African Railway Centre of Excellence (ARCE)

Master’s Program in Traction and Train Control

Railway Systems Planning and Operations Management
Assignment I
Perform a case study on an international best practice in railway station
design, construction, operation and management (Wellington Station,
England)

Name: - Woldie Kassie ID GSR/7216/14

Submitted to: - Mr. Anteneh
Submission Date: - July 4, 2022
Railway Systems Planning and Operations Management
Assignment -I

Abstract
Designing rail transit systems is a complex problem, which involves the determination of
station locations, track geometry, right-of-way type, and various other system characteristics.
The existing studies overlook the complex interactions between railway alignments and
station locations in a practical design process and management. This case study includes the
station scope limit, station design, construction, operation and management of wellington
railway station. This study proposes a comprehensive methodology that helps transit
planners to concurrently optimize station locations, management policy and track alignments
for an all rail transit line international practices performs. The basic concepts, facilities,
operational transits and management of Vision of Network Rail or passenger information’s
the best practices mentioned above in wellington can be used as a reference to design and
build our own stations which identifies our history, culture and artistic values.

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Tables of Contents
Introduction.........................................................................................................................................4
Specific Objectives.......................................................................................................................4
Study Area.......................................................................................................................................5
Station Design......................................................................................................................................5
Station Siting....................................................................................................................................6
Key Challenges in Rail Design........................................................................................................6
Station layout...................................................................................................................................7
Bus connections................................................................................................................................7
Wellington train station facilities.................................................................................................8
Station Construction.........................................................................................................................10
Station Operation..............................................................................................................................11
Intermodal onward travel.........................................................................................................11
Station Management......................................................................................................................12
Future development and Technology.......................................................................................13
Conclusion..........................................................................................................................................14
Bibliography......................................................................................................................................15

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List of Figure

Figure 1 -Wellington Station source Charles Collins, 2015......................................................5

Figure 2 welling railway station map location source www.google.com..................................6
Figure 3 Ground floor plan of wellington new railway station...............................................9
Figure 4 Wellington Architecture @ Wellington Architecture Awards................................10
Figure 5 wellington railway station platforms source @wellington.com................................11
Figure 6 Customer services getting information display @source..........................................14
Figure 7 :- The user interface of the system.............................................................................15
Figure 8 The Three Bridges ‘Eye in the sky’ control desk......................................................15

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Keywords
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority -------- (MBTA)
Bus rapid transit------------------------------------------ (BRT)
Integrated station management system ---------------ISMaS
Long Line Public Address ---------------------------- (LLPA)
Public Address/ Voice Alarms ------------------------ (PAVA)
(Central Business District)------------------------------- CBD

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Introduction
Rail travel has increasing over the years and it has become an important integral part of
people’s lives. The railway station provides the platform for passengers to encounter railway
transport and embark on this rail travel journey. The railway station is defined as a place in
the railway system where a journey begins or ends, or where the passenger switches between
modes of transport. Therefore a station’s overall quality as a visited environment, transfer
point and an integral part of the city is crucial in attracting more public transport passengers.
In order for a station to be able accomplish its purpose it requires a large number of resources
that may include a location, funding, building materials, labour, and energy amongst other
resources that are to be used during the design, construction, operation and management of
the station.
But in order to ensure the that the resources manage to achieve the purpose of the railway
station and simultaneously ensuring their use does not have a negative effect on other related
or non-related aspects of the society a number of internationally accepted best practices are
set that have to be adhered to. Best practices are defined as methods or techniques that has
been generally accepted as superior to any alternatives because they produces results that are
superior to those achieved by other means, or because they have become standard ways of
doing things, e.g., a standard way of complying with legal or ethical requirements. Best
practices are used to maintain quality as an alternative to mandatory legislated standards and
can be based on self-assessment or benchmarking. Therefore this case study seeks to study
the implementation or lack thereof the international best practices in the design, construction,
operation and management of Wallington railway station in London Borough of Sutton in
south London.

Main Objective
To carry out a case study on the implementation of international best practices in railway
station design, construction, operation and management at the Wallington Railway Station.

Specific Objectives
1) Station design c. Transport Integration
a. Site Selection and Layout 2) Construction
b. Environment and Heritage a. Civil Construction works
protection b. Social Impact Assessment

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c. Site Investigation a. Information Accessibility
b. Ticket Purchases
3) Operation
c. Available services
4) Management

a. Organisation Structure c. Mission

b. Vision d. Private/Public

The case study Area

Also known as Bunny Street station or Wellington Central station although not the first
Railway Station in Wellington, the Bunny Street Station is by far the grandest. It has
dominated Wellington’s northern gateway since its opening in 1937. It was constructed at the
climax of an extensive governmental programme to upgrade the city’s railway facilities. The
first station was built at Pipitea Point in 1874.Wellington is the southern terminal of the
Northern Explorer. The station is conveniently located at the heart of the CBD (Central
Business District), which makes the Northern Explorer and excellent way to travel into the
heart of Wellington.
The station’s architecture is more pleasing as it perfectly blends modern style with a respect
for tradition

