Elsewhere in Sweden, Jernhusen AB owns and runs railway stations and other buildings. Wholly owned by the Swedish government, the company was formed in January 2001 when the national railway was broken up. It operates on a commercial basis, but is charged with various economic, social and environmental objectives such as modal shift and economic growth, for which it receives a small share of ticket revenue.
A trend in many continental countries is to re-examine how stations are used, the flow of passengers, the amenities people want, design features in the urban realm that they find pleasing, and the potential of big data to redesign station layouts. Behind all these studies is the intention of making stations central to the way urban spaces function and in people’s perceptions as they move around them.
BRITISH STATIONS
Devolving powers to the regions has encouraged proposals to emulate these role models, although plans are more about principles than detail at this stage. They go far beyond the Government’s policy of finding railway land for housing, with the long-term ownership of assets through leases of hopefully 99, 125 or 150 years allowing a very different approach to station management and development.
Discussions with Network Rail around lease structures reveal nothing particularly new - the mechanisms already exist for station transfer within franchising. What is new will be the strategic mind behind the process, thanks to devolution.
Mark Rose, stations policy lead at Transport for Greater Manchester, believes that there has been “a tendency in transport to manage what you can see at stations”.
He explains: “We put up new signs on the station and think ‘job done’, but a passenger can still ask ‘where am I?’ We need to create a more outward-looking and permeable environment for pedestrians and cyclists. There has been too much emphasis on big stations - we will start at smaller ones which can provide an important local role, otherwise you amplify differences between the two. Instead of just looking at the station, we can turn through 180 degrees and look into the community and see how we could incorporate education, health and welfare facilities into stations.
“We are absolutely focused on the customer in this, looking to understand and influence all points on the journey rather than just station to station. It will give us the chance to improve digital connectivity and information, expand the retail offer, improve integration and devise complementary offers. It is a great opportunity to partner with third parties to deliver facilities and adapt stations to a high standard, knowing that we can realise the benefits and such efficiencies as energy-saving measures.
“There are 97 stations in the TfGM area, and there is no magic bullet because they are so varied in terms of architecture, size and community, so we are keen to develop an individual plan for each with the common themes of comfort, inclusivity and a chance for the community to play a greater role. We want to make stations more relevant to schools and colleges besides their role as housing hubs, as outlined in Greater Manchester’s spatial plan (see map).”
