Renaissance of a small railway station
(Rhineland-Palatinate)
Photography: www.monsheim.de
The project "Ecology Railway Station" in Monsheim is a contribution to the identically named initiative by the federal state of Rhineland Palatinate and Deutsche Bahn AG which was started in 1993. In this initiative, railway stations in smaller towns and communities are to be freed of their "grubby" image, converted and enlivened by new utilization. They should be upgraded to potential urban centres and settlement development promoted at the train stopping points. The term "Ecology Railway Station" stands for the exemplary, ecological handling of existing buildings, free areas, water and energy and also promotion of the environmental association - the linking of train, bus, tram, pedestrian and bicycle traffic. A nationwide idea competition in 1994 led to the selection of four communities to take part in the model project: Monsheim, Grünstadt, Bullay and Niederlahnstein. The model projects have been in the implementation phase since 1995/96.
Source: WSW & Partner GmbH Kaiserslautern
At the beginning of the project, the Öko-Institut e.V. in Freiburg created a planning handbook with a catalogue of measures for upgrading the railway station grounds, beginning with the layout of the surroundings and going right on to light management.
On this basis, a framework plan for traffic and construction was established. Various measures had become necessary as a result of the reopening of the Monsheim - Grünstadt railway line. The railway station building was revitalised through new usage (incl. café and shops) and the platforms were altered. The station forecourt received a new layout thanks to the local community, and it was also possible to install a park-and-ride facility, a bus station and a bike-and-ride facility.
Shortly after the conversion, a weekly market opened at the station forecourt. The local bicycle path network was oriented towards the railway station. The redevelopment of a former warehouse into a village community hall is in planning. The development of a new residential area, "Bahnhofsumfeld Ost", is being prepared in a legally binding land-use plan in order to close a gap in urban development between the exisiting residential areas and the railways station grounds. In the opinion of community representatives, the Monsheim railway station has advanced to being an advertisement for the entire region thanks to these measures.
Similar measures were also carried out in the other communities involved in the federal state project. Improvements were made, for example, to the traffic situation. It was possible to convert important railway buildings into market halls or cultural centres. In Grünstadt, a public transport oriented new housing area (as it is called by the project developer) is being built in the immediate vicinity of the railway station. Here, living space with good transport connections, job creation, communal area management, affordable development and communicative planning procedures all play a large role. A solar power system was installed on the roof of Bullay railway station.
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1993 | Public announcement of the federal state idea competition |
| 1994 | Selection of the communities |
| 1995 | Planning handbook "Ecology Railway Station, Rhineland Palatinate" |
| until 1995 | Establishment of framework plans concerning urban development and traffic. |
| starting 1996 | Implementation of individual projects |
Photography: Robert Burger
Photography: Robert Burger
Source: WSW & Partner GmbH Kaiserslautern
This project makes three central contributions to sustainable settlement development: the reactivation of the local railway passenger transport in rural areas, the return of wasteland areas to ecological, urban usage concepts and the renewal of centrally located building stock.
The projekt site ist to be found at postal code: 67590 - town: Monsheim - street: Bahnhofstraße.
Record inserted on 01.06.2003 by Lehrstuhl für Planungstheorie und Stadtplanung, RWTH Aachen and updated by theFederal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR) within the Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning (BBR).
Last update: 20.08.2008
