Beaulieu Park (Chelmsford) stopping pattern and why 3 platforms?

[William3000]

With Beaulieu Park scheduled to open in a few months, I’ve always wondered why it has been built with 3 rather than 4 platforms. Unless one platform is a bay or a turn back, or a junction, 3 platforms seems an odd number of platforms to build.

Will all three or some be bidirectional? Will there be two platforms for one direction rather than the other? Will some trains start there? If not, presumably there will be one northbound and 1 southbound platform but how will the third platform be used?

And secondly what trains will stop there? Will any of the long distance trains between London Liverpool Street stop there? Or will it be solely semi-fasts to places like Clacton, Braintree, and Ipswich?

 

[dk1]

Basically it will be served half hourly by Ipswich & Colchester Town services off peak. I’ve always been led to believe it’s three platforms to allow certain services to overtake during peak periods in the up direction AM and down direction PM and in times of disruption. The loop is however not long enough to accommodate a full length Freightliner.

 

[Magdalia]

And secondly what trains will stop there? Will any of the long distance trains between London Liverpool Street stop there? Or will it be solely semi-fasts to places like Clacton, Braintree, and Ipswich?

For the timetable, there is no need for speculation. All of the station stops at Beaulieu Park for the December timetable are already on Real Time Trains.

 

[BerkshireRails]

Basically it will be served half hourly by Ipswich & Colchester Town services off peak. I’ve always been led to believe it’s three platforms to allow certain services to overtake during peak periods in the up direction AM and down direction PM and in times of disruption. The loop is however not long enough to accommodate a full length Freightliner.

Why was it not done as a four-track station, with longer loops from Shenfield to Colchester, for example? This would be a 31-mile-long loop, which should be long enough to allow passenger trains to pass freight at line speed.

 

[Magdalia]

Why was it not done as a four-track station, with longer loops from Shenfield to Colchester, for example? This would be a 31-mile-long loop, which should be long enough to allow passenger trains to pass freight at line speed.

Have you ever travelled the line, in particular, through Chelmsford? The chances of 4 tracks through Chelmsford are zero.

 

[BerkshireRails]

Have you ever travelled the line, in particular, through Chelmsford? The chances of 4 tracks through Chelmsford are zero.

I have travelled along the line, Chelmsford has a wider six-foot than normal.

 

[Magdalia]

I have travelled along the line, Chelmsford has a wider six-foot than normal.

It does, but it is not wide enough for 4 tracks, and does not go the full length of the station. The gap is not wider than normal at either end, only in the middle.

The station is on a very high viaduct. The stairs from street level have 36 steps, I've counted.

That viaduct then extends out the London end of the station, the road on the down side is called Viaduct Road.

There is then a high embankment, next to a lake, and another high viaduct over the River Can.

None of that is ever going to be 4 tracks.

 

[edwin_m]

Why was it not done as a four-track station, with longer loops from Shenfield to Colchester, for example? This would be a 31-mile-long loop, which should be long enough to allow passenger trains to pass freight at line speed.

31 miles of quadrupling would cost at least ten times as much as a new station with three tracks over a short distance. Clearly whatever benefit might arise from having a clean overtake of freights is not considered to be worth spending that amount.

 

[Class15]

What does feel like a shame is that the platforms aren’t long enough for 775m freights.

 

[NCT]

I haven't found a single instance of a timetabled overtake at Beaulieu Park in the Dec 2025 timetable. Or have I not been looking hard enough?

 

[Kite159]

I guess it's been built with 3 platforms to take into account future growth when a stopper can get looped by a fast service (in either direction). Similar to how pre Covid there used to be a couple of trains which used the Ingatestone Loop/Chelmsford Loop.

I presume the middle platform can also be used as a turnback if GA decide to introduce a peak time Beaulieu Park - Liverpool Street service for the Chelmsford commuters etc

 

[dk1]

Why was it not done as a four-track station, with longer loops from Shenfield to Colchester, for example? This would be a 31-mile-long loop, which should be long enough to allow passenger trains to pass freight at line speed.

Oh there were various reasons that have probably been recorded on some thread on here somewhere. To be honest I can’t remember now.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 14 Aug 2025 ==

I have travelled along the line, Chelmsford has a wider six-foot than normal.

That was only because there was a weird middle road at one time that allowed trains to pass through at slightly more than 60mph. It’s really of no use whatsoever.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 14 Aug 2025 ==

I guess it's been built with 3 platforms to take into account future growth when a stopper can get looped by a fast service (in either direction). Similar to how pre Covid there used to be a couple of trains which used the Ingatestone Loop/Chelmsford Loop.

I presume the middle platform can also be used as a turnback if GA decide to introduce a peak time Beaulieu Park - Liverpool Street service for the Chelmsford commuters etc

It will also be used as the new interchange for RR buses on the route.

 

[Canary73]

I'd been in touch with the County Council and at this stage, they are still to confirm what buses will serve the station but are suggesting its only going to be an extension to local services (C8, C9, C11 - some of these could be vulnerable due to the current consultation on their existence as they are council funded) but not by country services such as 71,73, 371, 372, X71 that serve routes towards Colchester and Maldon. This seems a missed opportunity to have services that are connected and offer reasonable journey times. I'm just about equidistant between Chelmsford and Beaulieu park but one is better served with direct services to Norwich and Harwich many of which are limited stop. It seems the station is principally for London flows. Not having a frequent and wide range of connecting bus services would be a missed opportunity as several of them pass right by it anyway.