Issue 2 2007, Past issues / 3 April 2007 /
Stations are the gateways to rail systems and they often act as the centrepiece of a city or a region. Their visual appearance and the services they provide are essential to customer satisfaction and have a major influence on the attractiveness of rail.
Stations are a key link in the travel chain and are increasingly developing into meeting points that offer a wide range of shopping and catering facilities, plus a choice of services designed to meet the needs of today’s traveller. From station parking and wireless Internet access to special services for holders of First Class tickets for DB’s long-distance services, customer comfort and convenience are available along the entire travel chain. Stations also play a key role in successful urban development, and German railway stations have come a long way since the beginning of the rail reform. Numerous stations have been rebuilt and modernised. The ‘Renaissance of Railway Stations’ which was presented at the Venice Architectural Biennial in 1996, signalled the start of the revitalisation of attractive travel and service centres. Over the last few years, several construction projects have been successfully completed in northern Germany – such as the central stations in Hanover, Kiel, Rostock and Oldenburg.
The Lübeck Central Station
In northern Germany, Lübeck Central Station is the last major station revitalisation project to be completed within the framework of the station development programme that began in the mid-nineties. The station lacked the requirements of a modern, customer-friendly and barrier-free station and had to be brought in line with today’s standards in order to meet the demands of approximately 320 trains and 31,000 visitors a day. At a cost of roughly €45 million, it is now being transformed into an ultra-modern passenger station. The station had originally been built in 1908, based on a design submitted by Professor Fritz Klingholz of Lübeck-Büchener-Eisenbahn (LBE), to replace the station erected in 1851 near the Holstentor Gate, and became an important stopping point on the ‘Vogelfluglinie’ (flying bird line) that ran from Hamburg to Scandinavia from the 1960s. But it is not only the Lübeck Central Station that is getting fit for the future – the railway infrastructure in the district around Lübeck is also subject to an extensive modernisation programme.
With the reunification of the two German states in 1990, Lübeck moved from the border regions into the very heart of Europe. The railway infrastructure, which had been reduced to a small number of border crossing points, particularly after the Wall had gone up in 1962, had to be rebuilt. Reunified Germany still had to be unified again in terms of its railway infrastructure. Just a few days after the Wall came down, preparations began for a modernisation programme, the likes of which had never been seen before in the history of Germany railways. As early as November 1989, railway employees in eastern and western Germany got down to reactivating and upgrading the key rail links between the two parts of Germany. On 28 June 1990, in a statement on the state of the transport union, the two German ministers of transport presented a programme of nine projects to bridge the existing gaps and, in April 1991, the German government approved the programme of German Unification Transport Projects. A total of 17 ‘German Unification Transport Projects’ covered the upgrading and construction of approximately 2,000 kilometres of track. ‘German Unification Transport Project No. 1’ included the upgrading of the lines from Lübeck and Hagenow Land via Bad Kleinen and Rostock to Stralsund, to link up Mecklenburg-Vorpommern with the European rail network. The cost for upgrading the 242-kilometre line was in the region of €800 million.
Electrification of the Hamburg-Lübeck-Travemünde line has also been planned in order to cope with the continuing growth in traffic volume. The aim is to increase line capacity, reduce travel times, relieve road traffic and increase competitiveness. The project is divided up into six planning permission sections. Approval has been granted for three sections. Electrification is scheduled for completion in time for the timetable changeover in 2008, with double-track upgrade following in time for the changeover in 2009. Improvements that have been planned include doubling the single-track sections on the Schwartau-Waldhalle – Lübeck-Kücknitz line, the construction of a new converter station in Lübeck-Genin and the electrification of the Hamburg-Lübeck-Travemünde line, including the link to the Hamburg freight bypass line and electrification of some sections of the Lübeck docks rail network. As part of the electrification project, extensive work is also to be completed to provide the necessary gauge clearance, thus ensuring that sufficient space is available for the catenary. For this purpose, four new road bridges will have to be built. In other places, tracks under bridges will have to be lowered to make up for the limited height of the bridge structures. Electrification will not only provide the line between greater Lübeck and Hamburg with a much improved link to Germany’s electrified rail network and beyond. Freight transport in the Baltic region will also benefit. In addition to the catenary work required for the electrification project, modifications to the signalling and telecommunications systems also have to be completed. As a result of the poor subsoil conditions in the Schwartau and Trave River basin districts, pile foundations will have to be constructed in two areas to stabilise the track superstructure for a total length of 1.6 kilometres. Grouting is also required for a length of 300 metres to stabilise the subsoil.
