The £160m plan to end commuter chaos at one of Essex's busiest railway stations

A major plan to end commuter chaos at one of Essex's busiest railway stations is taking huge steps forward in the coming months. The new Beaulieu Park Station is part of a huge project including thousands of new homes in the north of Chelmsford.

The station is the first to be built on the Great Eastern Main Line for more than a century and it's widely hoped it will ease pressure and demand at the city's existing station. Almost 6m entries and exits were recorded at the station according to the latest data, making it Essex's second busiest station behind only Stansted Airport.

A new railway station at Beaulieu has been spoken about for many years with ideas bubbling away as long ago as 2000 when some of the early residents moved into the Beaulieu estate. Outline planning applications were submitted in 2010 and Network Rail agreed to building the station in 2015.

READ MORE: Behind the scenes at the brand new railway station in Essex serving 14,000 new homes

ALSO READ: I visited Essex's newest railway station ahead of opening and it's great to finally see after 20 years of waiting

The station will be served by regular trains in and out of London whilst a loop line allows faster trains to pass through unimpeded. The three-platform station will also be served by a dedicated bus interchange for local services and will have parking for more than 700 cars.

Marie Goldman, MP for Chelmsford and a local councillor, previously said: "I have been talking to people across Chelmsford for so long and residents are so happy that it's finally getting here."

Lesley Wagland (Cons.), the Deputy Cabinet Member for Communities, Economic Growth and Prosperity at Essex County Council, also previously said: "This is a fantastic project. We have been here from the very beginning. It's going to be the first new station on the Great Eastern Main Line for 100 years.

"It will be part of a network of infrastructure projects that we are connected with as the county council that will generate great economic strength and resilience for Essex and relieve congestion on our roads."

The huge project comes at a cost of around £160m. That consists of £124m from the Government's Housing and Infrastructure Fund, £12m from the South-East Local Enterprise Partnership and £22m from the developers of Beaulieu, Countryside and L&Q.

This Christmas the project will hit a key milestone when the new infrastructure - including tracks, signalling and power systems - can start to be powered. That will then allow the rest of the station to continue to be built. It's hoped the station will be ready to open by the end of 2025.