Waterbeach  | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 The northbound platform at Waterbeach in March 2014 | |||||
| General information | |||||
| Location | Waterbeach,South Cambridgeshire England | ||||
| Grid reference | TL500650 | ||||
| Owned by | Network Rail | ||||
| Managed by | Great Northern | ||||
| Platforms | 2 | ||||
| Other information | |||||
| Station code | WBC | ||||
| Classification | DfT category F2 | ||||
| History | |||||
| Original company | Eastern Counties Railway | ||||
| Pre-grouping | Great Eastern Railway | ||||
| Post-grouping | London and North Eastern Railway | ||||
| Key dates | |||||
| 30 July 1845 | Opened[1] | ||||
| Passengers | |||||
| 2019/20 |  0.378 million | ||||
| 2020/21 | 0.100 million | ||||
| 2021/22 |  0.265 million | ||||
| 2022/23 | 0.309 million | ||||
| 2023/24 | 0.332 million | ||||
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Waterbeach railway station is on theFen line in theeast of England, serving the village ofWaterbeach, Cambridgeshire. It is 61 miles 1 chain (98.2 km) measured fromLondon Liverpool Street and 63 miles 29 chains (102 km) fromLondon King's Cross; it is situated betweenCambridge North andEly stations. Its three-letter station code is WBC.
The station and most trains calling are operated byGreat Northern, with limited peak services being operated byGreater Anglia.
Waterbeach station is unstaffed, and has only basic waiting shelters on each of the two platforms. All the station buildings have been demolished. The platforms are staggered on each side of a half barrierlevel crossing. Until electrification and the automation of the crossing, the platforms were located opposite each other.
Waterbeach railway station is planned to be relocated north to support the development of the Waterbeach New Town, with completion expected by 2027.[2]
Before electrification,British Rail services often did not stop at Waterbeach; or if they did, stops would be unofficial. However, since electrification, virtually all King's Lynn/Ely - Cambridge/London services have stopped there (the present timetable shows only three Monday - Friday in both directions not stopping there) passenger numbers surged, with people all across the area north of Cambridge in South Cambridgeshire using it as their primary station. As a result, passenger numbers are nearly as high asDownham Market, and the station sees a lot of parking problems.[3]
Waterbeach railway station is planned to be relocated approximately 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometres) north of its current location to support the development of a new town on the former Waterbeach Barracks site.[4] The new station will be closer to the planned housing development, which is expected to include 8,000 to 9,000 homes.[5]
The relocation was originally to be managed by the developer, but theGreater Cambridge Partnership (GCP) assumed responsibility for the project in 2022 after the developer was unable to secure commercial funding. Funding includes a £23 million repayable grant fromHomes England and a £20 million contribution from the GCP.[6] Planning permission for the station was granted in 2020, with construction scheduled to start in 2026 and completion expected by 2027.[2]
Great Northern operate all off-peak services at Waterbeach usingClass 387EMUs.[7]
The typical off-peak service in trains per hour is:[8]
During the peak hours, the services to London King's Cross call additionally atRoyston andLetchworth Garden City and all northbound services are extended to King's Lynn.
The station is also served by a number of peak-hour services operated byGreater Anglia. The station is served by two daily services from and one toNorwich as well as two daily services to and one fromLondon Liverpool Street.
| Preceding station |  National Rail | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great Northern | ||||
| Greater Anglia Peak Hours Only | ||||
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