Content uploaded by Francisco García Sánchez
Author content
All content in this area was uploaded by Francisco García Sánchez on Jul 02, 2016
Content may be subject to copyright.
Content uploaded by Francisco García Sánchez
Author content
All content in this area was uploaded by Francisco García Sánchez on Jul 02, 2016
Content may be subject to copyright.
HSR STATIONS IN EUROPE:
NEW OPORTUNITIES
FOR URBAN REGENERATION
Cecilia Ribalaygua Batalla
PhD Architecture
Department of Geography, Urban and Regional Planning
University of Cantabria
and
Francisco José García Sánchez
Architect
HSR STRATEGIES
ABSTRACT
The recent development of the high-speed train in Europe means significant modifications in
the accessibility conditions of the inhabitants. However, the development of the new network
also provides a unique opportunity for the surroundings of the stations. This development
depends strongly on the location of the station and on the kind of strategies that are
developed.
This paper presents the results of a study on urban interventions in the different European
countries which have contributed to change station districts. The analysis reviews issues such
as promotion strategies, location of activities and trips generated, and the main functional
keys of the new high-speed train projects in different locations.
1. INTRODUCTION: THE NEW URBAN SCENERY AROUND THE HIGH-SPEED
STATIONS
There are an increasing number of examples of European cities with neighbourhoods that
have been recovered through projects that develop their stations for the high-speed railway.
Some stations are on the outskirts of the city and create new urban poles, whereas many
others redevelop the old railway spaces for the new system. The European cases of central
stations include diverse situations that range from the redevelopment of nineteenth century
stations to those that provide an axis for growth of a new zone of the city with new
neighbourhoods.
In the Spanish case, the necessary modification of the gauges has led to the creation of new
lines that, in a very exclusive way, are distinguished from the rest of the national railway
network. Not only for this reason, but also due to this exclusive nature of the system, the new
stations located in urban neighbourhoods provide urban opportunities for the configuration of
a new image of the city, with surrounding spaces laid out to connect with the distinct modes
of transport.
Faced with the urban renewal that was provoked by this change in the Spanish city of
Logroño, a study was commissioned which is summarised in this communication. The
objective of the research work was to analyze the decisions taken in European projects with
similar characteristics to those of the city of Logroño: cities under 300,000 inhabitants, with a
project for a central station that, like in the case of the capital of La Rioja, act as a driving
force for neighbourhood activity.1
The conversion of a conventional railway station into a high-speed one leads to alterations in
the urban system itself, and so it must be accompanied by carefully studied urban
redevelopment of the surroundings. Added to these measures, there must be other
infrastructure management strategies that aid in the optimization of the system.
1 The study has been developed by “Sociedad Mixta LIF 2002”, and directed by the University of Cantabria,
with the collaboration of researchers from different Universities and administrations: Agustín Arizti, Francisco
García, Aleksander Shultz, Carmen Mota, Nuria Pascual, Sonia Díez, Elena Marín and Cecilia Ribalaygua. (a
complete copy of the document can be found at: Ribalaygua C. and García F., 2010).
The mere existence of the infrastructure and its project for redevelopment of the related
spaces is not sufficient to interfere in the dynamic of the city; in fact it is necessary to
organize a suitable type of railway services and the facilities in the arrival area. The number
of stops that guarantees the relations with specific destinations, with suitable timetables and
frequencies, will be especially determinant for the intermediate cities along the high-speed
line, and only in this way can a qualitative change be made in the possibilities of accessibility
and growth.
Added to this, the hierarchical position of the station in the line and its relation to the other
stops will also be determinant. On the one hand, the number of possible destinations affects
the infrastructure’s influence (the make-up of the network, instead of specific stages,
multiplies the destinations), on the other hand, the place that the city occupies with respect to
the other population nuclei with stops on the line will determine the type of activities and the
related potential. In particular, the proximity to a large population centre can be considered
just as privileged as threatening. The increment in accessibility to a larger market increases
the possibilities of interaction between the small city and the large one, although it also
implies the risk of population loss to that large urban centre. Other aspects such as the relative
size of the cities connected by high speed, or the fact of being the first or second stop also
affect the degree of impact of the new mode.
The cost of the service will also determine the existence of daily relations, and thus, the
possible appearance of a commuter who uses the train as the transport means to go to work in
a city with a high-speed stop (daily traveller or commuter). The characteristics of the service
can motivate or penalize specific mobility habits. For these reasons and due to the situation of
the station in the network and the existing type of services, these aspects form a part of the
analysis proposed for the case-studies.
The current urban growth in Europe is taking place in the context of the loss of activity in the
urban area, and a crisis in the traditional city model. In this context, the renewal of the type of
activity in the historic centre must be considered through redevelopment policies, with new
ideas about the model of the cities.
This creation of activity in the city centre has a great ally in the new stations, as is indicated in
the BERTOLINI and SPIT2 study on redeveloped spaces around railway stations in Europe.
This study analyses the processes of redevelopment of stations and the way they are converted
into motors for redevelopment of the deteriorated historic neighbourhoods around the station.
With the transformation of the railway, the city recovers an image associated with new
technologies that are usually also accompanied by the freeing up of old railway land (now
central), which enable a new city project to be developed:
“Nowadays, the city benefits from some opportunities to redevelop its structure and to
reconstruct its interior space. The urban redevelopment is done with urban residential
renewal policies starting from the opportunities that appear in some places: due to
their activities becoming obsolete, loss of competitive potential, lack of space, and in
general due to the appearance of empty urban spaces due to the economic changes
undergone by the city.
