Railway station relocation delayed to 2027

Waterbeach station is being moved to accommodate the building of a new town

The relocation of Waterbeach railway station should be complete by 2027 - two years later than originally planned.

The Greater Cambridge Partnership has agreed to move forward with the project after additional funding was approved by Cambridgeshire County Council last week.

The developer of a new town north of Waterbeach was originally supposed to lead work on the relocation, as part of the agreement to build more than 11,000 homes.

However, in 2022, the GCP agreed to take on the project after the developer failed to get a commercial funding agreement for the scheme.

Last week, the county council agreed a 'repayable grant' from Homes England to make sure the station work can get under way.

The station is to be moved a mile and a half (2.4m) north alongside the track toward the new development.

Homes England will pay £23m to fund part of the move, which will be repaid by developers in the future.

A further £20m has been pledged by the GCP, which has been overseeing the project.

The relocation of the station is important to the developer as the second phase of 4,500 homes cannot go ahead until it is built.

Planning permission for the station was granted in 2020. The GCP will now go forward with the plans and look for a builder.

Construction on a nearby road is expected to start in 2025, with work at the new station starting in 2026 and expected to completed the following year.