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Figure 1 -Wellington Station source Charles Collins, 2015

Figure 2 welling railway station map location source www.google.com

Rail Station Design

Planning, designing and building station environments is a complex task, in which extensive
technical systems must work together with the surrounding environment. Many stakeholders
with different responsibilities must also work together toward common goals. The fact that
attractive stations are a success factor for rail travel is also the economic justification for the
fact that everyone working in a station environment, from the train operator to the kiosk
owner, should contribute to the whole. The end results of planning a station are the location,
site layout and appearance of the station. Factors that affect these results include the target
passengers or freight, accessibility and transport integration and the environment and heritage
of possible locations, the available technology and the standards and guidelines. On this
railway station design the planned location was on reclaimed land, test piles were driven in
1928 to test the quality of soil. On the basis of the test results the decision was made to use
Vibro cast-in-place piles to support the structure.

Rail Station Siting

The Site selection involves the process of examining multiple options and assessing their
relative advantages and disadvantages. A railway station is defined as any place on a railway

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line where traffic is booked and dealt with and where an authority to proceed is given to the
trains. Following factors should be considered while site selection for railway station:
a) Drainage: - site should be on a fairly leveled ground and it should be well drained.
b) Water Supply:-There should be plentiful supply for water at the site of station.
c) Future Allowances:- sufficient land available for purpose future extensions both side
d) Gradient:-permissible maximum gradients will obtained without much difficulty. 
e) Location or Horizontal Alignment:-the location of station yards should be is neither
located near a curve nor on a curve.

Challenges in Wellington Rail Design

The design of rail systems is complex. Although many of these complexities are
true for any urban transportation megaproject, certain design challenges such as the
lack of comprehensive design standards, the need to design for very long-term
capacity and operational sustainability, trade-offs and interactions among design
features, and the need for multimodal integration, are unique to the design of urban
rail systems. The four “As” framework considers the impact of the transport project
or policy through the measurement of four attributes from the user’s perspective:
availability, accessibility, affordability, and acceptability explained as follows:

a) Availability refers to the connectivity and coverage of the transport system.

Public transport services are often distributed unevenly across a region, and
lower-income areas often lag with regard to the availability and quality of rail
and bus service.
b) Accessibility refers to the ease with which an individual can access
transportation infrastructure and services available (transportation supply).
c) Affordability refers to the financial and opportunity costs that travel puts on
an individual and the extent to which persons can afford to travel when and
where they want.
d) Acceptability refers to the quality of urban rapid transit infrastructure and
service for the user, including comfort, safety and security, and reliability.

Station layout
Wellington station has two platforms between the three Orange Line tracks the
western platform serves both inbound (southbound) and outbound trains, while the

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eastern platform is used only for outbound trains. It was intended for use by
express trains using the third track; however, the planned extension. The fare
mezzanine is located over the north end of the station. The busway and parking lot
are located on the east side of the station.

Figure 3 Ground floor plan of wellington new railway station

Architecture
Wellington Railway Station was designed to provide an impressive gateway to the
capital city and, despite the subsequent changes to freight and passenger
transportation, the building continues to fulfil that function with an, almost,
unmatched style and integrity. Beyond this space the concourse of concrete arches
and glazed roof are utilitarian in style; the concourse gives access to the platforms
which run from the enclosed U-shape of the main office part of the station. The
internal spaces have particularly fine acoustic qualities.

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Figure 4 Wellington Architecture @ Wellington Architecture Awards 

Transport stimulus
The potential to align the transport accessibility of wellington station with a vibrant
scheme had long been recognised. Various planning policies for large-scale
redevelopment of the area had surfaced in the decades leading up to the master plan
that is materialized. However, the decision in 1996 to move Britain’s first high speed
railway, the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, from London Bunny Street  rail station to
located at the heart of the CBD (Central Business District), which makes the
Northern Explorer and excellent way to travel into the heart of Wellington.

Figure 5 wellington railway station platforms source @wellington.com

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Station Construction
The initial investments in railway construction are massive and long construction
periods are always required. Therefore, it is difficult for modern private companies to
assume the risks in of investing in infrastructure aiming to recover the capital with. In
addition, railway construction comprises of various specialized skills. So usually in
most countries this endeavour is taken upon by governments. To successfully create
the systems that ultimately provide safe, secure railway transportation, organizations
with comprehensive technical capacity must manage all aspects to properly exhibit
each specialized skill, including accounting, contracts, land, civil engineering, tracks,
electricity, buildings and machinery.
The framework of the process planning for a station, new construction or
reconstruction, is based on the requirements of the local planning and building rules
and regulations and follows the formal planning process in accordance with the law
concerning the construction of railways. It is a planning system that is based on the
entire railway facility and its technical nature with all the requirements and restrictions
that the function entails. However, a station, the connection point with the
surroundings and the part of the facility that constitutes the public space have a more
complex planning prerequisite.
A successful approach does not only involve the management of formal planning
arrangements. Informal forms of cooperation also play a major role in creating a
comprehensive approach and achieving shared objectives.
Scope of Works for the Regeneration
 This complicated redevelopment involved:
 Constructing around 1,700 tonne geodesic steel and glass dome over the top of
a England Underground ticket hall.
 Reconstruction of platforms 1 and 4 and shortening of platforms 5 to 9 to
enlarge the concourse.
 A new glass footbridge and escalators serving platforms 1 to 4.
 A new 8 car platform (300m).
 Around 4,000 m² of refurbished office space.
 20,000 m² of renewed main shed roof.
 2,500m² of photovoltaic panels to generate 10% of the station’s power needs.
All this had to proceed without impacting normal station operations.