The construction of new stations for the high-speed train constitutes one of these
opportunities, both because it transforms the old railway spaces and because it
introduces new technology that can be a focus of interest for vanguard activities.”3
The adaptation high-speed railway in European cases such as those considered in this study
has acted as an engine for the recovery of degraded spaces. AS well as spreading the
innovatory image of the new mode, a new focus and spaces for activities are generated which
substitute the historic deficiencies in the nuclei, occupying valuable central urban spaces,
which have until now been occupied by the railway.
In many cases, running the tracks underground has led to an important linking operation for
urban access, when confronted with the barrier that was created by the railway lines. The
barrier effect created by the railway is often minimized when the lines are put underground as
part of the technological leap necessary for the high-speed train. Although, as SANTOS and
GANGES (2002) indicate, the combination of the lines with the urban tissue is not necessarily
2 “The position of a station location within the emerging urban networks is, as the case studies will show, a crucial ingredient of
its property development potential”. BERTOLINI, L. y SPIT, T. (1998): Cities on rails, p. 39. Además se trata este tema entre las
páginas 21 a 51.
3 PIÉ NINOT, R. (1998): “La station del TAV: intercambiador modal y element de nueva centralidad Urbana”. III Congreso de
Ingeniería del Transporte, Barcelona, p. 1196.
damaging, but its effect can be controlled and minimized with good urban planning, and
putting the lines underground is not the only solution.
Moreover, the development of a new central urban zone guarantees the renewal with tertiary
use and programmed residential zones around the high-speed stations. This regenerator role
has not gone unnoticed for authors such as HALL4, who wonders whether the station can help
the regeneration of the urban centres. This is the case of Germany, where there is evidence of
a commercial strategy in the renovation and privatization of its stations. This guarantees the
role of the redeveloped stations that maintain their location, modernising their installations for
the new railway requirements and orienting the railway space for commercial purposes.
2. METODOLOGY FOR STUDYING THE EUROPEAN HIGH-SPEED RAILWAY
STATION PROJECTS
To understand the subject, a methodology with two aims is envisaged which enables the
analysis first of what type of impact and strategies are developed through a literature study.
The second aim is to extend the analysis to how these strategies are carried out through the
study of particular cases.
To achieve these aims an analysis is proposed to compare six significant cases of European
stations in six different European countries. The analysis of the measures has grouped the
measures into three categories, which are detailed in the following text, based on an initial
study of the strategies developed in France in the Transport Economy Laboratory in Lyon
(LET)5, and adapted for the Spanish circumstances (Ribalaygua, 2004).
La initial information that indicates some guidelines about the strategies followed in France
originated with the French Ministry which in 1989 requested the elaboration of a list of the
possible strategies to be carried out by those City Halls that received an important lineal
infrastructure (highway or railway). The study undertaken by the LET consisted in a survey of
139 cities, of which 36 were affected by the arrival of a high-speed stop, where the measures
4 “Will high-speed rail assist in the regeneration of city centres and other interchanges so that the exodus from cities is
reversed? Only after these and other questions are answered will we be able to conclude that the second age of the train has
actually arrived”. HALL, P. and BANISTER, D. (1994): The Second Railway Age, Built Environment, vol. 19, n 3 and 4, p.157.
5 The Transport Economy Laboratory at the University of Lyon (LET) developed part of the most important studies
commissioned to evaluate the impact of the high-speed train in the French routes. The data referred to are part of an
unpublished study: LET (1989): Guide pour la valorisation des infrastructures de transport.
taken to “enhance the value” of the infrastructure. From the questionnaires filled in by the
City Hall representatives, chambers of commerce and other local organisms, a list of 9
possible measures are reported which are useful in the diffusion of the effect of a high-
capacity infrastructure, corresponding to the distinct action areas.
These data are completed with aspects detected in the bibliography and the comparative
analysis itself of French and Spanish experiences (Ribalaygua, 2004). These measures are
corroborated, and some new ones are incorporated, in a new classification enabling the
identification of strategies in a separate way, not only of the agents involved, but also the
distinct phases of development. This classification separates three types of strategies:
Prevision Strategies
Project Strategies
Promotion Strategies
As far as the prevision strategies are concerned, there is no doubt of the importance of
reserving land, both for the immediate construction of a new space around the station, and for
the future of the city with the creation of growth zones. However, strategies that protect zones
and reserve land for infrastructures providing access or connection with the city centre are
also common.
The project or management strategy for transport and the land foreseen for activities around
the station is just as necessary as prevision. There is no point in having access to a high-speed
line if there is no guarantee of a sufficiently good service for the city in terms of timetable,
frequencies and prices. The urban and interurban transport network also has a fundamental
role in the diffusion of the possible effect. In the same way, the development of activities
around the station will depend on the urban design project foreseen in the management of
land and the characteristics of the proposed projects.
Other key aspects include the promotion measures for the activity zone linked to the station,
as well as different tourism sector activities, economic activities, or the real estate sector,
which list among their strengths the high-speed train. These aspects are therefore included in
the analysis of the case studies.
