See Coming soon | Enabling growth | Connecting unserved communities | Campaigns by other groups | Recent successes | Interchanges
New and reopened stations are essential to improve communities' and businesses' access to the rail network, serve new areas of development and respond to changing economic and environmental circumstances. New stations can be expensive, and recent examples range from £2.2m for a single platform unstaffed station, to £12m for a full length two platform station with overbridge and lifts. This means that they generally require significant numbers of daily journeys if they are to be justified. See our Guidance for promoters which contains criteria for a viable proposal.
Over the past half-century more than 400 stations have either reopened or been built completely new. They are listed in the sixth edition of Railfuture's A-Z guide to station and line reopenings since 1960, Britain's Growing Railway, published in 2017. This interactive map of proposed new stations in Britain shows where they will be located (the most advanced proposals are marked in green, those with more work to do to prove the case in yellow).
There are still some stations yet to open which were funded under the third round of the New Stations Fund or the Restoring Your Railway initiative. Stations which have been funded more recently have been justified on the basis of supporting housing growth.
Two short films which give a foretaste of most (still not yet all!) of the new stations expected to open to passengers over the next few years: "The next new 21 stations" (February 2023) and "New stations in 2025 and beyond" (May 2023) - with full marks to Geoff All the stations Marshall!
Growth is a major objective for the government, and a key part of that is to deliver more new houses. House building must be sustainable, so new houses should be where they can be rail-served, by existing stations or new stations. "Don't wait for fresh policy to press for sustainable transport to new homes" said Railfuture's Board Director for Infrastructure & Networks in a letter to his professional institute's house magazine The Planner in May 2022. The proposed stations below support potential new housing:
Railfuture advocates the following new stations which would raise living standards and promote social inclusion, and is lobbying local authorities to bid for the funding which they need:
The Restoring Your Railway initiative identified a number of proposals which between them could [/article 1865|reconnect one million people} Our branches have also identified a number of locations where rail development would support substantial housing development. Campaign groups, often affiliated with Railfuture, are pursuing these opportunities.
Our list of recent successes shows new stations served by existing services and routes. For new stations on new lines, see Links Success.
Where lines cross, Railfuture argues for the creation of interchange stations to create new journey opportunities, as for example by the new walkway between London Overground's Hackney Downs and Hackney Central stations, opened to passengers on 25 July 2015. There is potential for new or improved interchanges at:
New and reopened stations are essential to improve communities' and businesses' access to the rail network, serve new areas of development and respond to changing economic and environmental circumstances. New stations can be expensive, and recent examples range from £2.2m for a single platform unstaffed station, to £12m for a full length two platform station with overbridge and lifts. This means that they generally require significant numbers of daily journeys if they are to be justified. See our Guidance for promoters which contains criteria for a viable proposal.
Over the past half-century more than 400 stations have either reopened or been built completely new. They are listed in the sixth edition of Railfuture's A-Z guide to station and line reopenings since 1960, Britain's Growing Railway, published in 2017. This interactive map of proposed new stations in Britain shows where they will be located (the most advanced proposals are marked in green, those with more work to do to prove the case in yellow).
Coming soon
There are still some stations yet to open which were funded under the third round of the New Stations Fund or the Restoring Your Railway initiative. Stations which have been funded more recently have been justified on the basis of supporting housing growth.
Two short films which give a foretaste of most (still not yet all!) of the new stations expected to open to passengers over the next few years: "The next new 21 stations" (February 2023) and "New stations in 2025 and beyond" (May 2023) - with full marks to Geoff All the stations Marshall!
- Bedlington and Northumberland Park stations on the the Northumberland Line are scheduled to open during 2026.
- Brabazon station in South Gloucestershire is part of MetroWest phase 2. The Council granted planning permission in January 2023, West of England Combined Authority contributed funding in February 2025 for preparatory work, and work began on site in March 2025. The new station, previously known as North Filton, is anticipated to open in 2026.
- Henbury station in South Gloucestershire received planning permission (application P23/02146/F) on 1st October 2025.
- Golborne (between Wigan North Western and Warrington Bank Quay) secured Transforming Cities Fund support in early-2021. Its predecessor Golborne South closed to passengers in February 1961. Transport for Greater Manchester consulted from 4 January 2024 then in November 2024 submitted a planning application, which was granted on 1st May 2025.
- Okehampton Interchange (previously Okehampton East or Parkway, most recently West Devon Transport Hub), part of Devon Metro is planned to open in Spring 2026. East of the town on the A30 two preferred options were identified in April 2018. On 18 January 2023 the Department for Levelling-Up, Housing & Communities announced "£13.5 million for a new railway station on the eastern edge of Okehampton - the West Devon Transport Hub - complete with high quality cycle facilities and EV charging points on site to better connect communities and promote active travel", confirmed by Network Rail. On 13 May 2024 the station's new name was confirmed.
