A new railway station serving Europe’s largest medical research facility will open next month, the Department for Transport (DfT) has announced.
Trains will begin calling at Cambridge South station – located next to Cambridge Biomedical Campus – from June 28.
The station will receive up to nine trains an hour from Cambridge, as well as direct services to stations including London King’s Cross, London Liverpool Street, Birmingham New Street, Brighton, Gatwick Airport and Stansted Airport.
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Services will be operated by Greater Anglia, Great Northern, Thameslink, and CrossCountry.
It is expected to be used by 1.8 million passengers per year.
The project to build the new station was primarily funding by a £250 million Government investment.
It also received a total of £5 million in contributions from pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca, Cambridge and Peterborough Combined Authority, and the Greater Cambridgeshire Partnership.
The station’s “green roof” features solar panels and a rainwater catchment system involving a wildflower meadow environment.
The DfT said Cambridge South will be “the first new Great British Railways (GBR) branded station.
GBR is an upcoming public sector body that will oversee Britain’s railways.
Research conducted at Cambridge Biomedical Campus addresses some of the most pressing global healthcare challenges, including developing techniques for spotting cancer early and understanding dementia.
The campus generates £4.7 billion each year for the UK economy, which is expected to rise to £18.2 billion by 2050 alongside a doubling of its 20,000 employees.
Rail minister Lord Hendy said: “Cambridge South will open up access to jobs, homes and world-class facilities for people across the region, boosting the growth of the Biomedical Campus as one of the most important engines of growth in the country.
“As the first new Great British Railways branded station, the opening is an important milestone for our railways and a sign of the real change public ownership will deliver.
“Faster connections supporting economic growth, thousands more jobs and homes, and a railway that works for the communities it serves.”
Network Rail chief executive Jeremy Westlake said: “Cambridge South station will significantly improve travel and connectivity for campus staff, visitors and the wider community for many years to come.
“Thousands of people have worked tirelessly on this fantastic project to build a modern, accessible and sustainable station that reflects the excellence of the work that is being undertaken in Europe’s largest biomedical facility.”