Once the possible prevision, project and promotion strategies have been identified, a detailed
analysis is carried out of their characteristics and the way in which the distinct agents
intervening in the process are related. This analysis requires a monographic study of six
different countries, in order to obtain a global view of the variety in European strategies.
Through the case studies, the strategies will be understood in greater depth, analysing what
their repercussions and characteristics are and whether they are applicable in the case of
Logroño. It is therefore necessary to analyse the singular cases of each city, although
following a systematic scheme that first of all sets out the particularities of each city and those
of their surroundings, and secondly, the prevision, project and promotion strategies
developed.
The proposed focus combines the formal urban-planning vision with the socio-economic one,
given that it is not possible to decompose the two viewpoints. To provide the most complete
analysis of this urban-planning phenomenon it is necessary to study not only the physical
support, but also the functioning of the activities that are developed there6.
It is therefore necessary to combine the formal analysis with the reality of transport
management, the urban projects with their previous formal reservation, as well as with the
tools and final promotion strategies with the previous processes. All these aspects are
compiled in the reports made in each case. The specific natures of each city, and the
complexity of the urban phenomenon itself, do not allow conclusions to be drawn about the
suitability of one type of model, or to recommend formulas that can solve all the problems,
but only to extract conclusions about the previous experience that can be useful later in local
studies. With these premises, this paper reviews the principal results detected in terms of
prevision and project strategies in the spaces around the high-speed station in the European
cities analyzed in this study.
6 TERÁN highlights this necessity:
“If the city is seen as a field of moving forces, which constantly reorganises itself, or as the economic and social result of a
combination of historical circumstances in dynamic interaction, we are using a very accurate method of understanding the city,
which starts with the consideration of the transformation-provoking elements and highlights the changing, transitory and moving
aspects of its nature”. TERÁN, F. de (2002): “Medio siglo de pensamiento sobre la ciudad”, Discursos de Ingreso en la Real
Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando.
3. PRESENTATION OF THE CASE STUDIES
Six singular cases of intervention in urban projects around European stations in medium size
cities, with a population in their metropolitan areas of no more than half a million people,
have been chosen for analysis. These are the cases of Liege, Strasbourg, Kassel, Cuenca,
Stratford, and Arnhem.
The choice of cities includes very different aspects in the solutions adopted for integration of
the railway lines in the urban area.
The Dutch city of Arnhem takes advantage of the future redevelopment of the railway line
for high-speed services. The strategy of re-designation of the land use in the area adjacent to
the old railway station and the generation of the new station neighbourhood attempts to solve
the existing inter-modality problems.
The UNStudio project with Ben van Berkel as the head attempts to integrate the different
elements under one roof from which two office towers rise (Arcadis-Essent) forming the
World Trade Centre. The proposal includes the reorganization of paths within the station
through a new tunnel and an overhead walkway accessed from the other side of the tracks.
The project also provides a bicycle parking facility and significantly increases the size of the
car park, around 5000 new places in the newly urbanised area where about 150 new dwellings
will be built, as well as 1,000 square metres of cultural installations.
The new Arnhem Master Plan Maestro for the Rijnboog neighbourhood, which extends from
the Central Station to the Rhine, consists in the redevelopment of a degraded area that has
great possibilities for transformation. The project, envisaged initially by Manuel de Solà-
Morales, is divided into two phases, the first with an already approved budget, will take until
2014 and includes the renovation of several sectors through the creation of dwellings and
commercial spaces, the pedestrian connection with Central Station and a controversial plan to
bring the city closer to the Rhine by creating an interior port. The second phase, which will
take until 2019, will undertake the redevelopment of the residential blocks as well as the
pedestrian route linking Central Station with the Rhine footpath that goes to the future marina.
The Strasbourg case is different, as it redevelops the role of its old station through a
complete structural remodelling to enable intermodal connections. The station and its plaza
provide a spatial and visual tribute to the architecture and urban planning of this century.
Situated in the heart of the city, the terminus is placed on the edge of the consolidated city,
providing service for an extended metropolitan area.
The reorganization of the station and its surroundings are part of a urban redevelopment
strategy de renovation that goes further than the physical ambit of the station itself, attempting
to fundamentally improve the access conditions and to promote inter-modality in public
transport.
The high-speed station also proportions a new “centrality” character, as an axis for generating
a development strategy based on construction of new lodgings and activity centres. The urban
transformation strategy throughout 11 km distributed from east to west that, with a total of
250 Has., links the principal development poles of the metropolitan area. The largest
operation is the Strasbourg-Kehl axis, with more than 100,000 m² of new architecture and a
diverse service offer.
Liege, however, proposes a radical transformation in the relations between the city and the
railway station. By breaking the barrier effect created by the railway an attempt is made to
facilitate the relations between the two side s of the historically separate city. Situated
between two different zones of the city of Liege, the Cointe Hill and the Guillemins
Neighbourhood, the station is connected towards the city by a grand boulevard with water and
green spaces. The connection with the city is extended with the creation of a pedestrian
walkway over the river Mosa. The strategic localization of the station permits rapid
connection to the A602 (E-25) motorway which links to the northern E-40 and E-42 ring road.
The urban renewal of the Gillemins neighbourhood is defined by its strategic situation linked
to the new railway infrastructure. The neighbourhood has become a thoroughfare towards the
central station and the reconversion of the zone responds to a strategy of recuperation of urban
quality in the degraded surroundings and has the visual reference of vanguard architecture.
