Cambridge South train station opens

The opening of Cambridge South train station marks a major milestone for the Cambridge Biomedical Campus and the University of Cambridge. It places the University teaching hospitals and research institutes on every route between Cambridge and London and provides direct connections to over sixty destinations across the UK.

The new station will make it easier to attract and retain talent from across the UK and internationally. By enhancing connectivity, it will also make it easier for people from across the region to commute to Cambridge, enabling more people to take advantage of high quality jobs in the city.

Speeding up travel times to the Biomedical Campus makes it easier for visitors to travel to academic departments and industry partners, enhancing collaboration and reinforcing the region’s position as a leading centre for research, innovation and enterprise.

Roland Sinker, Chair, Inclusive Innovation and Growth Review at the University of Cambridge welcomed the opening. He said: “This wonderful new station marks an important moment in the development and expansion of innovation across the Cambridge region. It’s about people: making their lives easier, supporting jobs, encouraging collaboration and building strong apprenticeship programmes. It will help the University’s brilliant researchers continue to make breakthroughs in healthcare and life sciences so that patients across the region can benefit. It is what world-class infrastructure looks like."

More than 22,000 people work on the Campus, including over 750 apprentices, making it the largest employment site in the city.

What Cambridge South means to people working on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus at the University

On the week the new train station opened, we spoke to some of those working and studying on the Campus to hear more about what it could mean for their everyday lives. 

Jane Kennet, Research Nurse in Clinical Biochemistry in the Faculty of Clinical Medicine at the University of Cambridge said: “I am a research nurse for early phase diabetes. In terms of how much time the Cambridge South station will save on my travel, it will make quite a difference. Taking the train to Cambridge Central adds an extra twenty minutes to my journey, so I am planning to spend more time cycling to my local train station and getting off at Cambridge South rather than driving.” Jane explained that it means there is more active travel opportunities for people and the ability to get out of their cars, “which is great!”

In terms of what it means for the Biomedical Campus, Jane said: “We have a lot of participants coming into the Campus to do research studies in this area of early phase diabetes. Because our participants travel from all over the country to take part in research, I think the train station is going to be a fantastic asset. Now they can get off at the train station locally and just have a few minutes’ walk. I’ve already recruited participants because of the train station, which is really fantastic.”

Clive Petry, Institute Research Manager at the Institute of Metabolic Science, University of Cambridge, said: “I think it will save about two to three hours a week on my travel. I will be able to catch a train from Cambridge North to Cambridge South, the quickest way of getting across town by far. It will also make a difference to my work life balance.” When asked what difference Clive thought it would make to the Biomedical Campus, he said: “I help with grant applications at the Institute. The new Cambridge South station is going to make a huge difference. I think an awful lot of people will use it because it is extremely convenient, it will save people time. I think it will be wonderful for networking, just making things easier. It will also give people a chance to get to London to conferences or Stansted much more easily.”

Shinil Raina, PhD Student, Institute of Metabolic Science, University of Cambridge said: “I think the new station will probably save me forty five minutes a week in travel time. Currently, I either have to get a lift or take the bus to get to the station. So, this is more convenient. And with the extra time I could do all sorts of things, read more books, read some papers, maybe do an extra experiment.”

“I think Cambridge South station will make a massive difference, because we have a lot of people in our department and in the School of Clinical Medicine who don’t currently live in Cambridge. We have someone in our team that commutes from Hackney every single day. So the ability to be in the lab more often, potentially do more research, would be great.”

Alexandra Huener, Head of Entrepreneurship at the Milner Therapeutics Institute within the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Cambridge said: "The Cambridge Station will make it easier to get into London for conferences, meetings, and networking events. Faster access to London’s life sciences and investment communities will open up more opportunities to build relationships and support my work.”

Alexandra added, “The opening of the Cambridge South station will have a huge impact on the Milner Institute’s Bio-incubator and its residential companies. Around one third of our founders, CEOs and scientists are not based in Cambridge. They commute from London or other areas around Cambridge. At the moment getting to the Biomedical Campus can be challenging, particularly because parking is limited. The new station will make commuting much easier and will improve the connectivity across Cambridge from North to South. It will create an environment where innovation can thrive because people can meet, collaborate, and spend more time on Campus easily. I also think it will make the Milner Institute and the wider Biomedical Campus even more attractive to start-ups and growing life science companies. Better transport links will help us attract new companies, strengthen connections across the ecosystem, and create even more opportunities for collaboration between academic, industry, investors, and entrepreneurs."

Cambridge South station making it easier for innovation, networking and development 

The Campus is home to three of the UK’s leading hospitals, with two more (the Cambridge Cancer Hospital and the Cambridge Children’s Hospital) in development. It also brings together world leading research institutes and biotech companies, from global organisations to emerging start-ups. It will also enable the University to strengthen key partnerships, such as the one with Manchester on early detection in cancer.

The new station is expected to improve access for patients, staff and students, while supporting the city’s continued development. 

You can read more about Cambridge Innovation in numbers on our news page.