Small passenger stations can be successful

Small stations are the train operator’s sales pitch, a way to influence passenger satisfaction and attract future customers. As ridership grows, small stations are gaining importance as feeders for the wider network, promoting the availability of rail transport and thus helping to increase ridership and revenue. They benefit the communities they serve, increasing mobility, social inclusion and tourism, while the environment benefits when travel is shifted from car to train.

Despite this, small stations have been neglected for decades, whether remote stops in the countryside or the lesser suburban stations. Low passenger numbers mean they have been viewed as relatively uninteresting by infrastructure managers, governments and investors. Costs are simply higher than profits, and there are not enough travellers.

Neglect all too often led to decline, resulting in many problems:

· poor visibility, identifiability, recognisability and accessibility of the station and the trains;

· poor connections to other public transports modes, such as buses;

· low levels of customer service, as such stations are usually unmanned;

· abandoned buildings and an unclean and unsafe atmosphere;

· lack of useful facilities such as car and bicycle parking;

· lack of comfort and shelter.

This leads to a downward spiral, resulting in a further reduction of usage, value for money, and train services. Travellers avoid the small stations, especially at night, and if they have the opportunity they drive to an inter-city station – or worse still, to their destination.

We are faced with the challenge of regenerating these neglected small stations so that we can profit from their potential. After all, the majority of stations are small ones!

First of all we need to define a framework. In this case, the definition of a station is ‘a designated place where trains stop for travellers to get safely on and off the train, and where at least one platform is available’. Notice that we do not define a station as a building, merely a stop that might be just a simple platform. The definition of a small station is somewhat arbitrary: footfall seems a basic criterion, but varies by country and region.

Four factors make a station successful:

· Transport: the quality and quantity of public transport at the station, including trains, buses and trams.

· Embedding: the location of the station, both within the rail network and within the community.

· Assets: the station itself, including the layout, the site, the buildings, the form and the colours.

· Use: the use of the station and its buildings.

If all factors are optimal then the small station will perform well. But a poorly performing transport system, with dirty trains, poor ride quality, an unreliable service or an infrequent timetable will have a negative effect on the station. A station which is badly located in a village or network, that lacks maintenance or has a building that is used for unsupportive functions will not attract customers or perform positively.

The main reason for travellers to go to small stations is the train. Reliability is a basic requirement. Beyond that, the train too must sell the railway, as it provides the ultimate evidence of the network. This means there are two very important requirements:

· the station must be recognisable as a train stop;

· the train must be visible from outside the station.

Many stations have old buildings. These should make a positive contribution to the station environment, to the train operator and to the network as a whole. Unfortunately, many do not. They are unstaffed or no longer use for any community-led purpose. They can disturb the passenger flow, reduce the visibility of and access to the trains, and contribute to a perceived lack of personal security. Indeed it may sometimes be better to have no building rather than the wrong building. On the other hand, renting out abandoned station building for use by supportive third parties such as cafes, offices, art galleries or learning centres will create livelihoods, attract new customers and encourage the presence of the right sorts of people.