National station improvement funds
A partnership between industry, local authorities and other stakeholders as prerequisite to bid on government-funded station and development projects with a high return on investment.
Government-funded programmes are applied to improve railway stations, typically of national strategic importance. The selection of funded stations is based on the submission of bids by local authorities. It can provide commercial arrangements at the interchange. The choice of services provided to the customer should be assessed carefully following a business case. Different funding criteria are set out, providing the basis for which stations are eligible for funding and for evaluating in which areas financing takes place.
| NODES strategic objective | Contribution |
|---|---|
| Enhance accessibility and integration | ++ |
| Enhance intermodality | 0 |
| Enhance liveability | 0 |
| Increase safety and security conditions | 0 |
| Increase economic viability and costs efficiency | 0 |
| Stimulate local economy | + |
| Increase environmental efficiency | 0 |
| Increase energy efficiency | 0 |
Good practice
The Edinburgh Glasgow Improvement Programme (EGIP) is a comprehensive package of improvements to Scotland’s railway infrastructure. A Scottish Government priority, the £742m EGIP is being delivered by Network Rail and includes modernisation and upgrades to key junctions and infrastructure as well as widespread electrification of the Scottish rail network, including the main line between Edinburgh and Glasgow and to Stirling and Dunblane. Three completely redeveloped stations are financed this way – Cumbernauld, Haymarket and Queen Street
As part of the package, Edinburgh Haymarket Station is being reconstructed in a £27m project. Handling four million passengers a year, Haymarket is Scotland fourth-busiest station and passenger numbers are expected to reach 10 million by 2025.
The works that started in Spring 2012 include:
- Refurbished station building
- New modern concourse to the west of the existing building
- Access bridge, with lifts and escalators to all platform levels
- New platform canopies
Work on the bridges involving rebuilding 18 structures and removing two redundant bridges, and track work on lines around the central belt are all in preparation for the future electrification of the railway.
Potential interchange performance improvement
Comprehensive framework and funding mechanism for improving transport interchanges, guaranteeing long-term funding streams. Infrastructure projects related to interchanges can range from car parks and park-and-ride schemes to new retail space and station redevelopments.
Improved station design, operation and services can provide better access and a smoother journey experience to passengers.
Resources
The costs are low for this tool. The only costs that have to be incurred are for writing the funding proposal.
References
Access for All programme –https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/access-for-all-programme
Edinburgh Glasgow Improvement Programme (EGIP) http://www.egip.info/
Edinburgh Haymarket Station http://www.networkrail.co.uk/EGIP-Haymarket-station.aspx
Network Rail Station Commercial Project Facility http://www.networkrail.co.uk/aspx/12458.aspx