Plans to turn a Dutch railway station into a vibrant public transport interchange have been welcomed by regional officials, as the scheme moves closer to implementation.
As part of the Citizens’ Rail project, the Parkstad Limburg city region in the south of the Netherlands has made improvement plans for three regional train stations. From the very beginning, the plans have been created in partnership with inhabitants and local businesses.
One of the stations is in Nuth, a small community of 16,000 inhabitants along the intercity line between Eindhoven and Heerlen. The station is served by regional trains only. The Nuth plan includes creating an interchange between bus and train, bringing the bus route to the railway station.
It also includes a crossing to connect people to tourism opportunities, leisure activities and neighbouring communities to the east, and measures to enhance the station’s facilities and attractiveness. It will incorporate creative suggestions from international students who came together to discuss the station at a Citizens’ Rail masterclass in 2013.
The plan has now been discussed with local government for the Nuth area and with the province, which is responsible for regional rail. The province has welcomed the initiative and regards the plan as a very good example of an interchange in line with their vision on public transport interchanges. Together the three parties have decided to take the next step forward. This will involve creating a more detailed plan and mapping out phases for implementation. The first measures, which will form part of Parkstad Limburg’s work within Citizens’ Rail, will be realised in 2015.
Read more about Parkstad Limburg’s work as part of Citizens’ Rail.
