Railway Technical Web Pages InfopaperNo.7

RailwayStations–DesignandOperationBy

PConnor1andFSchmid2

OneofaseriesofarticlespreparedfortheRTWPwebsite.

IntroductionAirport,harboursandstationsforminterfaceswithinmodesandbetweenmultiplemodes,providingbothintermodalandintramodalconnectivity.However,amoreindepthanalysisrevealsthatsuchfacilitieshavefunctionsthatgobeyondtheirroleoflinksinatransportchain.Theauthorsdiscusssomeoftheissuesthatarisefromtheneedtosatisfyamultitudeofrequirements,focusingonpassengertransport.ThispaperwasdevelopedonthebasisofapresentationmadetothedelegatesattendingtheIntelligentCityForumheldinBirminghamon26May2011,sponsoredbyRailChampions.

ABeaconfortheArea

Stationsincityenvironments,withothermajorstructuresincloseproximityandoftensurroundedbylarge,visuallyandcommerciallyattractivecorporatebuildings,havetostandoutasbeaconsforthecommunityandthecity.Theymustbeeye-catching,builttohighstandardsandtheymustattractpassengerstotherailway.GoodexamplesareBerlinHauptbahnhofinGermany,LilleEuropeinFrance,Liège-GuilleminsinBelgium(Figure1),BejingSouthStationinChinaandthefutureCanaryWharfstationofCrossrailandtherenovatedSt.PancrasinLondon.However,whileastationmighthavean

1 PRC Rail Consulting Ltd. 2 University of Birmingham

Figure 1: Rebuilt station at Liège -Guillemins, Belgium, designed by the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava in 2008 and demonstrating the beacon effect. Photo by Le Cointois.

importantfunctionasabeacon,itmuststillbedesignedtomeettheneedsoftherailway,ofthepeopleusingitandofthestaffrunningit.

Astationisatransporthub,bydefinition.Eventhemosthumblestopinatramwaynetworkallowsinterchangebetweenmovementonfootandtravelbytram.Railwaystationsthusrepresentfocalpointsforjourneymodechanges,placesthattravellersrequireforbusiness,commutingandleisuretravel.Theyarriveonfoot,bybicycle,car,taxi,bus,coach,tramandmetro,andtheycarryluggagerangingfromasmallcomputerbagtoapairofcaseseachthesizeofsteamertrunks,sotheymustbeabletofindthestationeasilyandtheymusthavegoodaccesstothefacilitiesandthetrains.Thestationmustbedesignedtoalloweasymodalchangesandtoprovideasimpleapproachfromwithinthecityscape.

CirculationOneofthemostimportantrequirementsofanystationisthatofaccommodatingcirculation.Thisrelatestomovementsoftrainsaswellasthoseofpassengerswiththeirluggageandotherpeoplesuchas‘weepersandgreeters’.Thestationalsomustcreateasafeinterfacebetweenthetwotypesoftraffic.Itisessentialthatthepeoplemovementflowsinastationaredesignedcarefully,bothduringnormaloperationandduringemergencieslikesecurityalertsandevacuation.Signageandsightlinesformanimportantpartofmaintainingefficientflowsforpassengers,whileeffectiverailwaycontrolallowstrainstoarriveinanddepartfromstationswithminimumdelay(Figure2).

Intermodalchangesalsoneedcarefulevaluation,sothatpassengersarrivingbyroadcanaccessthestationfacilitieseasilyandwithoutobstructingwaitingareas,orexits.Equally,ticketofficesandmachinesneedtobepositionedandprovidedinsufficientnumberssothatuserscanqueueandaccessthefacilitywithoutobstructionandwithoutresultinginshufflinglinesofstressedtravellersblockingthestation’spedestrianandvehicleroutes.

Mixingtypesofpassengerscancausecongestionandfrustration.AtStPancrasInternationalstationinLondon,arrivinginternationaltrainpassengersmergeintothelocalcommutercrowdsflowingtowardstheUndergroundstationinterchange.Atpeaktimes,thiscreatesamixofslowandfastmovingpedestriansinanarrowspaceobstructedwithpillars,liftsandgreeters.

Privatecaraccessisoftenanissueatstations.Driversmeetingtrainscancausecongestionifasuitableshorttermparkingareaisnotprovided.Peopledonotwanttopayexorbitantparkingchargesjusttomeetrelativesandfriendswhohavechosentocomebytrain.Suchchargescandiscouragetraintravel.