In addition to Lübeck Central Station, the railway station at the famous Lübeck-Travemünde seaside resort has been renewed at a cost of approximately €2.3 million. The station, which was re-opened in May 2006, is now spacious enough for the new Welcome Centre of Lübeck und Travemünde Tourist-Service GmbH. A complete facelift of the foyer at Travemünde Beach Station will transform it into a modern, customer-friendly station. The station has a history dating back almost 100 years and the project will also include the refurbishment of the platform roof – part of which has been designated as a protected building. The successful synthesis of historical building and modern facilities has given the beach station a new lease of life and created a delightful showcase of Travemünde. In the foyer, some of the brickwork has been removed from the semi-timbered walls and replaced by large areas of glass. The entire floor of the reception hall has been renewed, while retaining the original pattern, to provide the perfect finishing touch. In close cooperation with the monument conservation authorities, the commercial units have also been redesigned to provide a pleasant overall effect. On an area of approximately 240 square metres, new commercial units have been created and new toilet facilities provided. The new sales concept is designed to provide the customer with a new quality of service. The focal point of the station foyer is the new Welcome Centre of Lübeck und Travemünde Tourist-Service GmbH, covering an area of approximately 200 square metres. It provides a first-class tourist service for visitors to the Baltic Sea health resort. The overall concept, in addition to offering personal advice and booking services, also includes a service area with two Internet workstations and a lounge in which visitors can study the offers and brochures available. An information terminal has also been provided outside the Welcome Centre, which provides round-the-clock access to the information and reservation system operated by Lübeck und Travemünde Tourist-Service GmbH, including important information on Travemünde and the possibility of booking a hotel, at any time of the day or night. The historically protected roof covering the main platform area and the concourse roof have been refurbished. The platforms have been renewed and provided with seating, information display cabinets and litter bins. The lighting and the wayfinding system are also new, and the historical train departure indicator in the tower of the station foyer is in operation again. Each day, approximately 1,600 travellers and visitors use Lübeck-Travemünde Beach Station, which was built in 1912, with approximately 30 trains departing from and terminating at Travemünde daily.
Lübeck Central Station is thus in the middle of some extensive restructuring work being completed by Deutsche Bahn in northern Germany. The client for the station and for all the other construction work carried out on the stations is DB Station&Service AG, which is responsible for the operation of some 5,400 railway stations in Germany. Project management for the modernisation work is handled by DB Projektbau GmbH, which co-ordinates and controls many of the construction projects implemented by Deutsche Bahn AG. The complete renewal of Lübeck Central Station, the planning for which began in 2001, is broken down into three areas:
- The passenger bridge and the associated structure
- The platform hall
- The platforms themselves
The passenger bridge, which is 100 metres in length and spans all the platforms, is to be completely rebuilt and, due to the planned electrification of the Hamburg-Lübeck-Travemünde line, will be raised by approximately 60cm. New commercial units on the bridge are also planned. The 21-metre wide bridge is split into a walkway 10 metres for the sales and service area. Access to the platforms are by the historical staircases. Additional stairwells and wheelchair-friendly lifts that can carry up to 26 persons have also been added.
The entire platform hall, with a length of 130 metres and a width of 85 metres, will be completely dismantled and rebuilt in its historical form using elements approved by the German monument conservation authorities. The roof covering the four halls has a total area of approximately 12,000m2, and over 2,200 tons of steel will be used for the construction of the platform hall.
