More information

Download our booklet for more examples of the sorts of work that are already underway.

Action Stations

Have your say on the next stop for Britain's railway stations

Action Stations is a new Network Rail initiative aimed at getting you, the people, talking about the future of stations. We’re outlining a 10-point plan for what we believe should guide stations for the next 20 years.

All our stations should aim to Be safe, secure and easy to use Provide the information needed for passengers to plan their journeys Allow quick and easy transfer to other forms of transport Attract people to use the rail network Have a positive impact on the environment	Our managed stations should also aim to Be places people want to work, shop and travel Showcase good British design and safeguard our heritage Provide a hub for other modes of transport Act as a catalyst for the development of our major cities Anticipate the changing and dynamic needs of our passengers

All our stations should aim to

Be safe, secure and easy to use
Provide the information needed for passengers to plan their journeys
Allow quick and easy transfer to other forms of transport
Attract people to use the rail network
Have a positive impact on the environment

Our managed stations should also aim to

Be places people want to work, shop and travel
Showcase good British design and safeguard our heritage
Provide a hub for other modes of transport
Act as a catalyst for the development of our major cities
Anticipate the changing and dynamic needs of our passengers

There are over 2,500 stations in Great Britain, but just 18 – the biggest and busiest – are managed and run by Network Rail. The remainder are ‘rented’ to train operating companies, such as Northern Rail (462 stations), FirstScotrail (343) and Arriva Trains Wales (244).

While the train operators are responsible for the day-to-day running of their stations, Network Rail looks after the fabric of the station and leads major improvements and their long-term future. £2.1 billion has been invested in stations in the past five years while a further £3.25bn will be spent in the next five. And we have exciting plans in place to address the stations where congestion is greatest, as well as plans to open brand new stations.

More escalators and lifts, better access for everyone, new entrances and footbridges, longer platforms and more car parking spaces are just some of the improvements we have made to Britain’s rail stations. We are proud of these achievements and want to continue making your stations and journeys better. That is why we are introducing our Action Stations 10-point plan, to give you the opportunity to have your say on your stations.

The immediate future

Through a mix of Network Rail, Department for Transport, Transport Scotland, Welsh Assembly, train operators and other third party funds, over 2,000 stations will benefit from all the investment being made.

Download our action stations booklet for some more examples of the sorts of development work that is already underway.

This map of Great Britain provides a small flavour of where the benefits will be seen and some of the investment targeted. In addition to these schemes, many other projects are underway to improve stations across the network.

What happens next?

We carried out a series of focus groups led by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and conducted a public survey between 11.11.09 and 11.01.10 to gauge the views of people whom stations impact upon. Over the coming months will will be publishing our findings.