An affordable station
Severe floods in Workington, Cumbria in 2009 destroyed road and pedestrian access between two sides of the town. Rail was now the only viable link to travel across the area.
In response, authorities build a temporary station to reconnect the town in just 10 days. Workington North, as it was named, comprised two 75m platforms, a connecting footbridge and shelter and cost just over a £1 million. It was a simple, quickly assembled structure rather than a permanent build and was closed the following year.
Workington North demonstrates how quickly and cheaply a station can assembled and deployed when the need arises.
A temporary station built in just six days
Temporary station Workington North, build in just 10 days
The costs of permanent station vary wildly. Just what would a single platform short modular station cost at Newburgh?
20 little pop up stations
In 2017, frustrated at the slowness of new station appraisals, the Scottish Greens proposed deploying temporary modular 'pop-up' stations to test passenger demand, suggesting it was a more accurate way to determine passenger numbers than hypothetical guesswork modelling.
The idea was first suggested in a report commissioned by the Scottish Greens back in 2017. it was one of a number of ideas made in response to the party's concern that no new rail projects had been proposed by Transport Scotland since its inception back in 2012.
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​​Consultants Allan Rail were commissioned to propose project ideas. One was to install a test or pop-up station at 20 sites across the rail network. They could generate
real-time data on how many people actually used the station, when they used it and with additional research why they were using it.
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Real data versus educated guesswork?​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
The popup was a very practical alternative to the frustratingly slow STAG* appraisal process used by Transport Scotland to assess the viability of a proposed station. A key element of the appraisal is modelling passenger numbers. Some argued that at best this is just well considered, educated guesswork. Some argue the model is prone to error.
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In January 2023, the Beattock Station Action Group, campaigning to reopen a station in Dumfries, had their business plan (STAG) rejected by Transport Scotland. The group, local businesses and politicians hotly contested the outcome with particular criticism of predicted passenger numbers.
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A real station would generate a far more accurate picture of use and reasons for use
Simple modular popups
Modular rail stations are pre-fabricated, factory-built, designs. They are cheap, easy to assemble and environmentally friendly when compared to standard station design. Today, modular design methods are an integral part of Network Rail station builds.
A popup station could employ this now a commonly used design method used by Network Rail. The station is a 'bare bones' halt with one or two short platforms, a ticket machine a shelter, an led timetable and full access and for all.
If the 'test' concludes with a positive outcome, the modular popups can stay in situ and be expanded to provide a proportionately-sized permanent station. If passenger figures are low then a modular popup can be easily removed and deployed elsewhere.
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20 sites were identified across the network. Some were already been promoted by station campaigners as a good site for a station. Others were selected based on nearby population figures and socio/economic growth forecasts.
Most sites were in rural or semi-rural locations - areas often distanced from rail travel even when train lines runs close to or even through their communities.
*STAG stands for Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance
A popular idea with Government
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The pop up station ideas was broadly welcomed by the Government. Finance secretary Derek Mackay later agreed to consider a new “pipeline” fund of up to £2 million to develop new stations and lines. Transport Scotland stated they were aware of this proposal and were giving it consideration.
No pop up station were ever deployed in Scotland​
In 2024, in Dumfries, the campaign for a new station at Beattock, the site of a proposed popup station, was controversially rejected by Transport Scotland. The decision has been heavily criticised by local business, politicians and the Beattock community. The figures presented in the decision for passenger growth was hotly contested.
Perhaps if the popup station had been used a more accurate figure could have been reached.
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Time to reconsider popups?
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The climate crisis, is promoting the government to encourage more sustainable travel . It wants more car drivers to switch to rail and in Scottish urban environments, comprehensive train and bus transport systems are being developed to provide for this. But for the 17% of people living in urban or semi-urban regions provision of sustainable travel remains in many places, inadequate. Public service buses, often the only way to get around., simply do not attract sufficient passengers.
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Access to the train network is often limited and this despite many rural communities being close to active train lines. Would having access encourage more car drivers to swap their cars and travel by train? The government and indeed Transport Scotland appear to think so. But with the rail station appraisal process being so desperately slow perhaps it is time for the government to step and revive the idea of the popup station.
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Nearly all new stations see passenger numbers exceed predicted figures. A popup will mostly justify the need for a station and morph into a permanent hugely important means to connect people and bring prosperity to a community.​​​​
The Welsh Government recently unveiled plans to deliver an integrated, high-frequency public transport network in North Wales. The Govt states it will re-energise the region by attracting news businesses and people and encouraging travel by rail.​
The Government will reopen closed stations and creating new ones in employment growth areas. One such area is the Deeside Industrial Park. 10,000 people work at the site which presently is only accessible by road.
​Ken Skates, the Welsh Transport Minister, wants to bring back rail services to the estate. “My proposal is that we bring in a temporary test station, and that will then justify to Network Rail introducing this sort of innovation elsewhere', he said. He sees huge uptake in train travel. “There is incredible potential patronage for a service, if there is a station at the heart of Deeside Industrial Estate. Pretty much everybody on that industrial estate has to drive to work, with no other choice.”
​Skates said having the test station could help Network Rail, that might be wary of “calls from communities across the length and breadth of Britain”.
A test station in Wales​​
Hawarden Bridge