HST-Railway Stations as Dynamic Nodes in Urban Networks

In the European Union we observe increased shares of high-speed trains and light rail + metro lines in the modal split of passenger transport. This may suggest a revival of rail transport and of railway station areas. Particularly in the context of the dynamics of urban networks, HST railway stations areas are now being redeveloped into urban nodes. In a number of EU-countries this is stimulated by local governments, but also by national governments. The Dutch government is co-funding the redevelopment of HST railway stations. But in general developers and real estate investors have a decisive role: they determine whether private investments will be made in and around these stations. The development of HST railway station areas is a challenge for public-private partnerships, in which private initiatives and public values will be combined. Modern large urban networks are best served by a multinodal approach, with the development of not one but several big stations, each with its own functional programme and its own special transport features. This prevents overburdening one station where all transport networks (roads and railways) meet. Following the model of Japanese best practices, more synergy could be achieved between urban development, urban real estate development, and the development and operation of transport infrastructure networks