The four so-called central platforms will be renewed over their entire length of 320 metres each with an access height of 76cm. New seating, a new wayfinding system and a passenger information system round off the entire project. In the process, over 12,000m2 of new platform surface covering will be laid.
The rebuilding of the central station will be completed in 17 construction phases extending from May 2003 until July 2007. In phases 1 to 6a, a temporary arrangement was set up to take passengers across the luggage bridge; the station concourse, the passenger bridge and the track superstructures were removed. The reusable parts of the station concourse and the passenger bridge were stored temporarily in Lübeck Schlutup. In phases 6b to 17, the platforms were removed and then rebuilt, and the platform hall along with its foundations and the façade renewed. In February 2005, work on the construction of the new platform hall, passenger bridge and platforms began. The complete renewal of the central station was conducted, as is usual for Deutsche Bahn, with no interruptions to normal train services, since it is simply not possible to close down a railway station completely during an extended reconstruction stage. The civil engineering concept guaranteed that any 3 of the 4 platforms remained in service even during the reconstruction phase and that train services were organised to ensure that travellers experienced no timetable restrictions. Train stops that varied from one construction phase to the other were a particular challenge in terms of the information provided by the station staff, who handled the situation in an excellent manner. To provide access to the platforms and passenger information while construction was going on, the old luggage bridge was modified and equipped accordingly. The platforms were successively opened to passengers between May 2005 and July 2006. The opening of the platform hall and passenger bridge will take place in summer 2007.
About the author
Matthias Hudaff is responsible for large-scale infrastructure projects in the Hamburg metropolitan region and in Schleswig-Holstein. After completing his studies in civil engineering at the University of Hanover (TU), he was employed with Hamburger Verkehrsverbund, the Hamburg transport association, from 1992 to 1996 in transport planning and optimisation activities for Hamburg’s local transport system. From 1996 to 1998, he was involved in the completion of projects for Hamburg-Consult, including the transport strategy for the city of Bratislava, the integrated bus and rail network in Saarbrücken and the overall transport concept for the Hanseatic city of Rostock. He was head of the technical centre of the North branch of DB Station&Service AG from 1998 to 2000. And from 2000 to 2006, he was Project Manager for Rostock Central Station (€77 million), Kiel Central Station (€30 million), Lübeck Central Station (€45 million) and the S-Bahn link to Hamburg airport (€280 million).
Issue 2 2007, Past issues / 3 April 2007 /
A partnership between FirstGroup plc and Keolis was awarded the franchise to provide inter-city and inter-urban passenger rail services to major cities and towns across the north of England, with also the management of 30 stations from 1 February 2004.
As part of its franchise commitment, TransPennine Express (TPE) undertook to deliver:
- Improved passenger information systems to include real-time updates
- Improved CCTV coverage, helping to achieve British Transport Police’s Secure Station and Safer Parking accreditations
Other franchise commitments included a £250m investment to replace the rolling stock, and a £12m station refurbishment programme. The redevelopment of Hull Paragon Railway station into a multi-modal transport interchange was also undertaken in conjunction with Hull City Council.
A few statistics on these stations may help to provide an insight into the scope of the task.
Seven stations are unmanned and 10 stations required local council Listed Building Consent before any alterations could be made. 12 stations had a basic Customer Information System (CIS), none of which afforded any local control. Nine stations were served by automatic train running information i.e. Train Describer (TD) feeds. 26 stations had a manual PA system, with the majority being operated via a Long Line PA (LLPA) agreement from other stations. 13 stations had a very basic CCTV system and there were no Help Points at any stations.
In order to fulfil our commitments, a number of questions needed answers:
- What visual display technology, and in what numbers, should we employ at each of the stations?
- How could we improve real-time reporting of train running information?
- Could we employ self help technology, especially at our unmanned stations?
- How far could we automate the customer information provision along with PA?
- What CCTV coverage was required at each of our stations in order to achieve Secure Station and Safer Parking accreditation?
We enlisted the assistance of consultants, ‘expert’ suppliers, British Transport Police and our own staff, as well as advice from local rail user groups.
