Development around rail hubs calls for a new way of thinking

摘要

The rising value of property, the lack of developable land and the connectivity of station sites means that over-rail or over-station development (OSD) is an attractive prospect for developers. But the reality of delivering it is often much harder than anticipated. The railway is logistically and operationally complex to work with, so while many OSDs are technically feasible, it is difficult to unlock their commercial viability. Having worked on numerous complex OSD schemes, I see three fundamental engineering principles for every scheme: integration, flexibility and phasing.