Railway Stations ADAPTING TO FUTURE SOCIETY Railway Stations ADAPTING TO FUTURE SOCIETY CONTENTS 3 FOREWORD BY UIC DIRECTOR-GENERAL 5 UIC STATION MANAGERS GLOBAL GROUP 7 HISTORY OF STATIONS: EVOLUTION OF THE CONCEPT 03 MODEL OF STATION CONCEPT 11 OPERATION faCELIFT: MAJOR PROJECTS STATION RENOvaTION POLICIES, TRENDS AND CHALLENGES 60 A QUICK LOOK AT SOME STATIONS AROUND THE WORLD... 70 BIBLIOGRAPHY Railway Stations ADAPTING TO FUTURE SOCIETY FOREWORD BY UIC DIRECTOR-GENERAL JEAN-PIERRE LOUBINOUX tations emerged alongside railways, as the Stations have gradually become organised, transfor- In the visual representations you will see the chan- staging-posts of this new industrial era. med and developed to host all those passing through ging relationships between station stakeholders. They increased in number as railways deve- – whether travellers or not – and to offer board, lod- As well as a depiction of how the concept of a “sta- loped into networks that, in turn, could only ging, or other everyday services. And since we must tion” has changed over time and the interaction Sdevelop alongside stations. From the outset, stations always go via somewhere in order to go anywhere, between stations and their urban environment, two 3 have been essential to the departure, the passage stations have become an interface between all the slides explain complex phenomena which vary ac- and the arrival of trains, and to the ebb and flow of various modes of mobility – trains, metro, buses, cars cording to the context and reality of each country all the travellers they carry. A railway network can and bicycles. They have thus become mediators and and even each station, all focusing on a complex web be seen as lines irrigating a geographical area in the organisers of daily mobility. of stakeholders and spatial interaction between sta- same way as a network of arteries nourish and keep tions and cities. This moves from the most simplistic alive a body and living being. Stations are the no- This Next Station congress in Moscow – following vision of an “introverted” station and builds up to a des and beating hearts of this network, and sustain it that of Brussels – aims to highlight this evolution of complex model showing all the scenarios of change by injecting and managing the movements of all the stations in cities and the way in which they manage in station governance, taking into account the de- travellers which are its lifeblood and raison d’être. the ebb and flow of mobility in daily life. gree to which stations are open to the surrounding Stations portend future change in society, and as city, as illustrated by a model of an “open” station. Stations are places of life and emotion: goodbyes the role of UIC is to anticipate change, this topic is as people depart for far-off destinations, on holiday of particular importance to our organisation, to help Let us not forget a brief history of how the concept or to war; of reunions, shared moments and daily serve our members as always. of “a station” developed between the 19th and 20th commutes between home and work; and of child- This brochure contains a variety of content, notably centuries, documenting how stations grew from ren’s everlasting admiration for the beautiful steam significant work undertaken by the UIC Passenger mo dest buildings – in some cases – to symbols of engines or high speed trains which whisk them away. Department in consultation with the Station Mana- architectural achievement, a snapshot of railway Stations are centres of transit, a “breather” between gers Global Group (SMGG). The work focuses on large stations around the world ; and finally a bibliography. the city, its surroundings and other cities and places station renovation projects around the world through So plenty of material! The UIC editorial team hopes further away. various examples illustrating this phenomenon. that you enjoy reading this issue! Railway Stations ADAPTING TO FUTURE SOCIETY UIC STATION MANAGERS GLOBAL GROUP assenger activity represents an increa- Improving the functionality of stations (as a stra- sing business for UIC at global level. tegic element of railway passenger transport), Whether on short or long distances, improving the business concept and opportu- 5 regional, mass transit or high speed, nities for centres which attract on a daily basis Pthe transport of passengers by rail is an activity a large volume of potential customers (other with positive expectations for the future. than travel purposes) and strengthening the re- lationship between railway systems and society Among all the necessary aspects needed to (increasingly complex) are the main objectives de velop passenger transport (technology, of the UIC Station Managers Global Group. mar keting, ticketing, financing, etc.), the most im portant common point for rail companies, Chaired by Mr Carlos Ventura, Director of custo mers and society are stations. Passen ger Stations at ADIF (Spanish Infrastruc- ture