What does the future of Nijmegen's station area look like?

In conversation with Councilwoman Harriet Tiemens.

Harriët Tiemens has been an alderman with the municipality of Nijmegen since May 2014. She is responsible for Finance, Sustainability (Climate&Energy), Green &Water and Mobility. Tiemens studied HBO Environmental Science and later Public Administration in Leiden. She then worked as an organizational consultant in business services, helping companies and governments with policy and organizational development. She joined GroenLinks in 1999 and immediately became active in the party. In 2002 she became a council member in the municipality of Rheden. From 2007 to 2014 she was an alderman here.

'Mobility hubs are catalysts for urban area development.'

Nowadays, stations are no longer just places where you come to travel. It is precisely the good accessibility of station areas that makes these places very attractive for all kinds of functions. In the Nijmegen station area we are therefore already seeing many market parties who have realized real estate here or will do so soon. These include housing, but also places to learn or work, retail and catering functions and hotel rooms. In recent years, construction has mainly taken place on the center side of the station. The next few years will also see significant investment on the west side.

What will the west side of the station look like?

Nijmegen is currently the only larger station with only one entrance. Fortunately, that is about to change! Nijmegen, as terminus of the Schiphol Utrecht Nijmegen line, is part of the High-Frequency Rail Transport Program that ProRail is realizing on behalf of the Ministry. Nijmegen station will have an additional platform and the platform tunnel will be extended to the west side of the station. In this way we can create a fully-fledged station entrance here, complete with all associated facilities, such as a bicycle shed and kiss&ride area.

The new entrance will not only ensure that the station will become much easier to reach for the inhabitants of Nijmegen-West; it will also ensure that the west side - now really a back side - will become a very attractive location for real estate development. The first plans for the west side are already in place. The intention is to build a congress center right next to the new entrance, combined with housing and workplaces and small-scale business activity.

What do these developments mean for the station?

We are densifying more and more in the city and we see that the new generation likes to live close to the station. This increasing demand for housing near the station attracts investors but also means that you have to develop mobility hubs along with it. Currently, space in and around the station is on the tight side and logistical problems arise. It is therefore important and in everyone's interest to work with other parties to develop the station area. This will create interaction and connect area development, mobility and economy. After all, a well-functioning station area is not only important from a mobility perspective, it is an important catalyst for urban area development.

Municipality of Nijmegen is the Official Host of the National Station Congress which will take place on January 30 in de Vereeniging in Nijmegen. Are you curious about the plans for the Nijmegen station area or are you curious about what the other municipalities have to discuss in the municipal debate? Download here the National Station Congress brochure!