InterchangeRolePassengersarriveandleavebytrainbutalmostuniversally,theychangetheirmodeoftransportationatthestation3.Itmaybefromtraintotrain,orfromtraintoanyothermovementmode,fromfoottobus,taxi,car,bicycleormetro.TheKingsCrossandStPancrasstationscomplexgivesagoodexampleofthevarietyofmodalchangespossibleandthegoodandbadfeaturesofallofthem.

First,weshouldrealisethattheareacoveredbythecombinationofthestationsofSt.PancrasandKingsCrossisvast.Ittakestenminutestowalkdirectlyfromonesidetotheother.Clearlythoughtoutroutesareessentialforarrivinganddepartingpassengers.Secondly,thewholecomplexhasbeenrebuiltandupdated,asfarasispossiblewithintheconsiderablerestrictionsimposedbyEnglishHeritage,abodythathasbeendescribedasawillfulinhibitorofthemodernisationofBritain’s 3 Saglians in the Grisons area of Switzerland is a rare example of a station where only intramodal connectivity is provided since there is no road access.

Figure 2: Passenger circulating area at Liverpool Street station, London with train service destination display. Retail units are provided at both ground floor and first floor levels. Photo: Author’s collection.

infrastructure.TherebuildingiscompleteyettheKingsCrosssideoftheprojectsuffersfrompoorinterchangefacilitiesbecausepassengersgravitatetowardsthecompletedandimprovedStPancrasInternationalstation.So,whatiswrongwiththefacilitiesprovided?

Lookingatfacilitiesforcyclistsfirst,theseareprovidedbuttheyarealongwayfromthestation,sharingspacewithacarparknorthoftheStPancrasstationcomplex.Thepremisesaresecurebutacasualuserwouldbepushedtofindthecyclestorageareaunlesstheyhaddonetheirresearchfirst.Othercountriesdoitbetter(Figure3.)

Carandtaxipickupanddropoffpointsareprovided,ofcourse,butitisnotalwaysclearwheretaxisaresupposedtostopandtherearedifferentlocationsaroundthecomplex.There’snowhereforcarstowaittoeasepickingupduties.Confusingly,theNetworkRaildescriptionoftheavailablefacilitiesdoesnotalignwithwhatisontheground.

BuseshaveatotalofninedifferentlocationsforaccessaroundKing’sCrossandSt.Pancras,scatteredacrosstheroadsaroundthecomplex,someofwhicharebestaccessedbyusingthesubwaysintendedforusersoftheUndergroundstation.TheaccessroutefortheUndergroundissplit,withtwoconnectionsfromtheStPancrassideandonefromKingsCross.

CostofTimePassengersvaluetimeandthetimetheyspendondifferentpartsofajourneycanbeaggregatedbycalculatingthe‘generalisedcost’ofthejourney,usuallynotinmoneytermsbutintotalminutes–areflectionofthefactthatpeople’swalletsmaybeunlimitedbutnottheirlifespans.Differentpartsofthejourneyareweightedaccordingtohowtheyareperceivedbythepassengersothat,forexample,timespentonthetrainisweightedatone,whiletimespentwaitingforatrainismultipliedbyafactoroftwo.Inastation,theactivityofchangingbetweentrainscanhaveageneralisedcostofupto30minutes,e.g.,whenpeopleareforcedtoclimbstairs.Inreality,thetimetakenmaybemuchshorter.Itjustdependsonhowefficientandconvenientitisandhowthesituationisperceivedbypassengers.

FacilitiesatStationsPassengerandotherusers’facilitiesmustbeanintegralpartofstationdesign,alignedwiththesizeandimportanceofthehubasawhole.Apartfrompedestrianroutesdesignedtoseparateincomingandoutgoingflowsandareasforgeneralcirculationandwaiting,theremustbeastructuredapproachtoestablishingthecorrectlocationofstationfacilitiesandtheroutesleadingtothese..Asidefromtheticketingfacilitiesmentionedabove,thereisnormallyaneedforinformationenquirypoints,toiletsandwaitingrooms–oratleastdecentlyshelteredopenareas–fordepartingpassengersawaitingtrains.Nowadays,intheUK,thetendencyistolimitwellprovidedwaitingloungestopremiumpassengerspayingfirstclass

Figure 3: Dutch station cycle point with secure, automated, smart card storage, CCTV and a cycle shop. The system is provided at over 40 stations in the Netherlands. Photo F Schmid.

Figure 4: Bank of five escalators at Canary Wharf Underground station in London. Photo Author’s collection.

fares,whileotherpassengersareexpectedtoremaininthegeneralcirculatingareasortousethecoffeeshopsscatteredaroundlargerstations.

