Author: Cyril Richert
Network Rail has commissioned Steer Davies Gleave to carry out a study to assess the ‘Economic Value of Investment in Rail Stations’ [1]. The aim of this study is to quantify the local and national benefits from station investment, particularly focusing on broader impacts on regeneration, development, land use and other wider effects.
Steer Davies Gleave has worked alongside Network Rail to identify a number of stations use as case studies for the project. Clapham Junction is one of these stations and a core element of the research is to speak to key stakeholders and discuss:
- The objectives of the station investment scheme, and what impacts the investment has had/will have.
- How the station fits in to the wider regeneration of the local area, including impacts on the property market (e.g. whether there have been, or are expected to be, effects on the type, rate, scale and value of development).
More on the same topic very soon…
[1] Of Network Rail’s £35 billion investment programme between 2009 and 2014, £11.7 billion is to be spent specifically on increasing capacity, either through major projects such as Thameslink (£2.7 billion during 2009-2014) or Crossrail, or through smaller-scale investments including new and longer trains and schemes to lengthen platforms. The scale of the enhancement programme in Control Period 4 (2009-2014) is more than twice that of Control Period 3, covering 2004-09. Whereas enhancement expenditure accounted for approximately 11% of total rail expenditure between 2004 and 2009 it now accounts for 33%. Eddington’s report suggested that transport improvements should be aimed at “tackling problems and shortages”, as these are most likely to offer real benefits to passengers and freight users and offer best value-for-money. (source: Parliament publication)
