Eco Friendly Railway Station Open to the Public
THE transformation of the Accrington railway station in Lancashire U.K. into a comfortable, eco-friendly facility fit for the future was celebrated with an official opening ceremony this week.
The improvements have been funded by Lancashire County Council, Hyndburn Borough council and Network Rail drawing on money from local business development and the Interreg IVB European funding programme. Among the first of a new generation of ‘Eco Stations’, the station features solar panels to supply electricity and hot water, toilets flushed with collected rain water, cycle parking facilities, and improvements to the car park and footbridge.
It has been constructed using locally sourced recycled materials and designed to fit in with the town centre conservation area while retaining the station’s heritage character.
The station was opened to the public on October 18, but was officially opened this week on Thursday 9 December by Councillor Malcolm Pritchard, the Mayor of Hyndburn, County Councillor Tim Ashton, Lancashire County Council’s Cabinet member for Highways and Transportation, Kathryn O’Brien, Interim Area Director North for Northern Rail and Anke Mollers from the Interreg IVB Secretariat.
County Councillor Tim Ashton said: “The new Accrington Eco Station is not just a facility fit for the future but provides a real welcome to the town.
“The new station is safe, warm, airy and comfortable and provides a range of improvements for rail passengers. The primary aim of the new station building and improved interchange facilities is to encourage more people to use the national rail network and to make it more accessible and eco-friendly.
“I hope future developments will link the station into other transport networks including pedestrian and cycle routes, the proposed new bus interchange and local road networks linked to the new Park and Ride.”
Kathryn O’Brien, Interim Area Director North for Northern Rail, said: “We’re delighted to be a partner in this pioneering project. Accrington’s new station provides much improved facilities for passengers and incorporates the latest environmental developments.
“The new Eco Station is based on an environmentally friendly design which is sustainable and reduces energy consumption and CO2 emissions. New features include solar electric, solar hot water and grey water recycling as well as locally sourced materials to reduce construction related carbon emissions.
“A further innovative feature of the project is the inclusion of a learning centre as part of the new station building. We are also hoping to work with the local community to see if there is potential for shared community use of the new building.”
The station has already achieved an A rating for its Energy Performance Certificate and has received a BREEAM ( Building Research Establishment – Environmental Assessment Methodology ) “excellent” rating.
The Interreg IVB programme promotes trans-national solutions to Europe wide problems, including the need for sustainable transport and environmentally friendly public facilities.
Further details about the building’s design and sustainability features can be found in the design report www.eastlancashirecrp.co.uk/stations/accrington
Notes to editor:
The station project has cost around £2m to build, including demolition of the old building and works on the platforms and to the foot bridge. It was funded through S106 developer funding, Lancashire’s Local Transport Plan, Department for Transport’s Access for All programme, Network Rails National Station Improvement Programme and Cycling England, in addition to the European Union’s Interreg IVB grant.
The station design team were SBS Architects, Cyril Sweet Quantity Surveyors, Halcrow Yolles Structural and Services Engineers and contractor Strategic Team Group. The station remains in the ownership of Lancashire County Council; a “green lease” puts the building in the care of train operator Northern Rail.
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