Network Rail is inviting proposals to reimagine some 2,000 small and medium stations to create a new rail system connected to the community in the recovery of the coronavirus pandemic.
It is urging applicants in the contest to “interrogate the meaning of the term ‘station’ through the design process”.
Ideas should suit a wide range of different suburban and rural contexts and respond to the changing character of society and variety of existing experiences at stations.
Documents for the tender in the Official Journal of the EU said: “Coronavirus has shaken up our way of life from which, along with the climate and ecological emergency, the recovery process will demand a profound shift in the way we behave in order to provide a secure future for future generations.”
The deadline for submissions is 15 September. Following the initial design submissions Network Rail will select six winners to move onto a second phase to develop concepts.
Participants in the first phase will receive £5,000 as an honorarium payment, with those in the second phase receiving £20,000.
Network Rail also has a partnership with London and Continental Railways to redevelop larger sites around UK stations for housing, with 16 active sites and the potential for £2bn in development.
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