An urban project is under development, whose objectives are to provide diverse public spaces
for pedestrians, namely an open tree-covered square and the previously mentioned bridge over
the Mosa. The reconstruction will approach the urban tissue through new more open
typologies where mixed use can be developed (public and private offices, housing, hotels and
commerce), as well as enhancing the value of the historic heritage, while respecting the
historic structure of the neighbourhood, and the new contemporaneous landscape created by
the image of the Santiago Calatrava station.
In the case of the English city of Stratford, the connection to high-speed services is through
the new intermodal station, which has brought about a scale change in the Greater London
communications structure. Stratford International Station becomes an urban reference of the
complex metropolitan system, greatly improving the offer that will be available in the future
2012 Olympic Village.
Stratford International is a mega-structure that has been created with the intervention of the
public and private sector to redress the urban vacuum among the municipal areas of Newham,
Hackney and Tower Hamlets. The station is situated in the neuralgic centre of this vast space
which, through a system of walkways over the railway lines, enables the interrelation of all
parts of this new urban tissue. The Stratford International area, which is currently a large
unused extension, will be the seed of a new way of urban planning in the London conurbation,
with the recuperation of traditional mixed use schemes.
The Master Plan for the area establishes a structure of permeable occupation, where different
tertiary uses associated with the Olympic Village are concentrated. The infrastructure will act
as a catalyst for regeneration the lower Lea valley promoting new residential development
estimated in 5,000 dwellings, recreation services, commerce, etc.
The Wilhelmshöhe station, in Kassel, provides, like many other German cities, an example of
compact intermodal infrastructure in a mainly low-density residential area. The large pergola
that covers the transport interchange zone creates a referential element within the urban area.
The intervention, compared with other European cases analyzed, is remarkable for its
austerity and its criteria and extension, but it shows great efficacy. The contact of the station
with the public thoroughfare is through a huge pergola under which the interchanges among
the different transport modes take place. The station itself is conceived as a connecting
element between the two sides of the city, both for vehicles and pedestrians.
The subterranean lines of the Kassel station favours rapid access to the station building and
the car park, situated over the platforms.
Beside the station there is a public transport interchange. To improve the circulation in the
area, the tram lines have been brought from the middle of the street to the station access, thus
bringing it closer to the bus lines within the urban transport interchange. Moreover, in Kassel
the Regiotram enables connections to the urban centre and other regional destinations directly
from the platforms.
The connection with the outskirts of the city is guaranteed with an interurban bus service. The
taxi services also use this zone. The Wilhelmshöhe station neighbourhood has recently
culminated with the installation of hotel chains and restaurant services that are providing a
new impulse to the zone.
The Cuenca station provides a new centrality originating with the high-speed localization. In
contrast to the previous cases, this new station is the driving force for a new occupation of
rural land by housing and tertiary activities. It generates a new mega-neighbourhood that
facilitates the connections between the historic city and the high-speed stop. The project,
currently under development, places the station building perpendicular to the train lines and
has a surface area of 3,950 m2. To the northwest, the 303-place car park is parallel to the train
line. The zone public transport parking area in front of the south face of the station has a
surface area of 5,400m2 and is composed of a public plaza, taxi rank and two bays for buses.
The station will have two spaces. The first will contain a hall, the passenger transit zone and a
boarding zone. The second will have the ticket sales zone, public information point and
commercial premises. The project recommends sustainable building with solar panels to
obtain hot water and geothermal energy for climatization.
The General Urban Plan, approved in 1997, is the current town planning standard in Cuenca,
although in 2006 the Municipal Planning Scheme was submitted to public information. In the
new plan an extensive re-designation of land use is proposed, in terms of surface area, so that
the residential land is extended from the consolidated city to the limits of the HSR train
station, near where a large number of economic activities are also being generated. The
proposal has been rejected by various public and private bodies. At present and due to this
conflict of interest, a new town planning document has not been re-submitted.
TABLE 1. TERRITORIAL AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC SITUATION OF THE CASES
STUDIED
Distribution of the
sectors in the
activity of the
province (%)
Year of first services
TAV.
Nº de lines of HS. /nº
líneas noTAV
Nº de passengers/year in
station (year))
Population municipal area
(year source)
Population metropolitan area.
Surf. km² municipal area
Surf. km² metropolitan area.
Agriculture
Industry(*)
Tertiary
STRASBOURG 2007 8/13
15,000,00
0 (2009)
276,063
(2007,
INSEE)
474,524
(2007,
INSEE) 78.26 304.01 2 29 69
ARNHEM 2002 2/10
14,600,00
0 (2009) 143,582
(2008, CBS)
306,230
(2007, CBS) 101.53 373.16 4 38 58
STRATFORD 2009 1/18
2,500,000
(2009)
111,484
(2001,
Census)
250,000
(Newham) 36.22 36.22 39 13 54
CUENCA Foreseen
2010 2/2 - 54,600
(2008, INE)
217,363
(2008, INE) 1712 17.061 2 30 68
KASSEL 1991 7/18
6,400,000
(2009)
193,392
(2007)
239,373
(2007) 106.81 1292.4
8 1 44 55
LIEGE 2002 2/16
13,140,00
0 (2009)
190,102
(2008, INS)
750,000
(2008, INS) 69.39 265 4 25 71
(*) The % of the construction sector has been incorporated into the secondary sector.
