New station in Chelmsford set to open in 2026 after plans approved
The new Beaulieu railway station will support the expansion of the city
A new railway station for Chelmsford is on target to open in 2026 after the council gave the green light for its design and layout.
The new Beaulieu railway station which is being designed to support the wider economic development of Chelmsford will comprise of a three-platform station arrangements, as well as cycleways, pathways, bike storage and car parking.
As part of the new station at Beaulieu, there will be a surface level ‘premium’ car park for 243 cars and disabled parking for 35 spaces.
New tracks will enable stopping services to call at Beaulieu Station while allowing fast trains to pass through unimpeded. London will be around 40 minutes away.
A secondary surface level car park for 460 cars will not be brought into use until a road extending east from the Radial Distributor Road (RDR) to serve the secondary station car park has been designed and delivered.
The Highway Authority has acknowledged that to date, there is no planning consent for the access road from RDR Roundabout 5 to either the station (known pre-planning as the Phase 5 Infrastructure Road) and to the secondary station car park (known pre-planning as the Phase 6 Infrastructure Road).
The Phase 5 Infrastructure Road is due to come forward as a planning application in the near future.
The Phase 6 Road design parameters have not been discussed, which is why there is a condition that the second station access car park is not used until the Phase 6 Road has been designed, approved and delivered.
There will also be cycle parking and storage for 500 cycles in two separate locations, parking for 50 motorcycles and a bus interchange to the west of the station monitored by ANPR to stop cars from using it.
With a targeted opening date of 2026, the new station will help to relieve pressure for the busy Chelmsford station and help reduce car journeys into the city tackling congestion on local roads and reducing pollution, Network Rail has said.
On Monday, June 20, Ian Bland, project manager at Network Rail, told the committee: “The provision of a new station at Beaulieu is a long-standing aspiration, designed to serve the local community and the wider area.
“Beaulieu Park station is expected to be the first new station added to the Great Eastern mainline for over 100 years.
“The new, three platform station is being designed to support the wider economic development of the area and its construction will include cycleways, bike storage and car parking.
“It will provide additional access to the railway with regular connections to London Liverpool Street station and other destinations in the east of England.
“New tracks will enable stopping services to call at the station while allowing fast trains to pass through unimpeded.
“The station has been designed to respect its ‘Parkland’ setting, with a comprehensive landscape strategy to visually screen the station, places and sustainable travel at its heart.
“With a targeted opening date of 2026, the new station will help to relieve pressure for the busy Chelmsford station and help reduce car journeys into the city tackling congestion on local roads and reducing pollution.”
The transformational rail upgrade at Beaulieu which is being delivered through a share of £218 million in funding from the Government’s Housing Infrastructure Fund, together with £34 million of other funding from the South-East Local Enterprise Partnership and the Beaulieu developer, Countryside Zest.