ATTACHMENT A Prepared by Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. Richmond, Virginia November 2002 Virginia Railway Express (VRE) Station Design Guidelines VNorthernRE Virginia Virginia Railway Express (VRE) Station Design Guidelines Northern Virginia Prepared by /Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. Richmond, VA Under Contract To: HDR Engineering, Inc. Alexandria, Virginia November 2002 VRE Station Design Guidelines November 2002 Table of Contents Table of Contents....................................................................................................................i I. Introduction........................................................................................................................1 A. Purpose ............................................................................................................................. 1 B. Approach ........................................................................................................................... 1 C. Document Organization ..................................................................................................... 2 D. Relationship to Other Standards, Rules and Regulations.................................................. 2 E. Description of VRE System................................................................................................ 3 1. System Overview ............................................................................................... 3 2. History of System............................................................................................... 3 3. VRE Project Management Process.................................................................... 4 4. Existing Stations................................................................................................. 4 II. Station Design..........................................................................................................7 A. Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 7 B. Design Objectives.............................................................................................................. 7 C. Design Resources and Standards ..................................................................................... 8 D. Station Design Guidelines Checklist.................................................................................. 9 III. Parking and Circulation .....................................................................................12 A. Introduction.......................................................................................................................... 12 B. Existing Parking Facilities ................................................................................................ 12 C. Multi-Modal Station Access ............................................................................................. 12 D. Design Guidelines............................................................................................................ 13 1. General Vehicular Circulation and Park-and-Ride Design............................... 13 2. Accessibility...................................................................................................... 18 3. Drop-off/Pick-up Area ...................................................................................... 19 4. Bus Circulation................................................................................................. 20 5. Pedestrian Circulation...................................................................................... 21 6. Bicycle Accommodations................................................................................. 27 IV. Platforms........................................................................................................................28 A. Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 28 B. Existing Platforms............................................................................................................ 28 C. Design Guidelines............................................................................................................ 29 1. Platform Location ............................................................................................. 29 2. Platform Configuration and Type ..................................................................... 29 3. Platform Dimensions........................................................................................ 30 4. Platform Clearances ........................................................................................ 31 5. Pedestrian Circulation Scheme at Platforms ................................................... 32 6. Barriers/Railings/Fencing................................................................................. 33 7. Accessibility Features ...................................................................................... 33 V. Canopies..................................................................................................................35 A. Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 35 Mabos\Projects\0676603\VRE Design Guidelines- Final-NOVEMBER 2002.doc i Table of Contents VRE Station Design Guidelines November 2002 B. Existing Canopies and Design Scheme........................................................................... 35 C. Design Guidelines............................................................................................................ 36 1. Canopy Size..................................................................................................... 36 2. Location ........................................................................................................... 37 3. Type and Style................................................................................................. 38 4. Clearances........................................................................................................... 38 VI. Other Aspects of Station Design ...............................................................................39 Appendix A: Local Jurisdictions and Contacts Appendix B: VRE Station and Parking Lot Ownership Appendix C: VRE Station Design Guidelines Checklist Appendix D: VRE Station Design Guidelines “Fast Facts” Mabos\Projects\0676603\VRE Design Guidelines- Final-NOVEMBER 2002.doc ii Table of Contents VRE Station Design Guidelines November 2002 I. Introduction The Virginia Railway Express (VRE) operates commuter rail service in two rapidly growing transportation corridors between Washington, DC and northern Virginia. VRE, which recently celebrated its tenth anniversary, is preparing to expand and upgrade its system to meet the needs of the coming decades. Part of this process includes the planning and design of new and expanded stations. These VRE Station Design Guidelines are intended to be a key resource in the expansion and improvement of the VRE system in the coming years. A. Purpose The purpose of this document is to provide guidance to VRE and consultants in future commuter rail station design projects. This document is not intended to provide design requirements or specifications, but rather to provide guidelines and recommendations in a number of areas of station design. These guidelines also establish a framework that can be used to develop more detailed requirements or specifications in specific areas. These guidelines are intended to be a dynamic document, capable of easily being revised, modified and updated by VRE as needed. Sections will be marked with revision numbers and dates, which will allow for easy tracking as updates and addenda are added to the document. These guidelines are intended to provide guidance in several specific areas of station design: parking and circulation, platforms, and canopies. Other aspects of station design not currently included in this document, such as lighting, landscaping, parking payment system or signage, could easily be incorporated with the addition of chapters or sections. B. Approach These Station Design Guidelines have been developed based on information gathered in three ways. First, the overall scope of the guidelines and design objectives were determined in consultation with VRE, the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC) and the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission (PRTC). Second, many of the specific design guidelines and criteria were developed based on a review of plans of the VRE system. This included a review of the 1991 plan set for the original system, as well as more recent plans for station work and parking lot expansions. Third, Mabos\Projects\0676603\VRE Design Guidelines- Final-NOVEMBER 2002.doc 1 Introduction VRE Station Design Guidelines November 2002 additional design guidelines were developed and adapted from other transit agency design guideline documents. These included design guidelines from the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board (Caltrain) in the San Francisco Bay Area, and the Denver Regional Transit District (RTD). C. Document Organization This document is organized into seven main sections, as described below: Section I provides an introduction to the document and its purpose as