The individualized details described summarise the main characteristics of the cities and their
stations. From a contextual analysis of the territory and the urbana rea where the station is
located, to a broader study of the decision parameters and the strategies of infrastructure
planification, urban project and their new opportunities.7
7 For a complete vision of the details of each city studied see Ribalaygua C. and García F., 2010. As well as the
aspects described, in those cases where it was detected, the analysis of the promotion activities for tourism and
business investment are also included, although this aspect is not the object of analysis here as it is not common
in all cases.
4. RESULTS
The analysis of the variety of solutions found enables some conclusions to be drawn with
respect to the relations between city and high-speed railway station. The most outstanding
aspects refer to the strategies in terms of prevision and project, which include the localization
of the station, the reservation of land and the solutions in terms of image and urban linking
around the station.
The decisive factors in the configuration and impact of the activity spaces linked to the station
are of two possible types: on the one hand, factors to do with the physical or socio-economic
situation of the nucleus and, on the other hand, factors related to the strategies that accompany
the arrival of the high-speed train.
Thus, among the aspects analyzed in each case we can distinguish two groups of factors that
intervene in the definition of the urban project:
Intrinsic or structural factors about the station and the city:
- situation of the city in the network
- localization of the station
Extrinsic factors or factors created with the accompanying strategies:
- connection with other modes of transport
- mitigation of the barrier effect
- consolidation of an urban image
These aspects, along with some specific cases of urban promotion of the city, have been
identified in all the European cases as key factors in the configuration of the urban project.
Tables 2 and 3 synthesize some parameters that were useful in the comparison of the cases
studied.
a) Intrinsic or structural factors about the station and the city
Situation of the station in the network
The situation of the station in the hierarchy of the railway network implies the potential of the
station as a connection and gives an indication of the importance of the station in the national
or even international context.
Table 1 shows the interconnection with other lines, which is common in European countries,
and demonstrates the enormous rail node in Strasburg, a city in the European country with
most experience in high speed. However, this “dimension” of the area of influence of the
station in terms of potential travellers does not necessarily correspond to the physical
dimension of the urban project, or to the importance that the focus or the decisions in the
project may have in the urban surroundings. Thus, we can see that in the Strasbourg case,
despite having 15,000,000 travellers a year (2009)8 and interconnection with 8 high-speed
lines and 13 regular lines, it is the city that programmes the smallest intervention in the
surroundings of the station.
The Kassel case shows the inverse situation: a station where 6,400,000 passengers come per
year (7 HS lines de AV and 18 conventional lines in the station), has foreseen a urban
actuation around the station that will reach 46,000 m2, with usages related to residential,
commercial and service areas, of which 7,700 m2 correspond to the station building.
Nevertheless, the passenger attraction capacity of the station in many cases relates to the
regional radius of influence. In this sense, the transport service offer with an irrigation effect
in the territory augments the demand of both HS and regional transport lines, which
increments the importance of the number of passengers utilizing the railway station and so the
improvement in the service offer. This is a self-feeding strategy which is advantageous both
for the railway company and local and regional interests which can optimize access to the new
network.
Localization of the station and planned usage of its surroundings
The placement of the station determines the possibilities of actuation, not only related to the
above-mentioned opportunities for regeneration, but also related to profitable land use and
economic benefits. In the case of rehabilitation of central areas, despite the urban renovation
being conditioned by pre-existing factors, their effects have a greater effect on the whole city
than on the stations that are on the edge of the city or in the periphery.
This is the case of Liege, where they plan an urban restructuring with offices (public and
private), housing, hotels and shop in an area of 140,000 square metres. This is a clear example
of the use of the new station for the transformation of the station neighbourhood, and with it
8 Source: SNCF
so too the urban structure. A similar case is found in Arnhem, where the arrival of the HSR is
accompanied by the remodelling of the Southern Neighbourhood (Rijnboog), with 30,000 m2
planned for areas for residences, offices and equipment and the creation of a marina.
The stations on the edge or in consolidated zones at some distance form the urban centre
enable the development of the surroundings without existing conditioners. In this way, the
land use is freer, although the positive repercussions for the city are less direct. The case of
Stratford is of this type, with an integral plan whose goal is the renewal of a currently
residential and tertiary neighbourhood, with an orientation toward new installations and urban
growth associated with the Olympics.
In the Cuenca case, the station brings about a complete change in the pre-existing state of the
territory, where a rural space will be transformed into a new residential neighbourhood whose
driving force will be the station along with some tertiary and productive activities. In both
cases there will be large interventions on the scales of those cities, although on a different
scale (due to the different scale of the cities: the first in the metropolitan area of London and
belonging to a municipal area (Census) with double the number of inhabitants of the small
Spanish city of Cuenca (54,600 inhabitants), at a distance from the big Spanish cities. In both
cases the operation will involve a large area of land for the intervention, although its
repercussion in the consolidated urban zone is not, at least in the short term, significant.
TABLE 2. LOCATION OF THE STATION AND CHARACTERISTICS OF THE
INTERVENTION
Placemen
t of the
station
Previous
activity
around
the
station
New activities proposed
around the station
Station
buildin
g: new/
reforme
d/age
Year of
first
service in
the
station
Is the
arrival of
HS used
to
transform
the
neighbou
rhood?