RetailOutletsStationownersandarchitectsarealwayslookingforwaystodevelopthecommercialpossibilitiesofthestationanditsenvirons.Goodretailoutletsoftherighttypecanaddausefulsourceofincomeforthestationownersoroperatorsandtheyhelptoprovideasenseofcommunityandinterestwithinthestationanditssurroundings.Theyalsoprovideanextrapresencewithinthestationthatreducestheopportunitiesforcrimeandvandalismandinstillsinpassengersabettersenseofsecurity.

Caremustbetakentochoosetherightkindsofshopsandtoensurethatthesalesandservicesareappropriateforthestationcontext.Thus,onarailwaythatsuffersfromalcoholrelatedexcesses,itmaynotbesensibletoallowalcoholtobesoldanditmightbeunwise,fromasecuritystandpoint,toacceptaleaseofferfromaretailersellingmilitarymemorabiliainagiftshop.Fastfoodshopsmayalsonotbedesirablebecausetheycreatethepotentialforvastquantitiesoflitter.

Theusualoutletsseenonstationsarecafes,sandwichshops,newspaperstalls,bookshops,floristsandgiftshops.Drycleanersandshoerepairersarealsopopular.Largerstationsoftenhaveroomforfashionoutlets.Inalmostallcases,itisimportantthattheshopfrontsareobvioustocustomersbut,atthesametime,theymustnotrestrictwalkwaysthroughthestationorobstructexits,escalatorsandlifts.Leasesmustalsoincludearequirementforretailerstomeettherailway’sfireandsafetyprotectionrequirementsandthatstaffareproperlytrainedforalarms,evacuationandemergencies.Itisessentialthatstationmanagersregularlyinspectretailpremisestoensurethattheycomplywiththeirleaseobligations.

Thelocationofretailpremisesandtheirproportioninrelationtothestationsizeandshapemustbedesignedinattheveryearlieststagesofthestationplanningprocess.Theymustnotbeallowedtofillspacethatisneededforpassengermovementorwaiting.Untilveryrecently,WaterlooStationinLondonhadsomelargeretailunitsspreadalongthemainconcoursearea.Theseprovidedaverygoodutilityfortheshoppersbuttheypreventedpassengersfrommovingaroundfreely,obstructedtheviewofthelargetraindescribersystemsandcausedseriousovercrowdingproblemswheneverservicesweredisrupted.Asaconsequenceofeverincreasingpassengernumbers,theretailunitshadtoberemovedtorecreatethenecessarycirculatingspace.Happily,thevisualimpactandstationsightlinesofthewholeconcourseareahavebeenhugelyimprovedasaresult.

LiftsandEscalatorsEscalators(Figure4)areessentialinareasofstationswherelargevolumesofpassengersneedtochangelevelsandtheirlocationandorientationmustbecarefullythoughtthrough.Sufficientspacemustbeallowedattheentrypointtoallowaqueuetoformforpeoplewaitingtousetheescalatorandmorespaceisneededattheexitpointtomakeallowanceforthosewhoinsistonstandingstillassoonastheygetoff.Informationsignsandcustomerfacilitiesmustnotbepositioneddirectlyattheescalatorexitsothatpassengersarenottemptedtocrowdthearea.Aneworrebuiltstationwillusuallyprovideliftsfordisabledpassengersbutthemostcommonuseoftheseexpensivefeaturesisbypassengersencumberedwithluggagewhodonotwanttousestairsorescalators.

CommunicationsWemustnotforgetthatalargestationinvolvesawideandcomplexcommunicationsnetwork,includingtelephone,radio,CCTV,publicaddress,trainarrivalanddeparturedisplays,newsmedia,WiFiandbothfixedandvariabledirectionsigns.Inperformanceterms,reliablecommunicationsareanessentialfeatureofastation,underbothnormalandemergencyconditions(Figure5).Largesteelstructures,suchasstationroofscanformaconsiderableobstructiontoacommunicationsnetworkifthepropagationofelectromagneticwaveshasnotbeenallowedforinthedesign.Theuseofspecialistcommunicationssystemsbyemergencyservicesmustalsobeaddressedinthedesignofthefacilities.Powersuppliesforallthesesystemsmustbesecureandreliable.

MaintenanceMaintenanceofboththefabricandequipmentofthestationmustnotbeneglectedatthedesignstage.Apartfromtheusualrequirementsforwastedisposalandtheprovisionofrobustsurfacesthatmakeforeasycleaning,pitysuchvisitorsasthewindowcleaner,whomayberequiredtoreachlargeandverytallstructures.Safeaccessforcleaningandglazingreplacementmustbebuiltintothedesign.Remembertoo,thatescalatorsandliftsmayhavetobewithdrawnfromserviceformaintenanceorrenewal,soadditionalfacilitiesmustbeavailableundertheseconditions.

