Winvic Construction Ltd has completed the 3.1km Waterbeach Station haul road in Cambridgeshire, providing dedicated construction access ahead of the next phase of the new railway station development.
Awarded by Cambridgeshire County Council, the £3.5 million scheme was Winvic’s first project delivered through the Eastern Highways Alliance (EHA) Framework. It was undertaken under a NEC4 Option A contract, and the works form a key enabling element of the wider Waterbeach development, which will see a new railway station delivered alongside plans for 4,500 new homes. The area around Cambridge continues to see residential growth, as covered in our report on how L&Q launched apartments in the growth hub of Cambridge.
01Access route for the new station
Funded by Homes England, the haul road provides direct access for construction traffic to the station site from the A10, helping to minimise disruption to residents in Waterbeach village during the works. The new station is expected to open by summer 2028, providing a modern, accessible transport hub for the growing community.
The 3.1km haul road combines a section built on the former airfield taxiway with a new route across farmland. The completed road includes passing bays, drainage and fencing to support safe and efficient access to the station site.
The works involved significant earthworks, utility management and close coordination with Cambridgeshire County Council, Network Rail, the Internal Drainage Board, landowners, Urban & Civic and other stakeholders to manage interfaces with the wider development. Winvic identified value engineering opportunities to improve efficiency and reduce costs, including an alternative pavement design that saved approximately £15,000 and two days against the original specification.
02Local employment and skills
Alongside delivery, Winvic worked with its supply chain and local partners to support employment, skills development and community opportunities across Waterbeach and the wider Cambridgeshire area. This included promoting project vacancies through local organisations, providing industry experience for four apprentice engineers and delivering education and employability activities with local schools and colleges.
Activities included apprenticeship careers events and construction industry insight sessions at Cambridge Regional College, a site safety presentation for pupils at King’s Hedges Primary School and employability support for neurodiverse young people through Papworth Trust’s Routeways to Work programme. As a result, 20% of the workforce was recruited from within 30 miles of the site.
Winvic also supported Cambridgeshire County Council’s tree planting project in Bar Hill and Longstanton, providing volunteer time and a delivery vehicle. In addition, Winvic and its supply chain partners donated more than 200 Easter eggs to C3 Impact’s community fun day, identified through the Match My Project platform. Across its community initiatives, the team contributed more than 20 volunteering hours and £1,400 in-kind donations.
03A milestone for the wider development
Rob Cook, Managing Director for Civils and Infrastructure at Winvic Construction, said: “Completing the Waterbeach Station haul road is an important milestone for the wider development, providing the dedicated construction access needed to support the next phase of the new railway station. As our first project under the EHA Framework, it has demonstrated the value of collaborative working and considered value engineering, while creating opportunities for local people and delivering benefits for the wider community”.
Details and image via Winvic Construction.