Manager), and in conjunction with other Stations represent a key element in all passen- UIC activities (Passenger Department and also ger transport: for customers, the station is the the Rail System Department, Sustainable Deve- only gateway to railway systems; for railways, lopment, Security, etc.) and all the UIC regions, they are sometimes the key to acquiring (or this working group is open to all UIC members not acquiring) customers. But other than their interested in passenger transport. strategic value for railway systems and for customers, stations represent an important The benefits of this cooperation for members Kazansky business element and are essential element in and for the railway system at global level are a Railway Station. city development. good example of UIC’s philosophy and activities. 6 Railway Stations ADAPTING TO FUTURE SOCIETY HISTORY OF STATIONS EVOLUTION OF THE CONCEPT n the earliest days of railways, nobody knew how a station a railway’s façade to the city (the station) had to be more im- should be or what it should look like; it was simply to accom- pressive in order to build investor confidence and attract more modate staff and passengers waiting for trains. Sometimes money to finance this mode of transport which would change old buildings were used for station purposes. the world. I th Even the first names given to stations did not clearly indicate In the second half of the 19 century large, iconic buildings started their function. In some countries (such as France or Spain), to emerge in big (and smaller) cities and the names of architects 7 stations were initially called “pier” where people board ships. began to appear alongside those of railway companies. Similarly with airplanes, the word “airport” derived its name from ships as “the port for air traffic”. Intermediate stations were simply The first dilemma regarding the functional design of stations known as “halts”. (and railway operations in general) in big cities was whether they should be the terminus or a through-station. In big cities it was The first stations were often modest, functional buildings. In thought that stations should represent the end of the railway line, many cases, stations also served other purposes of the railway and consequently tracks should end at the station terminal. company such as main offices, sometimes headquarters or main- tenance workshops, etc. In America, where trains (locomotives and carriages) became bigger much earlier than in Europe, large locomotives were not Stations were systematically located out of the city centre. There allowed inside station terminals because they released a great was no question of disrupting or destroying the cities at that deal of smoke. For this reason it was quite common in the US for View of Budapest time – in some cases that would come later. In the early days of trains to enter the station by switching back, with the locomotive Nyugaty Railway railways the train was considered impressive and futuristic but pushing the train and consequently keeping it out of the passen- Station, Hungary. The station, which not a clean mode of transport. ger waiting area. was planned by August de Serres When the growth of passenger and freight traffic began to Large stations required large train sheds. These needed to be a and built by the Eiffel Company, opened structure countries and society, railway companies became in- certain size due to the large battery rails and platforms and of a on 28 October 1877. creasingly important and needed more financing. Consequently, certain height in order to evacuate smoke from the locomotives. While railways were developing, metallic structures became from road and then air made rail transport decline and adapt in increasingly popular (something Mr Eiffel knew a thing or two order to survive (where possible). about), and consequently large and rich railway companies At the same time, railways were adjusting to a new life. As far started to build big train sheds. In some cases they were so as they were obliged to compete, they became more and more proud of these structures that they incorporated them into the specialised in the areas where they were more competitive. One main façade of the station, facing the city. Budapest Nyugaty of the consequences was the development of mass transport, and Madrid Delicias stations are two examples of this. which required a particular type of station that was quite diffe- Picture 1: Pennsylvania Railway Station rent to the big and solemn terminals. in New York City in 1911, view from the The shape of the main building was also conditioned by the evo- northeast. Most of the buildings in the lution of traffic. As train stations and particularly train tracks moved more towar- 8 scene are no longer standing, and have been replaced with taller buildings and The first station terminals included three main buildings or parts ds the city centre, this sometimes caused disruption to the city.