20.08.19
New train station part of £218m Chelmsford regeneration
As part of a major £218m regeneration of Chelmsford, a new train station is set to be constructed to improve transport infrastructure in the area.
The new station is set to be built at the Beaulieu Park estate, providing access to the Great Eastern Main Line (GEML), running to and from London.
Construction of the new Beaulieu railway station would improve reliability on the whole line, as it would allow trains to pass each other at the new station, as well as relieve crowding at Chelmsford station.
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Currently, the railway station at Chelmsford is the busiest two-platform station in the UK outside of London, with it reaching full capacity during peak periods. An estimated 8.5 million passenger trips are completed at the station per year – more than the likes of Nottingham or Oxford railway stations.
The new station at Beaulieu would ease this congestion, providing at least four trains per hour towards London.
Building the new station fits into the wider regeneration project for the region, with new road infrastructure and more than 10,000 homes also being build as part of the project.
Artist's impression of the new station set to be built at the Beaulieu Park estate, as part of the Chelmsford regeneration project
Having been submitted as part of a Housing Infrastructure Funds (IHF) bid, Essex County Council confirmed that funding for the project had been approved by the Government. The bid had been supported by Essex County Council, as well as City, Borough and District Councils and local MPs.
More than half of the national £600m will be directed towards Essex following the Government approval; £218m being set out for Chelmsford, and a further £99m for nearby Colchester.
In advocating for the funding, Essex County Council described Chelmsford as the driver of the regional economy and stated it required a transport network to match if it was to properly facilitate future growth.