New £57m train station to open in the UK by 2026 – next to upcoming theme park
A TOWN in the UK is set to benefit from a brand-new multi-million-pound train station, which will open right next to an upcoming theme park.
Train journeys in Bedfordshire are set to improve when a new train station opens in Wixams.
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Planning for Wixams Train Station was originally approved more than 20 years ago.
The train station, which is expected to cost £57million, is slated to open in 2026.
Construction work is set to start on the station later this year, but the site could be expanded if plans to open an upcoming theme park in Bedfordshire are approved.
Last year, theme park fans went wild with excitement when Universal Studios revealed plans for a huge 500-acre theme park in Bedford.
Read More on Train Stations
In December, Universal confirmed to Sun Online Travel that they had acquired land in Bedford and were exploring the possibility of building a park in the home county.
Bedford was chosen as a potential location due to its excellent transportation connectivity to London and Europe, with more than half of the UK population within a two-hour journey away.
The location would put any new theme park less than half an hour away from Gulliver’s Land and less than an hour from Warner Brothers Studios in Watford.
If plans for the huge new Universal theme park are indeed approved, Wixams Train Station could be expanded before it even opens.
According to the BBC, Conservative councillor Graeme Coombes, said: “If the Universal Theme Park project goes ahead, it is undoubtable that we will need a station that has capacity for all of the expected visitors.”
The train station was initially expected to cost £27million – although this figure has increased by an additional £30million.
There will be two platforms at the new train station, both equipped with seating areas and shelters for passengers.
Wixams Train Station will also have a station building complete with toilets, a waiting room and a coffee shop.
Other facilities are set to include a footbridge with stairs and lifts and a parking space, including a taxi rank.
Local residents will all live within 2km of the new station, with it taking 25 minutes to reach the station on foot for those living furthest away.
Construction work is set to begin this autumn, with the train station slated to open in the second half of 2026.
Wixams is currently a 15-minute drive from Bedford or a 30-minute bus journey.
You can read more about Universal’s new plans for a potential UK theme park, here.
Other new train stations
Bedfordshire isn’t the only destination that’s set to benefit from an overhaul of its public transport infrastructure.
Several new train stations are set to open across the West Midlands, including Moseley Village Train Station, which first opened to the public in 1867, but closed down in 1941 as a wartime economy measure.
It will be one of three stations to reopen along the Camp Hill line in Birmingham, with the other two stations being Pineapple Road and Kings Heath.
The new stations will provide regular train services into Birmingham New Street.
Sun Travel’s favourite train journeys in the world
Sun Travel’s journalists have taken their fare share of train journeys on their travels and here they share their most memorable rail experiences.
Davos to Geneva, Switzerland
“After a ski holiday in Davos, I took the scenic train back to Geneva Airport. The snow-covered mountains and tiny alpine villages that we passed were so beautiful that it felt like a moving picture was playing beyond the glass.” – Caroline McGuire
Tokyo to Kyoto by Shinkansen
“Nothing quite beats the Shinkansen bullet train, one of the fastest in the world. It hardly feels like you’re whizzing along at speed until you look outside and see the trees a green blur. Make sure to book seat D or E too – as you’ll have the best view of Mount Fuji along the way.” Kara Godfrey
London to Paris by Eurostar
“Those who have never travelled on the Eurostar may wonder what’s so special about a seemingly ordinary train that takes you across the channel. You won’t have to waste a moment and can tick off all the top attractions from the Louvre to the Champs-Élysées which are both less than five kilometres from the Gare du Nord.” – Sophie Swietochowski
Glasgow to Fort William by Scotrail
“From mountain landscapes and serene lochs to the wistful moors, I spent my three-hour journey from Glasgow to Fort William gazing out the window. Sit on the left-hand side of the train for the best views overlooking Loch Lomond.” – Hope Brotherton
Beijing to Ulaanbatar
“The Trans-Mongolian Express is truly a train journey like no other. It starts amid the chaos of central Beijing before the city’s high-rises give way to crumbling ancient villages and eventually the vast vacant plains of Mongolia, via the Gobi desert. The deep orange sunset seen in the middle of the desert is among the best I’ve witnessed anywhere.” – Ryan Gray
Meanwhile, Aldridge station in Walsall, West Midlands, is also set to reopen following a £30million revamp.
While the station closed to passengers in 1965, its tracks have routinely been used by freight services.
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