to Cambridge busway."

https://www.greatercambridge.org.uk/news/further-progress-on-an-upgraded-station-for-waterbeach

 

[andy33gmail]

How impracticable would it be to keep both?

I appreciate that having every train stop at both would mess up timings. But presumably you could fix that by having services “take turns” or some trains could stop at both and some neither

Is there any actual cost beyond the upkeep of a 2 platform unmanned station?