Page 86 - 360.revista de Alta Velocidad - Nº 6

Baron, Nacima.

1. Introduction

Facilitating mobility within stations entails releasing space to give pedestrians greater freedom
of movement. At the same time, commercial station development is causing an expansion in
retail spaces, prompting two trends: reduction in the space dedicated to pedestrian movement,
reduction in the speed of pedestrian movement (as a result of window-shopping). Mobility and
retail development are therefore inherently contradictory realities, as it may seem (Peters D.,
2009, Cidell J., Pryterch D, 2015). However, Gares&Connexions, the entity that runs France’s
stations on behalf of SNCF, claims not only that commercial development and free flowing
movement within stations are perfectly compatible, but that they are interdependent. The
operator claims that a good pedestrian flow model ultimately makes stations commercially
profitable, and conversely, that good retail spaces impact favourably movement. A rise in user
numbers creates greater consumer demand, with the result that people spend more in stations
(Steinmann L. 2015). Because of this greater commercial intensity, the operator is able to raise
the prices of its commercial leases, and therefore obtain an increase in certain kinds of revenue
(so-called deregulated revenue). This increased funding opens up possibilities of two types.
Either the station operator limits the level of regulated revenues that the rail companies pay
to use a station (this may gradually reduce ticket prices, thereby increasing the modal share
of rail and therefore footfall within stations). Or the station operator can use this income to
expand and modernise the station and thereby improve the conditions of movement (Picard
Rachel, 2013).

Figure 1. Passenger growth and retail development interdependance
The aim of this article is to deconstruct this circular reasoning (figure 1), by observing
the limitations of its real-world implementation. Employing the notions of resizing,
pedestrian flow management, intensification of the commercial value of space and the
“nudging” of traveller behaviour, we explore the spatial principles of railway station

84 360.revista de alta velocidad