Larger railway station planned for Universal park

Bedford Borough Council had budgeted £62.6m for the original railway station plan, but more money will now be needed

The construction of a new railway station has been officially put on hold because of plans to build the Universal theme park nearby.

Work had already started on building a two-platform railway station at Wixams in Bedfordshire and £28.3m had already been spent on the project.

But Conservative Mayor of Bedford Tom Wootton has rubber stamped the decision to terminate the existing agreement with Network Rail.

Instead, design work will begin on a larger four-platform station to help accommodate the 8.5 million visitors expected at the resort each year.

A public consultation process on the proposed theme park is under way, ahead of the government deciding whether the theme park can be built.

Work to build the station began in the summer of 2024

Construction on the original station began in September 2024, but the council had inserted a termination clause in anticipation of the Universal development potentially overtaking the existing plans.

Wootton approved the decision to scrap the original agreement on Friday.

Network Rail has halted further subcontract awards, according to Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Work is focused on making the site safe and clearing materials, with the demobilisation expected to finish by the end of August.

The council had budgeted about £62m for the Wixams Station project and revised funding proposals will be laid out for councillors to examine.