Bedford Borough Council
Plans to build a new railway station at Wixams have officially been paused following the proposed development of a Universal Studios theme park nearby.
Construction had already begun on the two-platform station, with £28.3 million spent so far. But Bedford Mayor Tom Wootton has now confirmed that the council will end its existing agreement with Network Rail.
Instead, attention will turn to designing a larger, four-platform station that can support the huge increase in visitors expected if the theme park goes ahead—estimated at 8.5 million people per year.
The decision was made with future-proofing in mind. A termination clause was included in the original contract in case major nearby developments—like Universal Studios—changed local transport needs.
The public consultation on the theme park plans is currently ongoing, with the government set to make a final decision in due course.
Work on the Wixams station originally started in September 2024. For now, Network Rail has stopped awarding new subcontracts, and the focus is on making the site safe and clearing construction materials. The demobilisation process is expected to be completed by the end of August.
While the original station plan had a total budget of around £62 million, new funding proposals for the redesigned station will be shared with councillors for review.
