The ‘Future of Station Design’ 2011

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The second ‘Future of Station Design’ conference took place on Monday 16th May at the German Gymnasium Kings Cross, wielding a cross section of those involved with design, development, infrastructure, technology and retail within rail stations.

The conference format included plenty of networking opportunities and a chance for delegates to build relationships with exhibitors who included Codra, UKTI, Cycle365, AMT coffee, Merson signs and CCD.

The program also included a tour of the Atos Origin innovation exhibition which showcased the latest technological advances.

Host Maggie Philbin’s opening address prompted the audience to think outside the box, putting themselves in the shoes of the passenger and testing their knowledge on rail history, passenger trends and habits.

Technological advances will mean innovation in web and mobile solutions, smart ticketing wherever possible, greater intelligence within the self service technology and delivery of the right offering to the passenger.

Anthony Smith’s speech included analysis on what Passenger Focus found passengers want in stations. Topics included the role that staff play in stations versus TVM’s, and how passengers have different priorities depending on the journey and station.

The way the industry manages delays is seen as the biggest single driver of dissatisfaction among passengers and the provision of real-time information on delays is key to improving this perception.

In between speeches there were 4 workshops, themes included ‘Continental Connections’, ‘Station Management’, ‘Retail in Rail’ and ‘Station Design’. Gavin McKechnie spoke on ‘Retail in Network Rail managed stations’ examining the need for growing retail space and enhancing the mix providing the opportunity to grow, dwell, spend and increase revenue.

The workshop debate which followed then sparked controversy as some felt they did not want to ‘dwell’ on their passenger experience.

Other speakers included Julian Maynard, Principle Designer, Crossrail Architectural components who identified the impact design has on the passenger journey process, station environment and the evolution of personal navigation and mobile technology.

Shashi Verma, Director of Fares and Ticketing for Transport for London spoke on the history of station design in terms of ticketing systems and advances through to today’s experience and what we can expect in the future with contactless payment and less of a need for staffing at stations.

This then lead to a heated discussion on station security and the real need for the station safety versus technological advances.

Technological advances will mean innovation in web and mobile solutions, smart ticketing wherever possible, greater intelligence within the self service technology and delivery of the right offering to the passenger.

The conference ended with an awards ceremony with winners including Hiro Aso from John McAslan and Partners who won an award for Outstanding Achievement in Station Design and Construction who was thoroughly pleased to have won the award.

The event was sponsored by Rail Staff and the rail engineer, who were also media partners.

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