Inside new £160million UK train station set to open in just weeks – and it's the first of its kind in 100 years

The Sun

11 hours ago

THE inside of the UK's incredible new £160million train station has been revealed ahead of its grand opening in just a few weeks time.
New aerial footage and CGI animations have offered a new look at the site which could be open by autumn.
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The brand new station, located in Chelmsford, will be the first of its kind in 100 years.
Officially named Beaulieu Park Station, the huge regeneration project is being built in the north of the city.
The newly released footage shows what the site will look like once it is up and running as well as clips of the main terminal building and the station's car parks.
Among the services that it will provide are frequent trains to-and-from London Liverpool Street, Ipswich, and Norwich, EssexLive reports.
These new routes will allow passengers to travel to London in just 40 minutes.
Managed by Greater Anglia, its fleet of trains will also go to other towns and cities in the east of England with both stopping and direct services.
It will feature three platforms, two car parks, a bus interchange, taxi rank, cycling facilities and drop off areas.
The car parks will have a collective capacity of 700 spaces, with five per cent to be designated Blue Badge bays and motorcycle spaces.
Among the cycling facilities is an on-site storage space which can house up to 500 bikes.
New tracks will mean trains can stop at the station, while fast trains can continue through without any interruptions.
There will be step free access onto the platform as well as ticketing facilities.
The site is also billed to make history, being the first new station to be built on the Great Eastern Main Line in over a century.
With construction well underway, Beaulieu Park is on track to be welcoming passengers ahead of schedule in a matter of just a few weeks.
This exciting new venture is part of Chelmsford's wider infrastructure project which includes the construction of new roads and up to 14,000 new homes.
More than 4,000 homes have received planning permission so far, with 2,000 of those already built.
These houses are part of the Garden Community near the station site.
In the coming years it is hoped that area will house another 6,250 homes, up to four more schools and over nine hectares of employment space.
Councillor Louise Mckinlay, deputy leader of Essex County Council, told EssexLive: "It's really important that those homes come with the infrastructure that they need whether that's schools, GP surgeries and of course travel.
"We can see that this will be fantastic for the local community."
While Councillor Stephen Robinson, leader of Chelmsford City Council, added: "This is the first new station on this line for over 100 years and is a really important part of creating not just houses, but a new community in the north-east corner of Chelmsford."
The station project has received a staggering total of £218million in government funding, as well as a further £34million in contributions from the South East Local Enterprise Partnership and the developers of Beaulieu, Countryside, and L&Q.
It is hoped that the new site will ease pressure on the existing Chelmsford station, located in the city centre.
Chelmsford has a huge commuter rail service that sees over 15,000 passengers every day and 5.7 million annual users.
The development of Beaulieu Park has also been put in place to try and relieve congestion in the city centre.
The new north-eastern bypass will make access to the new station from surrounding towns such as Braintree much easier.
The project has been years in the making with original planning permission granted in 2013.
Work has been ongoing since 2023 with the opening date finally on the horizon.
The three stations you can tour in London this year
Celebrate 200 years of British railway with these tours...
As part of Railway 200, a year-long celebration marking two centuries of train travel in the UK, Network Rail is running exclusive tours of London Waterloo, London Victoria and London Bridge stations.
Railway historian Rachel Kolsky will lead small groups of around 15 people on two-hour tours, offering glimpses into hidden areas of each station.
Tours of London Waterloo, the UK's third busiest train station, will explore seven areas, including the London Necropolis Railway.
Brits can also book tours of London Victoria, where they'll learn more about the station's glamorous past thanks to its ties to the well-known Orient Express.
Tours of London Bridge will also be taking place to mark 200 years of train travel in the UK. The tours last two hours and cost £25 per person, with just 15 people on each tour.
Tickets are available through Eventbrite.
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