Dimensio
ns of the
interventi
on strictly
in the
station
(m2)
Urban
Actuation
around the
station (m2)
STRASBO
URG
Central-
edge
Residentia
l/Tertiary
No new proposal. It is a
consolidated area.
New
and
Reform
ed
2007 Partially 2000 23000
ARNHEM Central Residentia
l/Tertiary
Surroundings with
mixed use. Residential,
offices and equipment,
creation of marina.
New 2012 Yes 4700 30000
STRATFO
RD Edge Residentia
l/Tertiary
Integral plan for
renewal of the Station
area.
New
HSR
station
2010 Yes 8400 500,000
CUENCA Periphery Rural
Plan de Ordenación
Municipal town plan to
be established. Proposal
for extension of
residential and
economic activity area.
New 2011
foreseen No 3950 18,250
KASSEL Central-
edge
Residentia
l/Tertiary
Around the station
residential, commercial
and service areas are
proposed.
New 1991 Partially 7700 46000
LIEGE Central Residentia
l/Tertiary
Urban project for
restructuring: offices
(public and private),
housing, hotels, shops.
New 2009 Yes 32000 140,000
b) Extrinsic factors or strategies developed to accompany the arrival of the railway
Strategies for connection with other transport modes
The interconnection with other transport modes opens up new development opportunities
generated by the high-speed railway. A determinant factor in the success of a station
originates in the intermodal offer of the station and its immediate surroundings.
The intermodal connections have a triple scale: local, regional and interurban. The immediate
access to the local public transport network is indispensable for the optimization of the high-
speed services in the city and the consolidation of a sustainable model. On the other hand, the
regional connections, especially with commuter belt services and transfers to airports, are key
in opening up the area of influence of the station (and with it probably its rail offer). In this
sense, the connection capacity with other interurban destinations contributes to the
consolidation of the station as an activity pole and reinforces the opportunities of the railway
service.
From the analysis carried out, it can be concluded that the majority of European countries
guarantee the interconnection with other modes of transport. Thus, in the cases of Strasbourg,
Arnhem, Stratford, Kassel and Liege, the connection of the HS stations to conventional
railway lines and urban and interurban buses was verified. Moreover, in the cases where the
are other specific modes of transport such as the metro (Strasbourg, Stratford and Liege), the
tram or regional trains (Kassel) or the trolleybus (Arnhem), these services are also linked to
the HS stations.
Except in the Spanish case of Cuenca, it is also frequent to have parks for bicycles, although
there is not always a direct connection with the local bicycle lanes. The number of parking
places available varies depending on the cases, but around a thousand is the most frequent
number. The information about the distances from the station doors to the other modes of
transport can be seen in table 3, where the lack of programmed communication with the
Cuenca high-speed station should be highlighted, as it is still in the project stage.
TABLE 3. STRATEGIES FOR INTERCONNECTION WITH OTHER MODES OF
TRANSPORT
Distance in metres to stop:
Distance en kms .to
Stations and
Airports:
Private
car
places
Bicycle
park?
Dist.
(m)to
cycle
lane
Rail
Metro
Tram
Inter- urban
bus
Urban bus
Taxi
Others
Interurban
bus
Regional
trains
Commercial
airport
STRASBOURG 1000 Yes 160 0 50 - - 100 95 0.750 0 12
ARNHEM 1000 Yes 190 0 - - 120 120 150
Trolleybus
120
0.120 0 86
STRATFORD 1000 Yes No 0 0 20 20 20 no 20 0 9
CUENCA 303 No No 5,000 - 5,000 0 0 5,000 5,000 160
KASSEL 500 Yes 60 0 - 50 50 50 40 0 50 0 15
LIEGE 800 Yes No 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
The station’s role in configuration of the new urban landscape
The high-speed network is intimately related to a vanguard image, in such a way that the new
station represents an opportunity to hook up to the future in the transport context. In this
sense, the railway stations are useful to re-establish an image of the city and of the areas
linked to stations, generally degraded or practically abandoned zones.
The station has been converted into the emblem of change and transformation of a building
that provides a guideline for town planning and architectural development of the surrounding
neighbourhoods. Thus we can see in all the cases that the arrival of the high-speed train is
used to transform the neighbourhood where the station is, with interventions in stations that
range from the 2,000 m2 to the spectacular extension of Stratford, with a project for around
200,000 m2 in the station and 500,000 m2 of urban development in the surroundings.
The Strasbourg central station serves a wide metropolitan area. Its rehabilitation is framed
within an urban renewal strategy that goes further than the physical ambit of the station itself,
attempting to fundamentally improve the accessibility conditions and to promote inter-
modality in public transport. The original German neoclassical station, dating from 1883, has
been maintained with a functional reorganization of the services. The project, designed by the
architect Duthilleul (AREP) establishes a transition from the public space through a large
glass structure of 120 m. long and 23 m. high with a surface area of about 2,000 square
metres.
In the Liege case, the municipal strategy for the recuperation of the urban quality of the
neighbourhood has the visual reference of the vanguard architecture of the high-speed railway
station. The objective is to develop a complementary pole which is competitive with the city
centre which at the same time contributes to the reinforcement of a specific urban image.
