A £40m project to upgrade railway infrastructure around Cambridge’s new station has been completed.  

The South Rail Systems Alliance (SRSA) needed to upgrade infrastructure on the West Anglia main line to support the future rail services for Cambridge South station.

Appointed in September 2023, SRSA – comprising Colas Rail UK, Network Rail and AECOM - delivered a range of major infrastructure upgrades between Shepreth and Cambridge as part of a multidisciplinary programme working alongside station contractor, Murphy and signalling partner, Alstom.

These include:

• Renewal of 5.7km of track between Shepreth and Cambridge and realignment of 1.4km of track to serve the new four-platform station.
• Installation of eight new switches which allow trains to switch from one track to another.
• Upgrades of the overhead line electrification (OLE) consisting of 110 new foundations to support 79 new OLE structures, and almost 10km of new overhead wiring.
• Installation of eight new signals.
• Remodelling of Shepreth branch junction to unlock higher train speeds through the junction.
• Upgrades to ancillary systems such as communications, telecoms and power supplies.

Kevin Sullivan, programme manager for Network Rail, said: “The safe and successful completion of the rail systems by SRSA is a major milestone in the journey to deliver this brand new station for the south of Cambridge, the neighbouring biomedical campus and Trumpington communities.

“Their commitment and drive to complete this work safely is a testament to their dedication and professionalism and this work has highlighted how well we can work together to improve and upgrade the railway for our customers and our passengers.”

Station contractor Murphy will continue to complete the fit out of the new station facility until the autumn 2025. Network Rail, working in partnership with Alstom, are continuing to plan the next major stage for the signalling renewal programme which once complete, will unlock the opportunity to open the new station early in 2026.