Second Cambridge station plans gets go-ahead

The new station will have direct trains to London, King's Lynn and Norwich

Plans for a £44m second railway station for Cambridge have been approved by the city council.

They include a 450 sq m (4,843 sq ft) station building, three platforms and bicycle and car parking.

Plans for the north city station previously submitted by Cambridgeshire County Council were approved in December 2013.

Network Rail took over the project in August 2014 and submitted its own "substantially unchanged" plans.

Network Rail estimates there will be 3,000 journeys a day through the Cowley Road station

The county council and government "agreed that Network Rail was best placed to build the station and the infrastructure in the station area".

The scheme includes parking for 1,000 bicycles and 450 cars and an interchange with the city's guided busway.

The county council initially estimated the cost of the railway development at £26m.

Once Network Rail took over the project, it produced detailed plans and as a result adjusted the cost to £44m, a spokeswoman said.

It will be funded by the Department for Transport.

Work will start on the station in the autumn and is scheduled for completion in December 2016.

A decision in its name has yet to be taken.