- Elland. In January 2024 the opening date was pushed on to December 2026.
- Thorpe Park is part of the New Stations Fund round 3 announced in May 2021, and was required to open by March / no later than May 2024.
- Haxby was selected for funding a Strategic Outline Business Case by the Restoring Your Railway initiative. On 8 July 2025 the Transport Secretary announced that a new station at Haxby on the York to Scarborough line will be delivered, bringing an additional 20,000 people within 3 kilometres of the railway, providing easy access to the regional centres of York and Leeds.
- Cullompton, north-east of Exeter and part of Devon Metro, and Wellington, south-west of Taunton, Somerset, were included in the first round of the Ideas Fund by the Transport Secretary on 23 May 2020, and development funding was identified in the Autumn 2021 Budget and Spending Review but not confirmed by the Transport Secretary until 8 July 2025.
- Magna, Rotherham Tram-Train and Park & Ride stop - due to open early 2026.
- St. Clears, Carmarthenshire - closed since 1964 and one of four new stations championed by the Welsh Government, in November 2020 the launch of the National Infrastructure Strategy (p.41) confirmed support from the third round of the New Stations Fund. The fund requires completion by March 2024 and passenger services starting no later than the May timetable change.
- Edginswell, possibly to be re-named Torquay Gateway, part of Devon Metro - on the Riviera line between Newton Abbott and Torre and part of The Torquay Project, with funding from new housing development near Kingskerswell with its new £110m by-pass. A potential start in summer 2018 might have seen a spring 2019 opening, but subsequent design changes and associated cost increases interrupted progress. Nevertheless, in August 2023 Network Rail submitted a planning application for the new station - see ref. no. P/2023/0708, approved on 13 November 2023.
- Cardiff Parkway is being privately funded and will be located between Cardiff Central and Newport stations to serve a new business park at St. Mellons, Cardiff Hendre Lakes. Outline planning permission was expected to be applied for in Spring 2020, with construction starting later that year. Impressive images of new £120million station released with initial public consultation in November-December 2019. Full plans submitted to Cardiff Council in January 2021. The station was at one stage anticipated to open in 2024, but only in January 2025 did the Wales First Minister issue approval - but still subject to a "statutory challenge period."
- Butetown on the Cardiff bay line had been anticipated to open in 2024.
- Charfield in South Gloucestershire on the Yate and Gloucester line is a project being developed within the West Of England Combined Authority's 10-Year Rail Delivery Plan as part of MetroWest phase 2. In September 2022 a planning application was submitted to South Gloucestershire Council, with a station opening target, at that time, of December 2024. Planning permission was issued on 6th March 2023. A November 2023 project update indicated a revised project timetable leading to station opening in Spring 2027.
- Cottom Parkway, Preston, on the line towards Blackpool, received planning permission in September 2023. It's supported by the Transforming Cities Fund.
- Crwys Road, on the Cardiff Queen Street - Rhymney line and an integral part of South Wales Metro, received planning permission on 12 April 2023.
- Liverpool Baltic, so named to avoid confusion with James Street station, will be located between Liverpool Central and Brunswick Station on the Northern Line and built on the site of the former St. James station closed in 1917. "£96 million plan for Liverpool Baltic Station On Track for Approval." On 22 April 2025 "Next stop Liverpool Baltic as £100m new station gets the green light!" as planning permission granted. Opening anticipated December 2027.
- Balgray in East Renfrewshire, between Glasgow and Neilston. Network Rail appointed design contractors, November 2023. New station previously known as Auchenback. The Glasgow City Region City Deal completes the funding package in September 2024. Ground was officially broken for the £18.3m station on 22 July 2025, marking the start of construction with opening to passengers expected in Autumn 2026.
- Winchburgh, West Lothian - closed in 1930 with re-opening proposed back in 2010 and now to serve at least 3.8k new homes 12 miles west of Edinburgh, on 27th October 2025 planning permission granted.
- Cambridge South is linked with the Cambridge City Deal and developer funding. It will serve the Addenbrooke's hospital site and the developing base for other high-tech companies, including AstraZeneca. The main construction contract was awarded in October 2023. Opening was anticipated in late-2025/early-2026, contractor issues since delayed to mid-2026.
