THE ROLE OF INTERNATIONAL RAILWAY STATIONS IN AN ENLARGED EUROPEAN UNION

1. THE ROLE OF INTERNATIONAL RAILWAY STATIONS IN AN ENLARGED EUROPEAN UNION Tamás Fleischer Institute for World Economicsof the Hungarian Academy of Sciences http://www.vki.hu/~tfleisch <tfleisch@vki.hu> Background remarks for the draft opinionTEN/214 ECOSOC meeting held in Brussels Rapporteur: János Tóth 9th September 2005

2. The role of international railway stations in an enlarged European Union • Historical background • The new role of the railway stations • The railway station as an inter-modal transport node • The railway station as an inter-face between the rail and the city • Consequences for the enlarged area and the new members

3. Historical background • Periods of the railway: • 1840s to 1910s „golden age of the railways” • 1920s to 1980s „nightfall of the railways” • From the 1980s on „renaissance of the railways” • (Source: Meinhard von Gerkan (1996) Renaissance der Bahnhöfe) • Periods in the transport • Industrialisation – triumph of the rails • Modernisation – domination of the car

8. Historical background Shift in dominance between different modes. Time-to-time a new technology helped to create a new dominant transport mode. Source: Nebojsa Nakicenovic IIASA 1988

9. Historical background Shift in dominance between different modes. Time-to-time a new technology helped to create a new dominant transport mode. Source: Nebojsa Nakicenovic IIASA 1988

10. Historical background • Periods of the railway: • 1840s to 1910s „golden age of the railways” • 1920s to 1980s „nightfall of the railways” • From the 1980s on „renaissance of the railways” • (Source: Meinhard von Gerkan (1996) Rennaissance der Bahnhöfe) • Periods in the transport • Industrialisation – triumph of the rails • Modernisation – domination of the car • Post-modern period – no dominance (‘everything goes’, time for the integration, inter-modality, co-operation etc.) • (Source: Oka, Namiki (1995) The new shape of stations)

11. The new role of the railway stations • The railway station as a node and a place in the same time • (Source: Luca Bertolini (1996) Nodes and places: complexities of railway station redevelopment) • The station as an inter-modal transport nodenode between railways of different direction node between railways of different level node between the railways and the local transport facilities • The station as an activity pole within the city

12. The railway station as an inter-modal transport node • Double origin of the new role • High Speed Train as a connection between bigger distances: railway on a continental scalenew distances, new type of passengers, new importance of these people for the city • Multi-polar suburban space, growing role of the suburban rail growing importance of the integrated urban and suburban transport; transport alliances

13. The railway station as an inter-modal transport node • The station as an access-point of the international networktool for a European identity trans-European norms of inter-modality requirements • The spread of trans-European norms in the new-member countrieseven if the HST is not timely in the new member-states, the access to the TEN-rail network from those metropolises is similarly important. up-to-date railway stations should became the basis of a European transport culture.

14. The railway station as an inter-face between the rail and the city • Changing role of the railway station from single function element towards multifunctional urban poletraditional non-place role begins to disappear (waiting hall)need for multifunctional urban polesthe commercial activity become a financial necessitypositivesocial consequence: there are always people aroundend of city’s turning back to railway stations • The key element: the railway station must be similarly important for the city, as the city for the railwaysthat makes possible the creation of the partnership between equal actors.

15. The railway station as an inter-face between the rail and the city • Consequences for the new member states • There is a pressure on rail companies to sell off their land and/or halls; liquidate tracksThe business perspective tends to count with the value of the land without the rail, while the rail tends to under-estimate the urban position relative to logistic values. • There is also a pressure to liquidate important inner city railway stations for other urban functions

16. The railway station as an inter-face between the rail and the city • Consequences for the new member states • Direct connections between city centres are vital not only for high-speed trains but for all international rails, including all sections of the trans-European transport network. • Development of a dense network of public transport links providing smooth connections between railway stations and all parts of the city is particularly called for in city centres. • Railway stations may serve as mobility and information centres for the different transport modes operating in transport alliance. • Connections should also be developed between city-centre railway stations and the city airport.

17. The railway station as an inter-face between the rail and the city • Consequences for the new member states • It is not the land in itself that is worthy for utilising, but there should take into account both the urban position and the logistical position of the area, in order to ensure maximum long-term gain for cities. • Experience shows that the sharp functional borderline between railway station and urban texture is gradually becoming blurred, and railway stations are emerging as both profitable and attractive public spaces by incorporating a wide range of urban services. • Existing main stations still are not necessarily the best locations for future high-speed train stations. Judging by the most successful instances to date, the best way of combining the energies released by regeneration of the railways and urban development is to establish new urban centres within cities, but as an alternative to traditional city centres

18. THE ROLE OF INTERNATIONAL RAILWAY STATIONS IN AN ENLARGED EUROPEAN UNION THANKS FOR YOUR ATTENTION Tamás Fleischer Institute for World Economicsof the Hungarian Academy of Sciences http://www.vki.hu/~tfleisch/ <tfleisch@vki.hu> Background remarks for the draft opinion of TEN/214 ECOSOC meeting held in Brussels 9th September 2005. Rapporteur: János Tóth