Core CIS requirements included:
- Best-in-Class for functionality and reliability
- In addition to TRUST and TD feeds, the system should use additional real-time train running data from other sources such as GPS or Train Mass Detectors (TMD)
- Next Train Indicator (NTI) LED displays on every platform
- 32” Flat screen monitors for indoor locations providing real-time summary information
- Meet DDA requirements for the visually impaired
Core PA requirements included:
- Automatic linking of the announcement to message displayed on CIS
- Announcement can be heard throughout the station
- Zoning so that announcements can be restricted to parts of the station such as individual platforms, concourse etc
- Ability to make manual announcements locally and from remote locations
- Limited noise pollution for our neighbours, business and residential
Core CCTV requirements included:
- Help towards achieving BTP’s Secure Station and Safer Parking accreditation.
- All images recorded at a minimum of 4 fps, and retained for at least 31 days.
- General coverage of the station and car park.
- Enhanced coverage of entry, exit and pinch points within the station and car park.
- Particular coverage of Help Points, bicycle storage and waste containers.
- Each camera location covered in the field-of-view of another camera.
- Ability to view images both locally and remotely.
- The ability to support, at a later date, software for Intelligent Analysis such as suspicious behaviour and potential suicides and Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR).
Core ‘Help Point’ requirements included:
- Being linked to a CCTV system so that the voice link is accompanied by a CCTV image in the Control Room
- Location of the Help Points determined by factors such as manned/unmanned, accessibility to staffed areas, and general information requirements
The ‘Help Point’ requirements must be taken into account for the two types of systems offered, which include:
- The ‘Basic’ system with two buttons; ‘Emergency’ and ‘Information’ that will establish a voice connection with our Operations Control Room in Manchester
- The ‘Interactive’ system with the features of the ‘Basic type’, and additionally a touch sensitive screen to allow self help to information on local area, train running and planning
Choosing the supplier and setting up the project
Due to the unavailability of suitable drawings of the station and car park it was necessary to undertake an extensive survey at every station so that the location of individual items of the system could be planned. These surveys were non-intrusive so would not accurately reflect any buried containment or services.
These survey drawings were developed into 2D CAD models for each station and appropriately structured observing the UK Construction Industry’s recommendations for Best Practice for CAD Data and Information exchange. This approach is consistent with TPE’s committment of Continual Improvement and became the focal point for all our planning and communication of implementation ideas to external agencies as well as our own staff.
The station 2D CAD models are consistent with BS 1192 part 5 which enabled defined workflow for each station to control individual CAD layers indicating the location of CIS screens, PA zones, Cones-of-View for CCTV, and positions for Help Points overlaid on the station plan derived from the site surveys. These were key documents within the Invitation To Tender (ITT) enabling the prospective suppliers to evaluate risks accurately and offer their best value proposition as a consequence. The requirement for ongoing maintenance and support to a specified Service Level Agreement (SLA) to the end of the franchise, 31 January 2012 was added to the ITT
The station 2D CAD models were subsequently used as the basis of the various consent applications including Station Change, Landlord’s Approval and Heritage Consents significantly reducing costs and reducing lead times in the subsequent Project Initiation stage.
The scope of the ITT was further extended to provide a WiFi network capability at each of the stations to provide similar information to the interactive Help Points for our customers, as well as a mobile facility for our staff.
A positive decision was made to combine, in a single activity, the implementation of CIS, PA, CCTV, Help Points and WiFi, thus reducing disruption to our customers at the stations.
The ITT was issued in August 2005 under Official Journal of the European Union (OJEC) guidelines.
Proposals were received from six potential suppliers. A preferred supplier was selected in December 2005. Following due diligence, a contract for supply, implementation, and maintenance until the end of the TPE franchise in January 2012, was signed with Transmitton – a Siemens company, in March 2006. This contract stipulated an extremely ambitious nine month implementation, to complete before year end.
