County's new railway station opens to passengers

Passengers using Beaulieu Park can get to London in 40 minutes

A county's newest railway station has opened to passengers as train services get under way.

The first scheduled departure from Beaulieu Park in north Chelmsford was the 07:20 GMT to London.

The station, which features three platforms and 700 parking spaces, is the first to open on the Great Eastern Main Line in 100 years.

Essex County Council deputy leader Louise McKinlay said the £175m project had been "a long time in the making".

Construction began in March 2023 and finished slightly ahead of schedule, having been expected to conclude at the end of 2025.

Passengers at Beaulieu Park can get to London in 40 minutes and also board services to Norwich.

It is hoped the facility will ease pressure on Chelmsford's main station, which sees an average of 6.5 million passenger movements each year.

The new station is part of a wider regeneration of the Beaulieu Park estate, with new road infrastructure and up to 14,000 homes.

Conservative councillor McKinlay said: "The new station will transform travel in this part of Chelmsford, across Essex and into London.

"It will have a positive impact for years to come, future-proofing the county's transport infrastructure and making a real difference to the daily lives of residents and commuters."

She thanked everyone involved in the project and said it was "fantastic to see all this hard work come to fruition".