Your guide to Beaulieu Park station

With the first trains calling at Beaulieu Park soon, staff are busy putting the finishing touches in place ready to welcome you.

The station, which opens on Sunday 26 October, is set to become a bustling travel hub offering sustainable travel choices for the local community. So, if you’re eager to plan your first journey from Beaulieu Park, here’s everything you need to know.

Driving to the station and where to park your car

To help improve local road connections and ease congestion on key travel routes, extensive highways improvements took place in preparation for the opening of the new train station. The work provided a new relief road, the A131 Beaulieu Parkway, to ease congestion in and around Springfield and allow access to Beaulieu Park train station. The new A131 Beaulieu Parkway Bridge links the station to Essex Regiment Way in the west and the Boreham Interchange to the east.

When you arrive at the station over Beaulieu Parkway Bridge, there are two convenient car parks to choose from: Car Park A or Car Park B.

Car Park A

Car Park A (CM3 3HN), the closest to the station building, has nearly 300 car parking spaces, including 38 Blue Badge bays, four EV charge points and room for 75 motorbikes. Managed by Chelmsford City Council, there’ll be a parking attendant on site during station opening hours, and the flood-lit car park is monitored around the clock by CCTV.

To get to Car Park A from the Boreham Interchange, take the A131 over the road bridge and then turn off at the first exit on to Beaulieu Park Station Approach.

You can pay for your parking by using the MiPermit app or by card at one of the three on site pay and display machines. Parking charges start from £3.50 for an hour rising up to £11.50 for the day. Blue Badge parking at the station is free and you don’t need to pre-register – just display your badge in your vehicle. Full details of parking charges can be found on the council's website.

Car Park B

Additional spaces can be found in Car Park B, operated by NCP on behalf of Greater Anglia. To reach this car park, take same route as before but turn off on the 3rd exit of the roundabout onto an unnamed road (known on Google maps as Loverose Way). On the eastern side of the station site, this car park is an approximately 370m walk to the station along a tarmac footpath with bollard lighting. Here you’ll find around 400 parking spaces and six EV charge points. You can find out more about parking charges and payment options for this car park on Greater Anglia’s website, https://www.greateranglia.co.uk/travel-information/car-parking.

Taxi ranks and pick up points

If you’re getting a lift to or from the station, there is a dedicated drop off and pick up point immediately outside the station building. It’s free to use and the time limit for waiting is 10 minutes, with no return within 20 minutes. 

You’ll also find a taxi rank just outside of the station building. You can pick up a licensed taxi from this point, or if you’ve pre-booked a taxi home, they can pick you up in this location too.

Cycling and walking routes

Getting to the new station by bike or on foot has been made safe and easy with new and upgraded pathways and connections to local cycle and walking routes. 

A series of new resin-bound or tarmacked paths have been created across the station site to link with existing cycle and walking routes from Channels, Springfield and Beaulieu and Chelmer Village. These include routes around the boundaries of the Great Park and Beaulieu Park Recreation Ground. Lit, bespoke cycling and walking routes are also planned for the opposite side of Generals Lane. These will be delivered with the next phase of housing planned for this area.

Using the footpaths and cycleways, approximate travel distances to Beaulieu Park station are:

Beaulieu Square: 1.5 miles
Edge of Channels Estate: 1.6 miles
Sainsburys Springfield: 1.3 miles
Asda Chelmer Village: 2.3 miles

Downloadable maps with details of all the routes will be available shortly on the Chelmsford City Council website. 

To increase the existing cycling and walking connections to the station from Boreham, a new walking and cycling bridge across the A12 and railway line, linking Boreham to Beaulieu Park station, was planned as part of the A12 widening scheme in this area. Unfortunately, this scheme was cancelled by the Government in July, but Chelmsford City Council is working with Essex County Council to explore alternative options for improved walking and cycling routes.

Safe and secure bike storage

If you’re arriving at the station on two wheels, you can take advantage of the well-equipped cycle storage facilities which can accommodate over 500 bikes. There are two storage areas on the station site, and both offer free or paid for options to store your bike safely.

Situated either side of the station building, storage facilities are in well-lit areas monitored by CCTV. The first store is on the west side of the station site, nearest the bus interchange, and ideally located for those cycling from Channels, Beaulieu, Springfield, or Chelmer Village. The eastern store is adjacent to Car Park A.

At both stores you have the option of free covered storage, where you will need to provide your own bike lock, or secure, paid for storage in a large, modern bike locker. Accessible bike storage is also available.