This situation is repeated in all the cases analyzed, where the station is much more than a
mere communication space and becomes a symbol of modernity, as can be observed in the
graphic analysis carried out in the document (Ribalaygua C., 2010)
Measures to mitigate the barrier effect
The railway infrastructure, inherited from the nineteenth century industrial development, last
century became a conflictive element in the development of contemporary cities in the
majority of European scenarios. The change to the new high-speed system ma y or may not
generate a substantial modification of the relations among different parts of the city,
depending on the strategies defined in the project.
In the analyzed, it can be observed that on occasions the station itself is the connecting device
between two parts of the city, as happens in Liege, where the historic barrier had an
inaccessible length of 750 metres, which has been drastically reduced with the intervention
provoked by the arrival of the high-speed train, as is confirmed in the graphic analysis.
In Stratford, the creation of overhead walkways also enables the improvement in accessibility.
The initial barrier of more than a kilometre has been bridged by four new crossings that
communicate both sides of the urban area. Once again the strategies that minimize the barrier
effect have been protagonists in the design decisions about spaces linked to the new railway.
Other interventions do not start with a previous barrier state, such as in Cuenca or Kassel,
where a crossing minimizes the communication break between the two sides of the city. In
Arnhem and Strasbourg, however, the intervention generated by the arrival of the new train
has not been used to lessen the historic scar that the railway leaves in the city. In fact, the
kilometre of separation without crossings and the 560 metres in Arnhem are only broken by
one functional crossing.
5. CONCLUSIONS
The arrival of the new train line to a nucleus provides an opportunity for increased dynamism
in a space that generally has a high localization value but also has problems inherited due to
the scar of the nineteenth century railway. The current situation of centrality of the railway
stations enables the City Halls to develop projects that integrate the new mode with other
existing transport systems and so to guarantee an efficient use of the new accessibility
conditions.
In the analysis carried out of systematic studies of cases of different European countries
common patterns can be observed related to the purposes of interventions. In the first place, a
direct relation can be seen between the city’s “intrinsic” factors and its situation in the
network, and the potential impact of the station in the city. Added to this starting situation,
three types of common strategies or “extrinsic” factors can be highlighted: the configuration
of the new landscape or image, the designs that favour inter-modality and those that break
down the barrier effect. The projects analyzed and the quality of the proposals depends on
these three variables. Although the previously mentioned localization factors condition the
strategies the cities adopt, the City Halls have the possibility to develop them or others that
enable the optimization of the arrival of the high-speed train to the nucleus.
6. BIBLIOGRAPHY
AA.VV. (2000): Les oportunitats del Tren d’Alta Velocitat a Lleida. Publisher Pagés, Lérida.
AMAR, G. (1999): “Gares, coeurs de la ville”. Annales des Ponts et Chaussées, nº 89, pp. 39-
42.
ASSOCIATION DES VILLES EUROPÉENS (1992): TGV, Aménagement du territoire et
environnement. Les Villes TGV, BIPE Conseil, París.
BELLANGUER, F. (1991): Le TGV Atlantique au Mans, à St-Pierre-des-Corps, Tours et
Vendôme: opportunités, acteurs, enjeux. Université de Tours, Maison des Sciences de
la Ville, Tours.
BERG and POL, (1998): The European High-speed train and urban development.
Experiences in fourteen European urban regions. European Institute for comparative
urban research - EURICUR. Erasmus University Rotterdam. Ed. Ashgate
BERTOLINI, L. and SPIT, T. (1998): Cities on rails. E&FN Spoon, London.
BIEBER et al. (1991): Effets du TGV sur les villes. Contribution à la reflexion. Ministère de
l'Équipement, du Logement, des Transports et de la Mer. Direction de l'Architecture et
de l'Urbanisme, Service Tehcnique de l'Urbanisme, París.
CERTU (1998): Évaluation des transports en commun en site propre. Méthodes
d’observation des effets sur l’urbanisme et le cadre de vie. Ed. Centre d'Études sur les
réseaux, les transports, l'urbanisme et les constructions publiques, París.
FARIÑA, J., LAMIQUIZ, F. and POZUETA. (2000): Efectos territoriales de la implantación
de infraestructuras de accesos controlados. Colección Cuadernos de Investigación
Urbanística, nº29. Instituto Juan de Herrera, Madrid.
GARMENDIA, M., DE UREÑA, J.M., RIBALAYGUA, C., LEAL, J. and CORONADO,
J.M. (2008): “Residential behaviour and housing dynamics in isolated small cities
served by high speed train”, European Urban and Regional Studies, pp: 43-77
HALL, P. and BANISTER, D. (1994): “The Second Railway Age”, Built Environment, nº 3-
4, vol. 19, pp.157-162.
LET (1989): Guide pour la valorisation des infrastructures de transport. Laboratoire de
Transports. M.R.A.S.H., Lyon. Unpublished Working Document.
MANNONE, V. (1995): L’impact regional du TGV Sud-Est, 2 vol. (dir. BERNARD
BARBIER). Unpublished Thesis. Unversité de Provence.
MASSON, S and PETIOT, R (2009): “Can the high speed rail reinforce tourism
attractiveness? The case of high speed rail between Perpignan (France) and Barcelona
(Spain)”, Technovation, nº 29, 611-617
OFFNER, J-M. (1993): « Les "effets structurants" du transport : mythe politique,
mystification scientifique », L'espace géographique.
