Rail minister Lord Hendy is visiting Britain’s newest station today, after it opened to passengers yesterday morning. Beaulieu Park in north Chelmsford has three platforms, 705 parking spaces, a public transport interchange and over 500 cycle spaces. The first train to call on Sunday morning was the 07.20 to London Liverpool Street.

Northern has recorded its busiest month since before the Covid pandemic, with more than 8.1 million journeys made on its network between 14 September and 11 October. The figure marks an 8.3 per cent increase compared to the same period last year, and is the highest number of journeys on Northern in a four-week railway period since February 2020.