Guidance for promoters

For promoters of both lines and stations:

• Our Department for Transport-endorsed guide Expanding the Railways: How to develop and deliver a proposal (or click to download it), published jointly in February 2017, will help stakeholders and campaigners navigate the process of gaining agreement to a new railway line or station and is a must-read..
• Earlier guidance was published in June 2009 by the former Association of Train Operating Companies in "Connecting Communities - Expanding access to the rail network".
• Make use of the cross-industry Better Value Rail toolkit - Delivering better outcomes faster.
• A DfT-approved SOBC - see DfT guidance - is the essential pre-requisite to enter the Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline (published March 2018). Schemes have then been shown at different stages of progress; see RNEP update (published October 2019).
• The Rail Safety and Standards Board has developed a Rail Social Value Tool and a Sustainable Rail Blueprint.
• E-Rail's Land Value Capture model can monetise the added value of rail-connected growth to help finance rail schemes.
• Connecting Communities - Expanding Access to the Rail Network published in June 2009 by the former Association of Train Operating Companies.
• Beeching in reverse – the case for a programme of line and station re-openings by Paul Salveson of the Transport Research & Information Network, published September 2001. Part-sponsored by Railfuture.
• Branching Out: Railways for Rural Communities - A good practice guide by Paul Salveson of the Transport Research & Information Network, published June 2000. Part-sponsored by the Railway Development Society.“
• The Social Consequences of Rail Closures by Mayer Hillman and Anne Whalley for the Policy Studies Institute, no. 587, published April 1980.

New stations

New stations are generally sponsored locally, rather than by central government. Potential sponsors include:

• Combined Transport Authorities / PTEs
• Local authority (generally county council or unitary authority, which has the strategic responsibility for transport)
• Train operator
• Network Rail

In the majority of cases, new stations are funded by a partnership, such as local authority, train operator and developer. Government support has been available for such an approach through three rounds of the New Stations Fund since it was launched in 2013. Although not known when there might be another bidding round, the Guidance note for applicants for the previous bidding round remain relevant for promoters.

New Station Guidance was published jointly by Network Rail and Highways England on 17 September 2020, concentrating on new parkway stations.

New stations can be expensive, and recent examples range from £2.2m for a single platform unstaffed station, to £44m for a full length two platform station with overbridge and lifts. This means that they generally require significant numbers of daily journeys if they are to be justified. Network Rail showcased Maghull North as an example of how to accelerate delivery.

• Make use of the cross-industry Better Value Rail toolkit - Delivering better outcomes faster.
• The PDFH (Passenger Demand Forecasting Handbook) has been problematic in forecasting accurately -see "Station Usage and Demand Forecasts for Newly Opened Railway Lines and Stations - SDG report April 2010."
• Connecting Communities: framework assessment of new station opportunities on Western Route - a Network Rail Wales & Western Region report, first published in July 2024, re-published with minor corrections in November 2024.

Potential sources of funding include:

• Combined transport authorities
• Developer
• Landowner, through Land Value Capture
• Local authority
• Transport Scotland (in Scotland)
• Welsh Government (in Wales)

Criteria

1. New station projects need a business case, a sponsor and funding.
2. A new station will normally only be considered if it fulfils a new opportunity (such as a housing development or business park) or helps to deal with a transport problem (such as acute traffic congestion).
3. Location:
   • Accessibility, space for car parking if required and the physical constraints of the site.
   • Proximity to bus routes.
   • How would pedestrians and cyclists access the station?
4. Operational:
   • What trains would serve the new station? Is there a local service that could stop there, for example, or does the line only carry fast trains?
   • Do the existing trains have capacity for the new passengers, or would more rolling stock be required?
   • Can the timetable be modified to include the additional stop? What effect would this have on turnround times and the rolling stock requirement?
   • Would the signalling be affected? For example, would the new station be close to a level crossing?
   • Is it on a gradient, or a curve?
5. Planning and consultation:
   • Is a station within the local strategic transport plan?
   • How will it affect the local community?
   • What stakeholder engagement has taken place?
6. Commercial:
   • What is the likely level of demand? Have surveys been undertaken?
   • Will the new station also abstract passengers from nearby stations?
   • What is the nature of the demand (commuting, educational, leisure?)
   • Could the demand be met more cheaply in other ways?
7. Value for Money (VfM):
   • Station projects are tested against the Department’s normal appraisal criteria – WebTAG which compares benefits and costs discounted over the life of the project, the benefit:cost ratio (BCR); affordability is another consideration.