Get straight home to Beaulieu in just four minutes

From Sunday 26 October, it’s easier than ever to get back to North East Chelmsford after a day or night out in the city centre. With the opening of Beaulieu Park station, set in the historic landscape of Henry VIII’s former palace at New Hall, you can travel like royalty and get back from Chelmsford in just four minutes. Best of all, it won’t cost you a king’s ransom – an off-peak return is £4.

To mark this progress in leisure travel for residents in Beaulieu, Springfield, and beyond, we welcomed King Henry VIII to Chelmsford for a coffee in Queenies and some retail therapy in John Lewis. With direct journeys to Beaulieu Park from this weekend, getting home after a day out is simple, and the new service seems likely to get this sovereign’s seal of approval!

Easy access to city centre attractions

Essex’s first city, voted best place to live in the East of England by the Sunday Times and best in the county by Muddy Stilettos readers, has a bustling high street, plentiful entertainment courtesy of Chelmsford Theatre and other venues, and award-winning cafés and restaurants. The new station makes it even easier to enjoy what’s on your doorstep.

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“Getting home by train from a day out in central Chelmsford’s is an absolute dream. The new station gives residents of North East Chelmsford better access than ever to all the city centre has to offer, taking traffic off the street and reducing congestion for everyone else in the process.”

Councillor Terry Sherlock, Chelmsford City Council’s Cabinet Deputy for Sustainable Transport

It only takes a few minutes to reach the High Street from Beaulieu Park station

Awesome autumn events coming up

It’s a great time of year to visit the High Street, with a packed programme of activities from Chelmsford For You. The Witches of Chelmsford, a free, week-long family event, begins on Monday 27 October and the festive season starts in style with the city’s official Christmas Lights Switch On set for Sunday 16 November.

Your £4-return from Beaulieu Park could even take you to Mars. Visit Chelmsford Cathedral before 12 November and you can marvel at the spectacle of the red planet as Luke Jerram’s artwork ‘Mars: War & Peace’ comes to the city.

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“We love this time of year and Chelmsford’s retailers, traders, restaurants and bars put everything into making this season magical. As well as some of the county’s finest places to shop, eat and drink, we have an exciting programme of free events planned in the lead-up to Christmas. With more travel choices, it’s never been easier to pay us a visit.”

Sara Tupper, Chief Executive, Chelmsford For You

Luke Jerram's Mars: War & Peace installation. Photo copyright: Ella Foster and Exeter Cathedral.

Get back to Beaulieu in four minutes

There’ll be two trains an hour to and from the new station during off-peak periods, with services operated by Greater Anglia’s new fleet class of 720 trains. During peak times, passengers will have access to four trains an hour, with return fares to Chelmsford priced at £5. Beaulieu Park will be staffed from the first to the last train, seven days a week, with staff available to help passengers buy tickets and anyone needing assistance.

Plan your journeys from Beaulieu Park

If you’d like to plan the quickest route back to your own palace, take a look at timetables and buy tickets on the Greater Anglia website: https://www.greateranglia.co.uk

Rule your commute with our user guide to Chelmsford’s new station: Your guide to Beaulieu Park station | City Life

Find out more about what’s happening in the city centre on the Chelmsford For You website: https://www.chelmsfordforyou.co.uk

The history of the station site

In 1516, Henry VIII bought New Hall from Sir Thomas Boleyn, father of Anne Boleyn. The King employed the designer of Hampton Court to build him a grand new royal palace in the same style. Beaulieu became the most important building in Essex at that time.

The new royal palace had eight courtyards, a great hall, tennis court, chapel, and large kitchens, all accessed through a magnificent Tudor gatehouse decorated with the King’s coat of arms. The estate included gardens and 1,500 acres of deer park surrounding the palace, some of which overlooks the new station.

Beaulieu Park station is the first new railway station on the Great Eastern Main Line in more than a century. 

The project has been delivered through a successful collaboration between Essex County Council, Chelmsford City Council, Network Rail, Greater Anglia, Murphy, Countryside (part of Vistry Group) and L&Q, and Homes England.

Beaulieu Park station is set within a landscape made famous by its link to Henry VIII