I was up very early on a Sunday morning to catch the 0631 train from Cambridge, but I wasn’t the only passenger. The train was the very first passenger train to stop at the newly opened Cambridge South station, and I wanted to mark the moment.
It’s a celebration tinged with sadness as we remember those who were killed and injured in the Bedford rail crash, and our thoughts are with all of those affected. So there was no big event here today, just the opportunity to explore our new rail station.
The Secretary of State for Transport granted planning permission in December 2022 and detailed design approvals (such as the specific appearance and layout of the station building) were later approved by the planning authority, so it’s great to see it in operation. I visited it a few months ago when it was almost finished.
And the new station is also the first in the country to have the new Great British Railways branding, marking the Labour government’s work to bring rail back into public ownership.
