How stations can add value for people and cities

Birmingham New Street (Credit: Atkins)

Stations are no longer places that people just pass through; they are places where people live, work and shop and can form the very heart of our communities. ‘The Value of Stations’, a report by design, engineering and project management consultancy Atkins, looks at how a station and its design can add real value to our cities and the people who live in them.

Liam Harrison, Atkins market director for transport oriented development, said: “Stations aren’t just stations anymore; they’re catalysts for growth or regeneration and the foundations for new cities, regions and economic hubs. Our report looks at the true value a station can bring and the role design and engineering can play in making sure that value is felt by everyone, from owners and operators to the local community.”

‘The Value of Stations’ gives six examples of where stations have added real value to their stakeholders:

• Birmingham New Street – a truly collaborative effort that has led to Europe’s largest refurbishment project being a huge success with passengers and bringing real change to the city, creating a place where people want to be. The Birmingham New Street one year on video can be viewed here:

• Crossrail’s Custom House Station – a testament to how far we’ve come in off-site construction, this station will be a catalyst for a huge amount of local change, providing an important transport interchange for the Elizabeth line, DLR and local buses and raising the design quality of the community
• Cambridge North Station – an embodiment of Cambridge’s rich history in science and mathematics, this station is a truly bespoke design tailored for the client and the community that will open up access to Cambridge Science Park
• Dalmarnock Station – reinvented for the Commonwealth Games, this station builds on local history and materials to create a landmark that has connected residents and regenerated the surrounding area as a place of work and business
• Glasgow Central Station – a refurbishment of one of the UK’s historic stations that seamlessly brought together contemporary and heritage design while making it easier for passengers to navigate around the station
• Bond Street Station – one of the busiest London Underground stations, its upgrade is a key enabler to expanding capacity on the network and so requires an exemplar approach to cost and programme certainty, innovation and collaboration 

Dalmarnock Station (Credit Atkins)

“Good station design is crucial to maximising a station’s value. It’s not simply about designing a building – it’s about understanding the role a station can play in bringing value to a city and its inhabitants and actively designing the station so that it maximises that value,” said Liam Harrison.