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The main objective of the project was to provide station capacity to handle projected
peak hour passenger demand within a more attractive retail and transport interchange
environment.
The main outputs were:
 A new western concourse, four times the size of the existing one.
 Wider range and quality of commercial outlets better interchange with other stations
in England.
 Renewed main shed roof to provide better lighting.

Rail Station Operation

Intermodal onward travel
 Buses There are bus stops in streets surrounding the station on wellington road.
 Taxis Accessible taxis are located at the taxi rank situated on wellington Road just
outside of the station.
Impaired mobility set down / pick up points available

 There are 3 disabled spaces with 1 hour parking outside wellington station on each road.

 There is a help point there that can be used to request disability assistance from these
spaces.

 There is a Disabled Meeting Point on the station concourse (near the Customer
Information desk) where disabled passengers coming into the station can be picked up.

Passenger Information Systems

 Information available from staff at the Rail Information Point is located in the centre of
the Main Concourse.

 Departure screens, Announcements, Arrival screens

 Customer help points are available at the platforms and at the taxi rank as well as using
the rail information point at the centre of the main concourse.

 Lost property

Bus connections
Wellington station is a major MBTA transfer station, with service to

 Medford

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 Everett,

 Malden and other surrounding cities.

Accessibility
1. Step free access is available throughout the whole station.
2. Accessible taxis are available at this station, please see below for more
information
3. Accessible ticket machines
4. Induction Loop
Wellington train station facilities
The following are the Wallington station facilities

 Ticket machine  Toilets

 Collect train tickets  Wi-Fi

 Car parking  Seating at the station

 bus services  Tourist facilities

 bike storage  Shops, cafes and cash machines

 step-free access

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Customer Services
Disability assistance is available to and from platforms, the car park and the taxi rank. You
can request this from the wellington Information Point in the centre of the Main Concourse,
station help points or from any member of staff. It is preferred if disabled assistance is
booked 24hours in advance by using the following numbers of your relevant train operator.

Figure 6 Customer services getting information display @source

Station Management

These feeds of information were identified as critical for ISMaS to function.

1) A view of live CCTV from the stations.
2) Access to announcements going out the Long Line Public Address (LLPA)
system.
3) Communication capabilities with the train operator’s platform radios.
4) A feed to monitor train dwell times in each station.
5) A way to monitor platform congestion in each station.
6) A way to monitor any lifts or escalators that are taken out of public use.
7) A way to monitor any fire detection or system failures.
8) A way to monitor the Public Address/ Voice Alarms (PAVA) and any failure or
degradation
9) A way to monitor LUX levels in stations they fall below operational use

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One of the great successes of the project was the intuitive user interface

Figure 7 :- The user interface of the system

Figure 8 The Three Bridges ‘Eye in the sky’ control desk

Vision of Network Rail puts forward in the following way
 Putting Passengers First
 Environmental sustainability priorities
 Minimizing any negative impact on the natural environment.

Future development and Technology

Wellington was a proposed stop on the Urban Ring Project The Urban Ring was to be a
circumferential bus rapid transit (BRT) Line designed to connect the current radial MBTA
rail lines to reduce overcrowding in the downtown stations; it was canceled in 2010. Under
draft plans released in 2008, Urban Ring buses would have used dedicated bus lanes
paralleling Route 16, with a BRT platform in the existing station busway.

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The MBTA plans to extend the south footbridge to the east parking lot and open it as a public
entrance. Three elevators will be added to the footbridge, with the two existing station
elevators replaced.

Conclusion
In general, wellington railway station is a typical model for well thought station design and
service coupled with modernization practices. It is one of the iconic symbols of history and
art for England and this could be used as a standing point for train station designers,
specifically a great deal of experience for our countries’ railway transport system. The best
practices mentioned above in wellington can be used as a reference to design and build our
own stations which identifies our history, culture and artistic values.

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Bibliography
A, A. (2004). wellington railway station managment plan .
Ager, L. (September 2019). Integrated Station Management System (ISMaS). Network Rail.
Arcitects, A. (n.d.). wellington raiway station managment plan.2004.
wellington-shropshire. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.westmidlandsrailway.co.uk.
wikipidia. (n.d.). Wellington_railway_station_(Shropshire). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki.
Davenne, F., 2019. Railway Stations: Boosting the stations, Paris: International Union of

Railways (UIC.)

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