In addition to the Transmitton aspects of the project, further items needed to be undertaken, which included:
- Creating a new desk within the Operations Control Room for the control of CIS and help Point management
- Reorganising the station management structure to reflect seven ‘Hub’ stations for local CIS and CCTV control
- The upgrade to (or the provision of new) 2Mb/sec data communications links to all 30 stations. In some cases, such as the Control Room, the links were upgraded to 8Mb/sec
- To prepare and manage the Network Rail requirement for Station Change
- To prepare and manage Landlord’s Approval from Network Rail
- To prepare and manage Listed Building Consent from local councils
- The supply of Network Rail train running data from TRUST and TD feeds
- The acceptance of the system by our staff
- Training of our staff from stations and Control Room
- The recording of all the voice segments necessary for all the automatic announcements, using the ‘Voice of TPE’ (Selected via an internal competition for an employee voice to be used for automatic announcements on stations and trains)
- The integration and cooperation with the station refurbishment programme
- The design and implementation of the interactive interface and associated data for the Help Point.
With the re-development of Hull Paragon Railway Station into a multi-modal Interchange incorporating both rail and bus, it was agreed to extend the CIS, PA CCTV and Help Point system to be deployed in the railway station to cover the Bus Station. Bus departure information would be displayed on both summary screens, as well as Next Bus departure screens at each of the 42 bus bays.
Project Initiation
A joint project was set up comprising of TransPennine Express (the customer and its consultants), Transmitton Ltd (contract holder and CIS supplier) and Siemens (main contractor to supply and install). Detailed survey and design by Siemens/Transmitton was drawn up to produce input into:
- Station Change
- Landlord’s Approval
- Listed Building Consent
The survey revealed electrical power capacity problems in a number of stations.
The use of Network Rail infrastructure during the implementation phase was avoided as much as possible, with only two stations requiring the use of an Under Track Crossing (UTX).
We needed to deal with two different regions of Network Rail; London North West (LNW) and London North East (LNE), who use different processes to validate the detailed design which is part of Landlord’s Approval.
Waterman Sustainable Energy Ltd, a Network Rail approved structural engineer, was appointed to validate Transmitton’s detailed design before submission to Network Rail for Landlord’s Approval.
On-station meetings were held with local Conservation Officers to obtain mutual understanding of heritage requirements before formal submission of an application for Listed Building Consent was made via Network Rail to the local council. Most Conservation Officers require that any additional equipment should be made as unobtrusive as possible; whereas we had a security and well-being requirement, as well as the deterrent factor, for CCTV cameras and Help Points to be visible. These on station meetings proved invaluable in obtaining compromise and understanding.
The level of detail on submitted documentation required for the approvals and consents was underestimated, and caused delay to the schedule of work, particularly in obtaining site access permissions. The positive side of that however is that once that access was gained, the site works benefited from the detail exercised with swifter works and few installation snags.
The project was registered with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), as per CDM Regulations, and a Planning Supervisor was appointed.
The first stations selected for implementation were identified as Kendal, Northallerton and Scunthorpe, as they were representative of all the TPE managed stations.
The planned implementation sequence placed those stations requiring Listed Building Consent (Ulverston, Grange-over-Sands, Huddersfield, Dewsbury, Middlesbrough, Malton, Scarborough, Selby, Hull, Cleethorpes) at the end due to the extended time required to obtain such consent. A further station which required a sensitive approach, with local authorities, was Carnforth. Carnforth is a tourist attraction and was the location for the filming of ‘Brief Encounter’ in 1945.
Project implementation and benefits
All equipment has been installed in 23 stations; the remaining stations are awaiting Listed Building Consent from local councils and will be completed when these permissions are granted.
