Waterbeach station relocation delayed for second time

The new Waterbeach Station is on track to open in 2026 - and not 2025 as planned

The relocation of a railway station has been delayed for a second time and will open 12 months behind schedule.

The new Waterbeach Station, in Cambridgeshire was expected to open in 2025 to allow for housing development.

A new station was required before 4,500 new homes could be built as part of Waterbeach New Town.

The Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP) said it was aiming to submit a full design package to Network Rail by the end of the month.

The £37m project is being overseen and funded by the GCP, which agreed to take it on in order to "unlock" the new housing after the developer RLW Estates had difficulty raising enough money.

RLW Estates proposed to contribute £17m towards the cost of its relocation.

The new station will be close to the new housing development

At a meeting of the GCP executive board in January, councillors were warned that the preliminary work was taking longer than planned, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The new date was presented at a meeting of its joint assembly.

As there is not enough room in the timetable for trains to call at two stations, the decision was taken to move the existing one a mile-and-a-half (2.4km) up the line to where the new development is being built.