OLLIVRO, J. (1996): “L’ambiguïté des gares. Clé du développement contemporain”. Les
Annales de la Recherche Urbaine, nº 71, pp. 34-44.
OLLIVRO, J. (1997): “Les critères spatiaux éléments primordiaux de la contestation à
l’encontre du TGV Méditerranée”. Annales Geographie, nº 593-594, pp. 51-80.
PIÉ NINOT, R. (1998): “La estación del TAV: intercambiador modal y elemento de nueva
centralidad Urbana”. III Congreso de Ingeniería del Transporte, Barcelona, pp.1193-
2000.
PIETRI, J. (1990): “Consequences economiques et urbaines du TGV”. III Congreso
Intenacional de la Association Mondiale des Grandes Métropoles. Metropolis' 90.
Melbourne, 15-19 October. Societé d'Économie Mixte de Massy, Massy, pp. 255-324.
PLASSARD, F. (1990b): “Transport et distribution spatiale des activités (cas d’infrastructures
nouvelles, tunnel sous la Manche completé par des lignes à grande vitesse”, Informe
para la 85º Table Ronde de la CEMT, New Castle, 4-6 abril.
POL, P. (2002): A renaissance of stations, railways and cities. Economic effects,
development strategies and organisational issues of European high-speed-train stations.
TRAIL Research School.
RIBALAYGUA C. and GARCÍA, F. (2010): Proyectos urbanos en torno a estaciones de alta
velocidad: la experiencia europea. LIF 2002
RIBALAYGUA C. (DIR.) (2007): Ferrocarril de alta velocidad y Territorio: actas de la
Jornada franco-española. Cuadernos de Ingeniería y Territorio. n. 10. UCLM.
RIBALAYGUA, C (2006): Nuevas estaciones periféricas de alta velocidad ferroviaria:
estrategias para su incorporación a las ciudades españolas Colección Cuadernos de
Ingeniería y Territorio, n 5. Universidad de Castilla- La Mancha, Ciudad Real.
RIBALAYGUA, C (2005): Alta velocidad y ciudad: estrategias de incorporación de las
nuevas estaciones periféricas francesas y españolas. Colección Cuadernos de
Investigación Urbanística, n 42, Instituto Juan de Herrera, UPM Madrid.
RIBALAYGUA, C. (2004): Evolución de las estrategias de incorporación de la alta
velocidad ferroviaria y sus efectos urbanísticos en ciudades medias francesas.
Aplicación a los casos españoles, Doctoral Thesis, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid.
SANDS, B. (1993): The Development Effects of High-Speed Rail Stations and Implications
for California. Institute of Urban and Regional Development, University of California at
Berkeley, Berkeley.
SANTOS and GANGES, L. (2002): El ferrocarril en la ciudad: estudio de las ciudades
medias españolas. Unpublished doctoral thesis, 2 vol.
TERÁN, F. de (2002): Medio siglo de pensamiento sobre la ciudad. Real Academia de Bellas
Artes de San Fernando. Discursos de ingreso en la Real Academia de Bellas Artes de
San Fernando, 17 February, Madrid.
TROIN, J. F. (1997): “Les gares T.G.V. et le territoire: débat et enjeux”, Annales de
Géographie, nº 593-594, pp 34-50.
UREÑA, J. M., CORONADO, J.M., ESCOBEDO, J.M. and MARTÍNEZ, A. (2002): Estudio
de los efectos de la línea de Alta Velocidad Madrid-Sevilla sobre la movilidad, el
sistema territorial y el desarrollo regional. Estudio sobre el sistema territorial y el
desarrollo regional. Unpublished study in collaboration with TYPSA.
UREÑA, J.M., RIBALAYGUA, C, CORONADO, J.M. and GARMENDIA, M (2009):
“Situaciones y retos territoriales de la Alta Velocidad Ferroviaria en España”. Ciudad y
Territorio-Estudios Territoriales, Vol. XXXVIII, n. 148, 2006, pp.397-424.
UREÑA, J.M., MENÉNDEZ, J.M., GUIRAO, B., ESCOBEDO, F., RODRÍGUEZ, J.,
CORONADO, J.M., RIBALAYGUA, C., RIVAS, A., AND MARTÍNEZ, A. (2005)
“Alta Velocidad ferroviaria e integración metropolitana en España: el caso de Ciudad
Real y Puertollano” EURE, 92: 87-104.
UREÑA; J.M. and RIBALAYGUA, C. (2005) La red española de alta velocidad ferroviaria:
una aproximación a su estado actual, Transports Urbains, n. 106, pp. 3-10.
VAN DEN BERG, L. and POL, P. (1998) The European High Speed Train and Urban
Development. Ashgate, Burlington.
WILLIGERS, J. (2006): Impact of high-speed railway accessibility on the location choices of
office establishments. Unpublished Doctoral Thesis. Utrecht University
WOLFRAM, M. (2003): Planning the integration of the High-Speed Train. A discourse
analytical study in four European regions. Unpublished Doctoral Thesis, Stuttgart.
ZANIN, P. (1994): “Le TGV est-il un atout pour une ville souhaitant s’itégrer dans le résau
des agglomérations fraçaises? Essai méthodologique d’évaluation d’un aménagement
du territoire à partir de l’expérience de Mâcon-Loché”. Intervención en el Colloque de
Mâcon sur les villes moyennes, Mâcon.