CIS and PA
We envisage have enhanced train running information, even at those stations previously having a basic CIS. Our aim is to feature robust and accurate real-time information on train travel available to all our customers and staff at all our stations, especially when the station is unmanned. Multiple sources for CIS data, especially our TMD implementation has enhanced the accuracy of customer information in areas where previously its accuracy was dubious. Reasons for delay are consistent, and follow the Network Rail definition model. Supplementary information on safety, disruption, replacement services etc can be displayed and announced; this includes automatic safety and security messages. The PA system is set up so that individual platforms, concourse and Booking Hall may be addressed collectively or individually. Automatic PA announcements have enhanced the delivery of visual CIS information. Manual announcements can be made locally, from Hubs and Control Room as necessary for any situation. The use of ambient noise sensors attached to the PA system and automatic brightness sensors connected to the displays has allowed the overall noise and light pollution to be kept to a minimum, which is especially important where we have business and residential neighbours.
Help Points
We have not yet activated the interactive facility on our Help Points. We have investigated the use of Help Points in use within other Train Operating Companies. The activation of a Help Point button presents a real-time CCTV image of the customer on a screen at the Control Room. Our current, voice only, operation of the Help Point is instrumental in our deciding what information to make available via the interactive features that best serves our customers. In the near future, our interactive Help Point facility will at least provide detailed real-time train journey planning, station facilities, local bus and taxi information, as well as details of local attractions, and possibly customer feedback features.
WiFi
A Wireless (WiFi) network has been installed in each of our stations as an extension to the stations Local Area Network (LAN). This WiFi can be used by TPE staff for general Information System (IS) requirements, as well as for the use of operational mobile devices deployed for platform staff. Previously, communication was via the use of GPRS/3G. In the future, we intend to offer our customers access via their mobile devices to the information available on the Help Point. With a possible extension later to a general WEB browsing facility.
CCTV
The implementation of CCTV at our stations has made a major contribution to TPE obtaining BTP Secure Station Accreditation at 23 of our stations, and Safer Parking Accreditation at 16 of our 26 station car parks. Images from the cameras at a rate of 12? frames per second are stored for a minimum of 35 days. Our use of CCTV is registered under the Data Protection Act 1998 for the safety and security of staff and customers, as well as for the monitoring of customer service. The stored images can be transferred to DVD for use as evidence of any on station incident. The real time images from the cameras have been offered to local council city/town CCTV monitoring facilities to aid the tracking of incidents from/to station to/from city/town centre. Use of CCTV and stored images is managed and controlled by TPE for monitoring/review of safety and other operational incidents, as well as for the monitoring of the operational day-to-day running of our stations. We fully expect that the deterrent value of CCTV cameras, as well our close liaison with BTP with any incident will have an overall reduction in crime and security incidents within our stations.
Control Room
Significant changes have been made to the operation within our Manchester Control Room. This was basically an internal function but has now been extended to a direct interface with our customers. This interface affected by messages to CIS displays, manual PA announcements, and the answering of queries and emergencies from the Help Points.
Hubs and Satellite Stations
Organisational change in the management of the stations, with the concept of Hub and satellite stations, has provided a greater interaction and thus enhanced information flow for local staff. With local control of CIS in Hub stations, and Manchester Control Room, we get a consistent view of train operations across TPE. With Hub stations already having a local relationship with Network Rail signal box operatives, data input to the CIS is more accurate and robust.
General Benefits
High quality 2D CAD models for each station including a dedicated ‘As-Installed’ layer which will be used as the starting point for future investment at stations, modification and maintenance of the CIS & CCTV scheme and thereby contributing to overall life-cycle costs – a key aim of the project. Power capacity at all the TPE stations has been reviewed, and upgraded where necessary. A preventative maintenance regime is in place, for the full term of TPE’s franchise, which ensures equipment does not fail to provide the level of functionality defined within ITT. A corrective maintenance provision with a Help Desk is also in place for the full term of TPE’s franchise.
Overall, the implementation of CIS, PA, Help Points, WiFi and CCTV, along with other franchise commitments is seeking to make travelling on TPE safer, more reliable, with accurate and up to date information. As First Group would simply say; “Transforming Travel”.
About the author
Ian Benger started with TransPennine Express some six months before the start of the franchise, in order to set up the IT/IS infrastructure. His role as a project manager was extended to managing the delivery of particular franchise commitments. He has had previous senior roles at Compaq, DHL, Securicor and ICL
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