Citizens' Rail

Category: Aachen

  • Travel survey underway across four countries

    Travel survey underway across four countries

    Local residents in each of Citizens’ Rail’s partner areas are being surveyed about their day-to-day travel to help inform future transport planning.

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    Thousands of flyers are being distributed in each partner language encouraging people to take the short survey, which can also be accessed at these links:

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    UK (Devon) | UK (Lancashire) | Nederlands | Deutsch | Français

    The survey investigates the forms of transport that people use in their most frequent journeys, their awareness of rail services, factors that would encourage them to take the train more often, and their level of interest in getting involved in future improvements to stations and services.

    The exercise forms part of an academic evaluation of the Citizens’ Rail project, led by RWTH Aachen University and UCLAN.







  • Eilendorf community event gets residents involved

    Eilendorf community event gets residents involved

    As part of Citizens’ Rail, approximately 50 local residents in Eilendorf (in Aachen, Germany) attended a community engagement event in October to have their say on potential improvements to their local station.

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    Eilendorf station has considerable access issues – if passengers want to get from one side of the track to the other, this currently involves a long walk to the nearest bridge in one direction or tunnel in the other. Representatives from Citizens’ Rail’s German partners (Stadt Aachen, AVV and RWTH Aachen University) gave presentations setting out four options for improvements to the station (see visualisations below).


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    The presentations are available (in German) in the Dokumente section of Stadt Aachen’s Eilendorf station page. Residents then had the chance to ask questions and give their own views on each of the four options.

    The main reaction from the community was that they welcomed the chance to get involved in planning the improved station at this early stage. Personal safety at the station emerged as a high priority. The options with the best visibility (the first and second slides above) were residents’ favoured options as a result.

    [icon size=”14px” color=”#d42053″ background=”#ffffff” radius=”0px” type=”icon-circle-arrow-right” spacing=”0px” /] Visit our Eilendorf page to find out more about the project and next steps for improving the station.


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  • Transnational masterclass

    Transnational masterclass

    Students from all four of the Citizens’ Rail partner countries came together in Heerlen in the Netherlands and Aachen in Germany for a two-day masterclass to learn, collaborate and generate radical new visions for local stations.

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    The masterclass on Monday 7th and Tuesday 8th October 2013 included site visits to stations including Nuth, Aachen Eilendorf and Aachen West. The 48 students (from Plymouth University, the University of Central Lancashire, L’Ecole de Design Nantes Atlantique, Hogeschool Zuyd and RWTH Aachen University) came from a range of disciplines including geography, tourism, design and civil engineering. They formed four international multi-disciplinary teams to create impressive visions for improvements to Nuth and Eilendorf stations (PDFs):

    [box close=”false” color=”#36A9E1″ icon=”” ]Eilendorf
    Blue team[/box]
    [box close=”false” color=”#93c01f” icon=”” ]Eilendorf
    Green team[/box]
    [box close=”false” color=”#d42053″ icon=”” ]Nuth
    Red team[/box]
    [box close=”false” color=”#F29100″ icon=”” ]Nuth
    Yellow team[/box]

    The students also benefited from thought-provoking presentations from Prof Martina Fromhold-Eisebith (RWTH Aachen University), UK-based community rail champion Paul Salveson and artist Michel Huisman, the man behind the spectacular “Maankwartier” redevelopment of the nearby Heerlen station.

    The masterclass was organised by Citizens’ Rail partners RWTH Aachen University, the City of Aachen, Aachen Transport Authority (AVV) and Parkstad Limburg.


  • 8 out of 10 want to be involved in planning their local station

    8 out of 10 want to be involved in planning their local station

    Students from RWTH Aachen University have uncovered strong public support for a new station at Richterich, with 80% of those surveyed eager to be involved in the project’s planning.

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    660 local residents were consulted through face-to-face interviews and online surveys during July 2013. The 10 students asked what level of participation people wanted to have in the new station project, as well as their preferences regarding destinations and the choice between the North and South variants of the plan.

    Findings

    [icon size=”14px” color=”#D42053″ background=”#ffffff” radius=”0px” type=”icon-chevron-sign-right” spacing=”0px” /] 71% said would use the train (because it would be quicker than the bus and more convenient).

    [icon size=”14px” color=”#D42053″ background=”#ffffff” radius=”0px” type=”icon-chevron-sign-right” spacing=”0px” /] 21% said they would not use the station (due to anticipated delays and being satisfied with the existing bus service).

    [icon size=”14px” color=”#D42053″ background=”#ffffff” radius=”0px” type=”icon-chevron-sign-right” spacing=”0px” /] 80% wanted to be involved in planning the new station.

    [icon size=”14px” color=”#D42053″ background=”#ffffff” radius=”0px” type=”icon-chevron-sign-right” spacing=”0px” /] The students found that it is the youngest and oldest residents who rely most heavily on existing public transport in the form of the bus service.

    [icon size=”14px” color=”#D42053″ background=”#ffffff” radius=”0px” type=”icon-chevron-sign-right” spacing=”0px” /] It is estimated that 1000 passengers would use the new station per day.

    [icon size=”14px” color=”#D42053″ background=”#ffffff” radius=”0px” type=”icon-chevron-sign-right” spacing=”0px” /] People’s highest priorities for the station’s design are shelter, good bus connections and personal safety.

    [icon size=”14px” color=”#D42053″ background=”#ffffff” radius=”0px” type=”icon-chevron-sign-right” spacing=”0px” /] Other priorities include greening and noise protection for local residents.

    [icon size=”14px” color=”#D42053″ background=”#ffffff” radius=”0px” type=”icon-chevron-sign-right” spacing=”0px” /] There is an even split between those wanting a station with modest features but that is quick to realise, and those wanting a more comprehensive station that may take longer to build.

    Find out more about the project to develop a new station in Richterich.