Wixams railway station

Wixams
General information
Location	Wixams, Bedford England
Coordinates	52°05′13″N0°29′12″W / 52.08707°N 0.48670°W / 52.08707; -0.48670
Grid reference	TL037443
Location

Wixams railway station is a proposed railway station on the Midland Main Line to serve the Wixams new town development in Bedfordshire, England. ^[1] The station will be situated between Bedford and Flitwick.

The station was due to be completed in 2015, ^[2] but Network Rail withdrew their promise of funding. In 2017, Gallagher Estates applied for funding from the government for the station. ^[3]

In July 2017, it was reported the site would be located further north as part of the East West Rail project. ^[4]

In January 2019, East West Railway Company revealed 5 options for a potential Bedford-Cambridge route, with 3 of the options proposing a new station at Bedford South close to Wixams. However in January 2020, the preferred route was announced which does not include a Bedford South station. ^[5]

In January 2022 Bedford Borough Council announced that it has chosen a preferred design for the new station with completion of the station slated for 2024. ^[6]

By August 2024, preparation work for the site had started, ^[7] with works officially starting in December. ^[8] The station was intended to have up to 350 parking spaces with two platforms, and was set to open in late 2026. ^[9]

The station is close to the planned Universal Studios Great Britain theme park. The station is expected to be significantly expanded in size, to four platforms, if the park is built as planned. ^[10] On 9 April 2025, the Government announced that it had approved the plan and, subject to detailed planning approvals, construction is expected to start in 2026. ^[11] At the end of July 2025 work on the station was put on hold due to the pending public consultation on the theme park. Conservative Mayor of Bedford Tom Wootton rubber stamped the decision to terminate the existing agreement with Network Rail. ^[12]

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
	Proposed future services
Flitwick		Thameslink Midland Main Line		Bedford
Luton		East Midlands Railway Midland Main Line		Bedford

References

1. "Application submitted for Wixams railway station link - Local - Bedford Today". www.bedfordtoday.co.uk. Archived from the original on 14 March 2012.
2. "The Wixams, Bedfordshire | A new railway station providing regular services to London and the wider regions". thewixams.co.uk. Archived from the original on 6 October 2011.
3. "Bedfordshire onsunday has closed".
4. "New location proposed for Wixams". 16 July 2017.
5. "Bedford to Cambridge Train Line". East West Rail.
6. Hutchinson, Paul (14 January 2022). "Preferred design of Wixams train station revealed with 2024 completion still 'on track'".
7. "Wixams new £62m railway station will be 'amazing thing'". BBC News. 28 August 2024. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
8. Hutchinson, Paul (6 December 2024). "Opinion: For almost 20 years I've reported on a station at Wixams, it's great to finally see building work start". Bedford Independent. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
9. "Wixams Station - Overview | Bedford Borough Council". www.bedford.gov.uk. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
10. "Universal resort could mean bigger Wixams railway station". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
11. Fullbrook, Danny (9 April 2025). "Europe's first Universal theme park coming to UK". BBC News.
12. "Larger Wixams railway station planned for nearby Universal park". BBC News. 30 July 2025. Retrieved 31 July 2025.