Life in the Essex estate loved by locals that’s getting a new railway …
Residents who live in the shadow of the region's newest railway station are full of excitement and say they already "love" the area they live in. Construction of a new railway station in the Beaulieu estate in Chelmsford is underway, providing a major step forward in an ambition which has existed for several decades.
If all goes to plan, the three-platform station is hoped to be open in 2026. New tracks will enable services to call at Beaulieu Station whilst faster trains pass through unimpeded.
London will be a 40-minute journey away and it's hoped congestion will be eased as commuters are able to access the capital from either the city centre station, on Duke Street, or from the newer neighbourhood station.
Ms Sawant lives in the popular north Chelmsford estate and will be able to access the station with a 20-minute walk. If she wanted to walk to the city's only current railway station, it would take her just under an hour or a ten-minute drive.
She said: "[Chelmsford] is a very nice commutable town to get to London. It's very busy and populated. There's the new station coming here soon, I have lived in Beaulieu all my time while in Chelmsford and really love this area.
"There's just so much space around here. I love the fields and all of that. It's amazing. That's one of the best things about Chelmsford. You can reach London really easily and it's within a cheaper price area than some others too."
A sign pointing towards the new station has been in place for several years
The hope for a second train station in Chelmsford have for so long that some people moved to the area under the promise around fifty years ago. Jennifer Ballam's parents moved to Beaulieu in the 70s and was raised in the area. She said she will be "sceptical until it's actually started and finished" and also raised concern about traffic levels.
"When it's open I'm dreading the traffic as the roads can't cope as it is and who knows when or if the surrounding roads get finished if that will make any significant difference," they said.
Councillor Dan Clark (Lib Dem) serves as the Chelmsford City Council representative for Springfield North, but he previously represented Beaulieu and Chelmer Village - the constituency in which the new station is being built.
He previously told EssexLive: "It's something that has been discussed locally since before this century. I've heard people talking about how in the 1990s there were rumours of a second train station in Chelmsford, so it's a great win for the area. that they will get one so close by.
"For Chelmsford in general it will help strategically by drawing some traffic away from the town centre. We will try to encourage people to take sustainable transport to the train station if we can. It's got a lot going for it."
An aerial view of the new station's construction site (Image: Bob Willis)
As well as being a three-platform station, there will be a surface-level car park for 243 cars with 35 disabled spaces and a further car park for another 460 vehicles. Although this secondary car park will not be made available for use until a road extending east from the Radial Distributor Road (RDR) to serve the secondary station car park has been designed and delivered.
There is also an emphasis on sustainable transport with cycle parking and storage provided for 500 cycles in two locations and a bus interchange to the west of the station.
Vicky Ford, the MP for Chelmsford, said: "This is going to be really important to people in Chelmsford as the city centre does get very congested as it stands. Being able to use this second railway station means fewer people will be going to the station in the centre of the city."
MP for Chelmsford Vicky Ford overlooks some of the construction works (Image: Vicky Ford MP)
Data from the Office of Rail and Road found the Chelmsford station to be the busiest in Essex between April 2021 and March 2022. They found a whopping 4.5 million travellers went through it's gates in the timeframe, making it the 62nd busiest station in the country.
Cllr Stephen Robinson, leader of Chelmsford City Council, added: "It's really exciting to see the station finally coming together. For 40 or more years people have been looking forward to this station and now the foundations are truly being laid. This is going to be really important. It's important we invest in infrastructure as well as housing so that we have communities rather than just housing estates."
"It's going to enable residents in a growing part of the city to access sustainable transport going up and down the line to London or Colchester and beyond," added Cllr Clark. "I use the trains quite frequently and I'm looking forward to using the trains from there when I get the first chance.
"It's going to have a massive impact in terms of how people can get to the station. The Channels Estate is growing, Chelmsford Garden Village is being built in that area so there will be a lot of housing in the area. It will take away the pressure of people having to go into the city centre if they want to use the trains."