J. Murphy & Sons Ltd has been awarded a contract by Network Rail for the building of Beaulieu Park station and will be part of a vibrant new development in Chelmsford. The contract marks the first of two to be awarded, the first is for £37.8m and will see preparatory work completed which will allow the building of the new station for partners Essex County Council and Chelmsford City Council.

This stage of the project will also include the installation of site welfare, earthworks, civils, modifications to track and signalling systems necessary to allow the main construction in the next stage which is part of the second contract and will be awarded over the coming months.

The new station comes as part of a wider regeneration project which will support the development of the economy for the area and will feature:

• Three platforms with a central loop line and new tracks will allow stopping services to call at the station whilst fast trains can pass through without restriction
• Step-free access to all platforms via 2 lifts
• Accessible toilets, baby change facilities, waiting area alongside a space for retail/catering
• Ticketing facilities, including ticket vending machines and a gate line
• Pedestrian and cycle access routes to the station
• 500 spaces for cycle parking and storage
• Bus interchange including bus stands for local services
• Pick up and drop off point alongside dedicated taxi bays
• Parking for more than 700 cars, 5% of which will be Blue Badge bays, alongside motorcycle spaces, as well as dedicated parking for station employees, emergency services as well as a dedicated space for service access

J Murphy & Sons Ltd have already worked on the project by finalising the design for Beaulieu Park station and are now underway with the creation of a site compound which is required to carry out the early enabling works.

It is expected that the main building phase will get underway later this year and that the new station will be finalised and open for operation towards the end of 2025. Once the new Beaulieu Park station is open it will be managed by Greater Anglia using their new fleet of trains, operating services into London.

Katie Frost, Network Rail’s route director for Anglia, said: “Beaulieu Park is an excellent example of what the railway industry can do when working in partnership with local organisations to improve the railway for the benefit of communities and businesses. This is a great opportunity to show how we can work collaboratively with all our partners to begin to deliver the new station for the Beaulieu community.”

Al Pattison, Operations Director, J. Murphy and Sons Ltd, said: “We are excited to begin building this new station for the people of Beaulieu. The station has been developed by our teams for the last three years and is now ready for delivery. Murphy have previously demonstrated our expertise on the building of Soham Station, which we completed ahead of schedule. The team is looking forward to getting started on site and continuing our partnership with Network Rail.”

Cllr Lesley Wagland OBE, Essex County Council Cabinet member for Economic Renewal, Infrastructure and Planning, said: “The appointment of J Murphy and Sons to construct Beaulieu Park train station is another significant step towards starting the development of this exciting and important project, which will play a significant role in allowing Essex County Council to future-proof transport services in the area and support wider economic growth.”

Cllr Stephen Robinson, Leader of Chelmsford City Council, said: “The new station is an important part of the extensive and vital infrastructure being put in place to support the new Chelmsford Garden Community. It will reduce the need to drive into central Chelmsford and tackle congestion, by encouraging greener options like cycling, walking and public transport.”

SELEP Chair, Sarah Dance, said: “As a key funder of Beaulieu Park Railway Station, SELEP is delighted to see this important project progress to its next phase of development. Centred in a key growth area for the City of Chelmsford, Beaulieu Park Station will provide a sustainable transport hub for the north Chelmsford growth area, which will provide new homes and modern office and business space to the northeast of Chelmsford. This will offer improved access to the rail network for local residents but also the wider area of Maldon, Braintree and Uttlesford districts, whilst removing pressure from Chelmsford City Centre.”

Martin Leach, Managing Director, Strategic Land and Major Projects, Countryside, said: “We are delighted to have reached the next milestone of this major project, which will bring such a crucial piece of infrastructure to the area. For a long time Countryside (now part of the Vistry Group) along with our development partner L&Q have been working in partnership with Essex County Council, Chelmsford City Council and Network Rail, to bring this brand-new railway station to fruition. Once open, the station will significantly improve transport connections for Beaulieu residents and the wider Chelmsford community. We look forward to seeing the construction of the station progress in the coming months.”

Adam Simpson, Director of Project Management and Development at L&Q, said: “We are very excited to be progressing with the growth of this new community in the heart of Essex and the Beaulieu Station forms an integral part of that. We welcome the continued support and partnership work with Chelmsford City Council, Essex County Council and Network Rail, as well as Countryside, our delivery partners at Beaulieu, and look forward to having our Beaulieu residents riding the first train from their new local station.”

To find out more about the Beaulieu Park station project please visit Network Rails webpage: www.networkrail.co.uk/beaulieu