Cambridge South new station opening

absolutelymilk · 30 Jul 2026

Cambridge South: If you build it, they will come!
Network Rail have said that Cambridge South had 110,000 passengers in its first month.

Customers flock to Cambridge South station with over 110,000 journeys made in first month since opening

In comparison Cambridge North had 320,000 in its entire first year, so pretty good going!

Cambridge North welcomed 320,000 people during its first year - an average of 6,000 people a week.

Cambridge North is one year old and it's changing the face of the city

RailUK Forums

paulmch · 30 Jul 2026

In my experience so far the doom prophets who said it would be useless for the local community because there was no car park have been proven wrong. Plenty of people going to and from Stansted, which is unsurprising for a station with a bus link and walking route to a sizeable development.

dk1 · 30 Jul 2026

paulmch said:
In my experience so far the doom prophets who said it would be useless for the local community because there was no car park have been proven wrong. Plenty of people going to and from Stansted, which is unsurprising for a station with a bus link and walking route to a sizeable development.

I think anyone with any common sense knew they would be wrong. I went last week and was given a tour around the station & surrounding area which left me with even more positives than I had before. Very very impressed.

blueberry11 · 30 Jul 2026

absolutelymilk said:
Cambridge South: If you build it, they will come!
Network Rail have said that Cambridge South had 110,000 passengers in its first month.

That's about 3600 passengers every day. However, if it continues to average at that, then it would be 1.3 million in a year, below 1.8 million stated on Wikipedia. It also goes to show that the term 'induced demand' applies to all forms of transport, not just roads.

dk1 · 30 Jul 2026

blueberry11 said:
That's about 3600 passengers every day. However, if it continues to average at that, then it would be 1.3 million in a year, below 1.8 million stated on Wikipedia. It also goes to show that the term 'induced demand' applies to all forms of transport, not just roads.

I’m expecting 3m within the next few years. An outstanding first month with even more growth expected/guaranteed at the biomedical campus. In the second week somebody counted 129 passengers alighting from a morning up Kings Lynn service.

Magdalia · 31 Jul 2026

absolutelymilk said:
Network Rail have said that Cambridge South had 110,000 passengers in its first month.

It is on the front page of the Cambridge News today.

blueberry11 said:
That's about 3600 passengers every day. However, if it continues to average at that, then it would be 1.3 million in a year, below 1.8 million stated on Wikipedia.

The 1.8 million annual figure is from Network Rail:

Cambridge South station - Network Rail

The Department for Transport published a Strategic Outline Business Case in November 2017 for a new railway station in the south of Cambridge.

www.networkrail.co.uk

Cambridge South station entered into service on Sunday 28 June with the first train calling at the new station at 06:35 in the morning, delivering direct rail services to Europe’s largest biomedical campus.

The £250 million Government investment will provide better transport options and connectivity for 1.8 million passengers, patients, visitors and employees when travelling to and from the Cambridge Biomedical Campus (CBC) every year.

blueberry11 said:
It also goes to show that the term 'induced demand' applies to all forms of transport, not just roads.

Cambridge South does not show induced demand. Very few of these are journeys that otherwise would not have been made. Most, including nearly all of the employees and patients, will either be existing rail journeys switching from Cambridge to Cambridge South, or modal shift.

What is being built, and making people come, are mainly the hospitals and laboratories on the Biomedical Campus, also, to a much lesser extent, the houses in Trumpington.

dk1 said:
I’m expecting 3m within the next few years. An outstanding first month with even more growth expected/guaranteed at the biomedical campus. In the second week somebody counted 129 passengers alighting from a morning up Kings Lynn service.

Most local people who take an interest regard Network Rail's 1.8 million per annum as an underestimate. 4 weeks in a very hot July, when academic activity has already stopped, or is winding down, are not going to be very indicative of the early levels of use. The first really interesting numbers, if we get them, will be what happens in October and November, when the new academic year has started.

The next landmarks in the growth of the Biomedical Campus will be the completion of 2000 Discovery Drive, with the first tranche of GSK people moving in, and the completion of the Rosalind Franklin Building (next to the station), with more AstraZeneca people moving in.

I'll be surprised if Cambridge South doesn't have more than 1.8 million entries and exits in its first full year, when the 2027/28 numbers are published.

