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[🌎 Universal GB] Planning, Transport and Infrastructure

Craig

Craig

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Planning, Transport and Infrastructure Discussion​

Welcome to the Universal GB Planning, Transport and Infrastructure discussion. With the potential for so many people to be visiting the park, many road, rail and infrastructure upgrades will be required. This is your specific topic to discuss that.

Don’t forget we also have a number of other topics:

[🌎 Universal GB] General Discussion​

General discussion, news and updates about the resort. It’s also the place for speculation and discussion about potential IPs, areas, rides and attractions.

[🌎Universal GB] Impact on the UK Market​

Discuss the impact to the wider UK leisure industry here.

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Ian Visits has a blog post on the possible rail upgrades that will need to happen for this to work...

www.ianvisits.co.uk

Universal theme park for Bedford would include two railway stations

A huge theme park could be built at Bedford, north of London and would include two railway stations to make it easier for people to visit the theme park.
www.ianvisits.co.uk

Wixams station is in for a complete rebuild, while Kempston Hardwick might be getting bulldozed alltogether.
I'm not personally familiar with the area, but wouldn't it make more sense to try and merge the two lines in to one station somehow, and create an interchange?
 
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DiogoJ42 said:
Ian Visits has a blog post on the possible rail upgrades that will need to happen for this to work...

www.ianvisits.co.uk

Universal theme park for Bedford would include two railway stations

A huge theme park could be built at Bedford, north of London and would include two railway stations to make it easier for people to visit the theme park.
www.ianvisits.co.uk

Wixams station is in for a complete rebuild, while Kempston Hardwick might be getting bulldozed alltogether.
I'm not personally familiar with the area, but wouldn't it make more sense to try and merge the two lines in to one station somehow, and create an interchange?
Click to expand...
Not sure there'd be much point in an interchange as such, given Bedford is literally just a few miles up the road.
 
One piece of the transport puzzle I think Universal should seriously consider is connections to/from Milton Keynes Central as well as Bedford.

Milton Keynes would provide easy links to the entire West Coast Main Line, which would encompass the West Midlands, North West England and even parts of Scotland. I know Bedford is a Midland Main Line station, which opens up the East Midlands and Yorkshire, but I think taking the WCML into account and connecting to Milton Keynes too would open the resort up to a huge amount of additional people.
 
Interestingly East West rail connecting Oxford and Cambridge will be running through Kempston Hardwick station but services are not stated to frequently stop there. These are two popular cities for international tourists and the full 3 phases of the line are due to complete around 2030 (although likely will be later as it's a UK infrastructure project). London -> Oxford -> Universal -> Cambridge -> London would be an awesome itinerary for anyone visiting the UK without hiring a car.

Kempston Hardwick is tiny so it would have to be completely redeveloped. It also looks like the Wixams station to the east of the site is stated to potentially serve the park. The question would be how do guests get from here to the entrance - the walk could be quite long. This video (2m20s timestamp) also suggests significant amendments required to the Wixams if it were to serve Universal from what is already under construction.
 
Visma said:
The question would be how do guests get from here to the entrance - the walk could be quite long. This video (2m20s timestamp) also suggests significant amendments required to the Wixams if it were to serve Universal from what is already under construction.
Click to expand...
Presumably Universal will run a fleet of shuttle buses from the Wixams station to the transport centre/hotel/park entrance? I'd guess Universal would want to do some work on Manor Road, perhaps widening it to provide a couple of bus-only lanes to ensure their shuttles don't get caught in traffic?

For many months the local council (who were required to start work on Wixams Station in order to receive a large chunk of money from the property developer of Wixams itself) has stated that the current plan for a 2-platform station had a 'shadow plan' for a larger 4-platform station should Universal go ahead. I'm sure the Council is pleased for many reasons that it's been agreed, not least the money that they had budgeted for the construction of Wixams Station is likely not required as government/Universal will pay for the construction of the larger 4-platform station.
 
I really hope Universal, along with the local council, puts serious thought and effort into the aesthetics and overall presentation of the surrounding infrastructure. I’m talking about well landscaped roads, visually appealing signage, and a train station that actually feels like a gateway to a world class destination not just another bland stop on the line. This area is going to be under the spotlight of a global audience.

Unfortunately, the UK doesn’t always have the best track record when it comes to this kind of thing, often we see poorly executed hardscaping with litter piling up in hedges and neglected verges along the roadsides. It would be a real shame if such a massive, high profile project like this were let down by an underwhelming or neglected public realm.

What I love about Universal and Disney parks in Orlando is how much care they put into everything even the approach roads, entrances, and transit areas feel immersive and polished. It sets the tone before you even step foot in the park.

Also, I’m curious whether they’ll rename the local train station to something more fitting maybe just “Universal Studios” rather than sticking with the current name like “Wixams” It would make sense from both a branding and navigational standpoint.


Honestly, I’m just as excited to see how the surrounding infrastructure takes shape as I am to see the park itself.
 
I think the best we can hope for, train station wise, is something on a par with Birmingham International as your gateway to a convention at the NEC.
 
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DiogoJ42 said:
I think the best we can hope for, train station wise, is something on a par with Birmingham International as your gateway to a convention at the NEC.
Click to expand...

Would be a good start, a covered station again akin to a chessy marnee la Valle would be good.

Although i appreciate the new station under construction (wixams) in some distance from the park but the other side should be closer. But hopefully both offer covered transfer to a bus or walkway.

I’m not sure I agree with previous comments about the UK not having world class infrastructure.

We do, it’s just all in London.
 
I never said we don’t, we just don’t see it that often and when we do, the landscaping is usually done on the cheap.
 
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