New Great British Railways station records more than 110,000 trips in its first month
Key Points
- Cambridge South Station saw more than 110,000 passenger journeys in its first month.
- The station is the first to be fully branded under Great British Railways, the nationalised rail organisation that improves integration between previously disparate rail operators.
- Cambridge South provides services to Cambridge city centre and connections to many other operators, and offers a direct rail link to the largest biomedical campus in Europe.
- GBR Anglia managing director Jamie Burles said the passenger numbers show the demand was there and demonstrates how investment can improve people's lives.
Cambridge South, the first fully GBR-branded railway station that opened last month, has already facilitated more than 110,000 passenger journeys.
The station, which is backed by £250 million of government funding and provides a direct line to the largest biomedical campus in Europe, is the first new station to be fully branded under the nationalised identity of Great British Railways.
Cambridge South opened on 28 June and provides services to Cambridge city centre, as well as various connecting services facilitated by Greater Anglia, Great Northern, Thameslink, and CrossCountry.
Network Rail said the station represents what is possible through a new integrated way or working under a the nationalised GBR Anglia organisation.
GBR Anglia unifies c2c, Greater Anglia, and Network Rail Anglia into a new identity under a single leadership team, and aims to improve interoperability between these entities to deliver more efficiency and a better customer experience.
“It is fantastic to see so many people using the new station in just the first month since it opened and I’m sure this is only just the beginning of the story for Cambridge South,” said GBR Anglia managing director Jamie Burles.
“Having seen over 110,000 journeys in the first month alone demonstrates that the demand was there, waiting for us to build this new facility, and open a new gateway to this very important biomedical campus.”
“It really does go to show how investment in the railway can transform people’s lives for the better, by building connectivity and providing easier ways to get to where people most need to be,” he said.
The construction of Cambridge South supports the government’s plan to boost growth in the Oxford-Cambridge corridor, which has been dubbed ‘Europe’s Silicon Valley’ by ministers supporting its growth.
The Oxford-Cambridge corridor has a combined value of £143 billion, with employment rising 40% faster than elsewhere in the country and around 30% of jobs in knowledge-intensive sectors, almost triple the national average.