The exile · 31 Jul 2026

blueberry11 said:
That's about 3600 passengers every day. However, if it continues to average at that, then it would be 1.3 million in a year, below 1.8 million stated on Wikipedia. It also goes to show that the term 'induced demand' applies to all forms of transport, not just roads.

Not necessarily if those people would have made those journeys anyway - just by some other means.
I suspect every new station displays the “induced demand” phenomenon in its first few weeks - just as any station up for closure does in its last few!

zwk500 · 31 Jul 2026

Magdalia said:
The 1.8 million annual figure is from Network Rail:

Do we know if that 1.8m is the 'Year 1' figures after Ramp-up factors have been applied, or the long-term outlook on which an assumed annual growth is then projected?

blueberry11 · 31 Jul 2026

Magdalia said:
Most local people who take an interest regard Network Rail's 1.8 million per annum as an underestimate. 4 weeks in a very hot July, when academic activity has already stopped, or is winding down, are not going to be very indicative of the early levels of use. The first really interesting numbers, if we get them, will be what happens in October and November, when the new academic year has started.

I agree. I remembered when Crossrail (now called Elizabeth line) was planned to be used by 600k people every day (220m every year) but now receives over 700k. 1.8m per year (5000 per day) seems low when it comes to the fact that it serves the largest biomedical campus in Europe, as indicated by the Network Rail source.

andy33gmail · 31 Jul 2026

blueberry11 said:
I agree. I remembered when Crossrail (now called Elizabeth line) was planned to be used by 600k people every day (220m every year) but now receives over 700k. 1.8m per year (5000 per day) seems low when it comes to the fact that it serves the largest biomedical campus in Europe, as indicated by the Network Rail source.

I suspect product quality affects both of these. The London underground is a heritage railway that's still materially useful - but far slower, more crowded, less reliable, less comfortable for comparable routes.

Equally, would you rather use a hopeless road network in Cambridge to arrive at the P&R and walk if you lived in a village where there was a rapid transport like train service arriving 5mm away from your workplace?

William3000 · 1 Aug 2026

Magdalia said:
It is on the front page of the Cambridge News today.

The 1.8 million annual figure is from Network Rail:

Cambridge South station - Network Rail

The Department for Transport published a Strategic Outline Business Case in November 2017 for a new railway station in the south of Cambridge.

www.networkrail.co.uk

Cambridge South does not show induced demand. Very few of these are journeys that otherwise would not have been made. Most, including nearly all of the employees and patients, will either be existing rail journeys switching from Cambridge to Cambridge South, or modal shift.

What is being built, and making people come, are mainly the hospitals and laboratories on the Biomedical Campus, also, to a much lesser extent, the houses in Trumpington.

Most local people who take an interest regard Network Rail's 1.8 million per annum as an underestimate. 4 weeks in a very hot July, when academic activity has already stopped, or is winding down, are not going to be very indicative of the early levels of use. The first really interesting numbers, if we get them, will be what happens in October and November, when the new academic year has started.

The next landmarks in the growth of the Biomedical Campus will be the completion of 2000 Discovery Drive, with the first tranche of GSK people moving in, and the completion of the Rosalind Franklin Building (next to the station), with more AstraZeneca people moving in.

I'll be surprised if Cambridge South doesn't have more than 1.8 million entries and exits in its first full year, when the 2027/28 numbers are published.

Totally agree with everything you’ve said. Thought in terms of the academic year it won’t just be the university academic year, I suspect by early September when Long Rd and the Perse are back, we we still a big increase in numbers. The Perse breaks up at the end of June and Long Rd did in mid July, while the upper 6 will have finished already in July doing their exams. I agree that 1.8m is a conservative estimate and in the first full year of opening - something between 2m and 3m is more likely.

kevin_roche · 12 Aug 2026

I thought those here might enjoy this from a non-train YouTube channel I follow because I'm an electrical engineer.

Cambridge South Station has one of the most impressive solar installations we’ve seen. Jordan takes a closer look at the station’s innovative renewable energy system, including hundreds of solar panels, double-glass bifacial technology, bespoke curved mounting systems, green roofs and heat pumps. With 368 solar panels above Platforms 2 and 3 alone, capable of generating up to 136kW, this is a brilliant example of solar energy being integrated beautifully into modern architecture. As Cambridge-based solar installers, we explore the engineering behind the project and what installations like this could teach us about the future of renewable energy.