Enabling growth
Growth is a major objective for the government, and a key part of that is to deliver more new houses. House building must be sustainable, so new houses should be where they can be rail-served, by existing stations or new stations. "Don't wait for fresh policy to press for sustainable transport to new homes" said Railfuture's Board Director for Infrastructure & Networks in a letter to his professional institute's house magazine The Planner in May 2022. The proposed stations below support potential new housing:
- Grove (previously Wantage Road) to serve major housing development and Begbroke/Kidlington for north Oxford tech businesses, both part of Oxford Metro__. An SOBC for Grove, on the Great Western Main Line, was commissioned in March 2025.
- Ardley on the Chiltern line would support redevelopment of the former airbase at Heyford Park.
- Wixams, Bedfordshire - on the Midland Main Line between Bedford and Flitwick and due east of the Marston Vale Line's Kempston Hardwick station nearby, this new Thameslink station has had a prolonged gestation but showed signs of revival in June 2022. Planning permission was granted on 20th February 2023] and preparatory works began In August 2024, but have been put on hold for a redesign following approval of the Universal theme park.
- Welborne, a new station in Hampshire to serve the new 6,000-home Welborne Garden Village near Fareham.On 28 November 2022 Fareham BC announced and SLC Rail confirmed that they had been appointed to produce a Strategic Outline Business Case for the new station to serve the new garden village. Not a direct Beeching reversal / re-opening from the closure in 1964 of Knowle Halt as the site will be different, but the new Welborne station might be regarded as a Beeching replacement in a fit-for-the-21st-Century location. See ~/tc~In 2023 SLC Rail prepared a Strategic Outline Business Case.
- Waverley in South Yorkshire is the location of the Advanced Manufacturing Park which is planned to bring 4000 high-value jobs to the region.
Connecting unserved communities
Railfuture advocates the following new stations which would raise living standards and promote social inclusion, and is lobbying local authorities to bid for the funding which they need:
- Magor - this new 'walkway' station in Monmouthshire would help to reduce road congestion in and around Newport and the eastern side of Cardiff. Railfuture actively support and are represented in MAGOR, the Magor Action Group On Rail.
- Ferryhill in County Durham
- Deeside, in Flintshire (on the Borderlands line between Bidston and Wrexham).
Campaigns by other groups
The Restoring Your Railway initiative identified a number of proposals which between them could [/article 1865|reconnect one million people} Our branches have also identified a number of locations where rail development would support substantial housing development. Campaign groups, often affiliated with Railfuture, are pursuing these opportunities.
- West Wales Parkway, at Felindre, north of Swansea is being advocated; see also Swansea Bay Metro. In 2022 open access company Grand Union proposed Carmarthen-Paddington services and included the new station.
- Beeston and Tarporley, first announced as one of the 15 schemes in November 2020's Spending Review and National Infrastructure Strategy, received DfT approval of its Outline Business Case in October 2023.
- St. Anne’s Park in Bristol
- White Rose station, Leeds, part of the New Stations Fund round 3 announced in May 2021 was anticipated to open December 2023, but construction has paused due to rising costs and lack of agreement with developers.
- Flaxby Parkway , on the Harrogate-Knaresborough-York line, is intended to serve around 3000 new homes in the Flaxby Park development on the former golf course.
- Surrey Canal in Lewisham on the London Overground line between Clapham Junction and Surrey Quays, which opened in December 2012 and included provision for a new station at Deptford Park / New Bermondsey / Surrey Canal Road. In November 2021 detailed plans were submitted and approved the following month.
- Cheadle has secured Town Deal funding in July 2022 to reopen the station on the Mid-Cheshire line by 2025. In June 2024 it was reported that construction would begin 'soon' and in November 2024 that plans for the new station were 'still on despite funding fears.'
- Chard Parkway, on the site of the former Chard Junction station between Axminster and Crewkerne and closed since March 1966, is being championed by Somerset County Councillor for Chard South, Connor Payne, also his party's environment spokesman. The current Local Transport Plan Somerset's Future Transport Plan runs to 2026.
- Castle Bromwich, Coventry East, Tettenhall in the West Midlands.
- Doncaster Sheffield Airport was proposed multiple times but failed on value-for-money criteria, until the South Yorkshire Mayor announced a £30m devolved funding investment in April 2025.
Recent successes
Our list of recent successes shows new stations served by existing services and routes. For new stations on new lines, see Links Success.
Interchanges
Where lines cross, Railfuture argues for the creation of interchange stations to create new journey opportunities, as for example by the new walkway between London Overground's Hackney Downs and Hackney Central stations, opened to passengers on 25 July 2015. There is potential for new or improved interchanges at:
- Brixton
- Brockley
- Dorking
- Lewisham
- West Hampstead