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STATIONS
SLC Rail is on a journey to help organisations achieve economic growth and sustainable development objectives through the transformative power of rail. Director, Sam Uren, explains more
Driving a railway station revolution
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n an era of evolving transportation trends, SLC believes the role of local railway stations is at a crossroads, and there’s an opportunity as the industry transitions to new governance and structures to transform these stations to provide facilities and services that are bespoke to the area. Over the past decade, SLC Rail has championed this movement, spearheading over 60 rail station projects since 2009, including the successful launch of 11 new stations. Sam Uren, director of SLC Rail, explains the significance of communities having a
bigger influence on their local railway stations and explores the multifaceted benefits this offers.
From architecture to functionality Once hailed for their architectural grandeur that instilled a sense of arrival, the designs of railway stations have evolved significantly. Sam explained: “The 1960s marked a transition from these grand designs towards practicality and standardised nationalised designs, resulting in low-rise structures that lacked the charm and uniqueness of their predecessors.
“The primary objective of a station is to provide a node of intermodal change; while this is not wrong, this should not be the sole objective as stations are and continue to be at the heart of all our cities, towns, and villages and every location is unique. We believe it’s important to design stations that understand the environment in which they sit and hence communicate with the community they serve. With all the station projects we work on, we consider the setting, use and requirement needed for the local area and work around the rules and governance of the railway industry to make it happen.”
September 2023
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