Magdalia · Sunday at 09:02

In Cambridge, my allotment is my back yard!

Announcements at Cambridge South station too loud, say neighbours

Residents say the loud announcements are spoiling the tranquillity of their gardens and allotments.

www.bbc.co.uk

People living near a new city railway station said platform announcements were so loud it had ruined the "peace and calm" of their gardens and allotments.

Cambridge South opened to passengers at the end of June, linking Addenbrooke's Hospital, the biomedical campus and Trumpington to the rail network.

While it has the capacity to welcome 1.8 million passengers annually, those living nearby said they did not need to know when and "where the next train is going to" from the station speakers.

TT-ONR-NRN · Sunday at 09:42

Magdalia said:
In Cambridge, my allotment is my back yard!

Announcements at Cambridge South station too loud, say neighbours

Residents say the loud announcements are spoiling the tranquillity of their gardens and allotments.

www.bbc.co.uk

Ivona Amy has a very soft tone compared to the screech of Anne and the woeful Matt at the GTR stations not too far away :lol:

Could be far worse!

RUK · Sunday at 09:57

I’m surprised that it can be heard so far away - isn’t there a big open green space/park on the other side of the station from the hospital with no dwellings on it, until you get to the junction to the busway to Trumpington?

Farigiraf · Sunday at 10:00

RUK said:
I’m surprised that it can be heard so far away - isn’t there a big open green space/park on the other side of the station from the hospital with no dwellings on it, until you get to the junction to the busway to Trumpington?

You can hear it from the other side of the park fairly clearly but it's so quiet (and not particularly irritating) that it's a lot of fuss over nothing IMO. If a distant "platform 1 for the xx:xx to x" is enough to ruin your visit to your allotment then you may need to adjust your standards (or bring some earphones with music). The loudest noise is probably when the XC turbos run through the station.

takno · Sunday at 10:23

Farigiraf said:
You can hear it from the other side of the park fairly clearly but it's so quiet (and not particularly irritating) that it's a lot of fuss over nothing IMO. If a distant "platform 1 for the xx:xx to x" is enough to ruin your visit to your allotment then you may need to adjust your standards (or bring some earphones with music). The loudest noise is probably when the XC turbos run through the station.

Different people are irritated by different things. The diesel goods line near my house never bothers me at all for example, but I do sometimes choose modes of travel other than rail to avoid seeing it saying it or having it sorted. If that particular announcement was being broadcast into my garden or allotment then I'd probably hear it to the exclusion of everything else.

Automated platform announcements are 80% garbage, and repetitive in a way which is quite painful to some people who have to hear them endlessly, all day every day.

Steve Harris · Sunday at 10:54

RUK said:
I’m surprised that it can be heard so far away - isn’t there a big open green space/park on the other side of the station from the hospital with no dwellings on it, until you get to the junction to the busway to Trumpington?

The more open the space, the further the noise will travel ! Buildings, fence's, tree lines etc make good noise barriers. Hence why you often see a fence besides daul carriageways (with a National speed limit) in built up areas.

wolveseycastle · Sunday at 13:35

The announcements are noticeably loud on the platforms - I think there's scope to turn them down.

neill · Sunday at 14:01

Seems to vary by time of day and wind direction. It is certainly noticeable at the allotments and in Hobson square at times.

In other news spotted these interesting metal sleepers with hollow centres. There is also a coming soon notice for the coffee shop.

59CosG95 · Sunday at 14:22

neill said:
Seems to vary by time of day and wind direction. It is certainly noticeable at the allotments and in Hobson square at times.

In other news spotted these interesting metal sleepers with hollow centres. There is also a coming soon notice for the coffee shop.

Ah, the hollow bearer! There must be some trackside cables that require a re-routing through them. No idea where though.

Elecman · Sunday at 14:58

neill said:
In other news spotted these interesting metal sleepers with hollow centres. There is also a coming soon notice for the coffee shop.

Hollie bearer sleepers for taking cables through the track rather than digging an expensive Undertrack Crossing

Magdalia · Sunday at 14:59

Steve Harris said:
The more open the space, the further the noise will travel ! Buildings, fence's, tree lines etc make good noise barriers. Hence why you often see a fence besides daul carriageways (with a National speed limit) in built up areas.

Hopefully the trees in Hobsons Park will grow and provide an increasingly effective sound barrier.

Cambridge South new station opening

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