OperationsWeshouldnotforgetthatastationhastohavetrainsinit.Carefulplanningisessentialtogettherightlayouttoaccommodatethetypeandvolumeoftrainsexpected.Withadesignlifeofatleast60years,thelayoutmustbeflexibleandmustallowforfutureexpansion.ThefollyofprovidingonlyfourplatformsfortheMidlandMainLineatStPancrasisalreadyapparentandtherestrictiononthecapacityherewillbecomeworsewhenthelineiseventuallyelectrifiedthroughout.

Thetypeofserviceprovidedwillaffectcapacityatstations.Atathroughstationwithamixoflocalandcommuterservices,combinedwithlongdistancetrains,thelayoutofthestationneedstocombineefficienttrainmovementsandtheshortestunconstrainedpassengerflowspossiblethroughthefacilitiesandtoandfromthemodalchangeareas.

Ataterminus,turnroundtimeisimportant.Forcommutertypetrains,itisreasonabletoexpectatraintobe‘turnedround’orreversedin10minutesbutthistimewilldoubleforalongdistancetrainneedingre-supplyingwithfood,drink,waterandtoiletries.Remembertoo,thetimetakenforeachtraintocleartheplatformandaccessrouteplusthetimeforthenexttraintooccupytheplatformmustbeallowedfor.

FaregatesManystationsnowincorporategatedbarriers,dividingthestationinto‘paid’and‘unpaid’areas.Thewholequestionofgatesisemotionallycharged:passengerswhopaytheirfareregardbarriersasanobstructionandanunwrittenaccusationthattheycannotbetrusted.Lessfrequenttravellersseethemasdifficultandmanydonotunderstandhowtousethem.Gatedesigningeneralleavesmuchtobedesired,withsluggishoperation,unreliableperformance,non-universalticketrecognitionandtoofewunitstocopewithpeakhourtraffic.Railwayoperatorsregardthemashugelybeneficial,sinceithasbeenshownthat,aftertheyhavebeeninstalled,fraudisreducedandincomeincreased,withadditionalbenefitsexperiencedintermsofstationsecurity(Figure6).Moreneedstobedonetoencourageacceptancebyusers.

Figure 5: Example of poor and confusing signage at station exit. Safe and clear signage is essential for good passenger circulation. Photo: Author’s collection.

Figure 6: Example of paddle type faregates at Canary Wharf London Underground. The paddles are at a height to prevent persons jumping over the top. Photo: Author.

DonotforgetthestaffAstationformingapartofacityhubisamajoremployerandmostmajorstationsareopen24hoursaday.Asarule,eachjobthatmustbestaffed24hoursrequirestheemploymentoffivepersons.Somejobswillinvolvetemporaryorparttimeattendanceatthestationandstaffmovementsandchangeswillbefrequent.Therewillbepermanentlyemployedstaffforthestationoperationand,probably,contractstaffformaintenanceandcleaning,personneloftheoperatingcompanies,retailstaffandseparateunitsforpolicingandsecurityandtheyallhavedifferentneedsintermsofthestationenvironment.Emergencyservicesmustalsobeconsideredwhendesigningaccesstothesiteandanyspecialfacilitiesprovidedforthem.

Traincrews,forexample,willrequireaccommodationatlargestations,somebeingpermanentlybasedtherebutsomerequiringonlyfacilitiesforpersonalneedsbreaksoraswaitingareas.Theirfacilitiesshouldbeasclosetoplatformsaspossibletoremoveexcessivewalkingtimefromtheirdutyperiods.

Managingandprovidingfacilitiesforthelargepermanentandtransientstaffpopulationformsanessentialpartofastation’soperation.Thestationwillneedfullandcompletefacilitiesforthem,includingcontrolrooms,restareas,offices,bathrooms,storage,trainingequipmentandconferencerooms.Allthesefacilitiesmustdesignedtobesecureandeasilyinspected,ifthestationistoworkeffectivelyandsafety.

AbriefsummaryForastationtofunctionaspartofasignificantcityhub,goodarchitectureanddesignareessentialbutthechoiceofstructureandfacilitiesmustbefoundedontheunderlyingprinciplesofhowpassengers,staffandthirdpartiesbehave.Providingsimplefree-flowingcirculatoryareasisakeyelementinassuringthemainfunctionofastation:boarding,alightingandtransferringwithinandbetweennodes.Today,thesebasicprinciplesarebecomingevermoreimportantasthesheervolumeofusersisthreateningtheperformanceofmanyBritishstations.

Railway Technical Web Pages Archived March 2017