On 26. July, EPF took part in a workshop organised by the Ministerial Platform for International Rail Passenger Transport, dealing with the topic of ‘Developing Passenger Hubs for Better Intermodality’.

In order to facilitate international rail passenger transport and inspired by the example of uniformity of international airports (e.g. standard colors, standard signs), UNECE (the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe) is working on the identification of uniform and harmonized technical and service parameters necessary for the definition of international railway passenger hubs (understood as rail stations that provide passengers connections to multiple international and national rail services, to other hubs and to the services delivered by other modes).

EPF, as a ‘sponsor’ of the UNECE work on identifying passenger hubs, was invited to present its views on the topic.

Passengers want a (public) transport system that is affordable, reliable, sustainable and coordinated, with sufficient capacity to get people comfortably to where they want to go at the times they wish to travel, using whichever combination of modes is most efficient overall, in social – environmental – as well as economic terms.

Passenger hub facilities should be attractive rather than appropriate and offer many services such as waiting areas and toilets, information and ticketing, PRM assistance, wireless connectivity, premium and commercial services, safety and security, and customs, passport and border controls. Attractiveness of international railway passenger hubs can contribute to making rail transport the first choice for an international passenger.

EPF’s presentation can be viewed here.