The secure bike locker storage is provided by Chelmsford City Council and will be available to registered permit holders only. Permits cost £25 per year and you can apply on the council’s website. Once you’ve registered to join the scheme, you’ll be sent an electronic fob which will give you to access to the bike lockers. 

If you’re thinking about taking your bike on the train, you can read Greater Anglia’s cycling policy on their website. 

Easy access bus interchange

The canopy-covered bus interchange is right next door to the main station building, making travel connections as straight-forward as possible. There’s a route map just outside the station building and at the interchange, real time information on arrivals and departures will be shown on digital screens.

A paved pathway gives level access to the interchange which has bus bays with raised kerbs. Covered seating is provided and bus passengers have access to the facilities on the station concourse. 

Several First Bus services have extended their routes to include stops at Beaulieu Park station. These include:

C8 between Beaulieu Park and Springfield. Services towards Beaulieu Park station begin at 6.35am with up to 2 buses an hour in each direction from Monday to Friday. There are two buses an hour on Saturdays dropping to hourly on Sundays.

C9 between Beaulieu Park and Chelmsford city centre. Services towards Beaulieu Park station begin at 5.40am with up to 3 buses an hour in each direction during peak times from Monday to Friday. There are two buses an hour on Saturdays dropping to hourly on Sundays.

C11 between Beaulieu Park station, North Springfield and Chelmsford city centre. Services towards Beaulieu Park station begin at 5.50am with up to 2 buses an hour in each direction from Monday to Friday. There are two buses an hour on Saturdays dropping to hourly on Sundays.

73, 73A and 73B between Maldon and Chelmsford. Up to six buses a day will call a Beaulieu Park station from Monday to Saturday with variations on school days and holidays. 

To take a look at the new timetables, visit the First Bus website.

Train timetables and tickets

Passengers using Beaulieu Park Station will be able to travel directly to 18 destinations including London Liverpool Street, Shenfield, Colchester, and Ipswich, with connections to many more along the Great Eastern Main Line. To help you plan your journey, train timetables and live travel updates can be found on the Greater Anglia website or app.

If you’re commuting to London, there’ll be up to four trains an hour during peak travel times, dropping to two trains an hour off peak, with the journey expected take around 40 minutes. A day return ticket from Beaulieu Park to London Liverpool Street will cost £42.60 at peak time and £28.20 off peak. A 7-day season ticket costs £134.60.

And if you’re thinking about popping to Chelmsford to do a little shopping or to meet friends, an off-peak day return ticket between Beaulieu and Chelmsford costs £4 and takes just four minutes. If you’re travelling during peak hours, a day return costs £5.

Tickets can be purchased in advance on the Greater Anglia website or app or at the station using the ticket machines where staff will be on hand to help you. 

Customer services in the station building

The station building at Beaulieu Park is spacious and modern with a striking 400m² acoustic timber slat ceiling. There’s step-free access through from the station car park to the concourse, and the design includes tactile wayfinding to help those with visual impairments navigate their way to the ticket machines and gates.

On the concourse, you’ll find everything you need for a smooth journey. Information screens will provide platform information, along with regular audio announcements from the customer service team. The station also has an interactive information point if you need help planning your journey or details about onward travel. Customer service staff will be on site from the first to the last train to offer additional help if you need it.

If you’re collecting or buying tickets, there are eight electronic ticket machines, and the station offers free Wifi so downloading e-tickets will be fuss-free.

In the not-too-distant future you’ll also be able to look around retail units near the station entrance, which will be opening soon, and you can top-up your water bottle any time at the free water refill machine.

Once you’re through the ticket gates, you’ll find yourself by platform 3 where you can catch trains heading north towards Colchester and Ipswich. Platforms 1 and 2, where trains towards Chelmsford and London depart, are accessible via stair bridge or one of the two lifts. There is a seated waiting area by platform 3, and a waiting room on Platforms 1 and 2 with handy plug sockets to charge to your mobile phone.

Toilets, including accessible toilets and baby changing facilities, are located beyond the gateline by platforms 2 and 3. A Changing Places toilet is also available for radar key holders adjacent to platform 3.

Plan your journey and quick links

Train information and tickets: Find latest travel updates and plan and book your train journey on the Great Anglia website: Train times, tickets & service information | Greater Anglia

Accessible travel information: If you are planning on travelling on National Rail services, you can request an assistance booking in advance. Please visit: Accessible Train Travel and Facilities | National Rail

Bus information and timetable: Routes to Beaulieu Park station, visit: Essex | First Bus

Secure cycle storage: Apply for a bike locker permit on the Chelmsford City Council website: Apply: Bike locker at Beaulieu Park Station car park