A great interest in Jernhusen´s development of Stockholm’s central station area – the parallel commission can start

In Swedish

In mid-February, the work will begin on shaping a new part of the city on a covering of the track area at Stockholm Central Station. Many challenges remain before the project can be realized, but this is an important step towards the next phase in the planning process and the project.

Jernhusen owns the Central Station and the track area between Kungsbron and Vattugatan. The urban development project Centralstaden includes covering the track area and building on top of it to create a representative entrance to Stockholm and Sweden. It houses a developed Central Station and exchange point for sustainable modes of transport, urban spaces and activities that attract more people to visit and meet, as well as more workplaces and housing. The development enables up to 10,000 new jobs in Stockholm’s most attractive location, which in turn can generate an additional up to 40,000 new jobs in the region.

– Centralstaden is an important project, not only for Jernhusen but also for Stockholm and Sweden. Eight out of ten of the country’s train journeys pass Stockholm C. The development of the Centralstaden provides both conditions for increasing Sweden’s train capacity and creating better sustainable travel. At the same time, it is a big urban development project in the heart of Stockholm, which provides fantastic opportunities to increase the attractiveness and security in this part of the city, says Kerstin Gillsbro, CEO of Jernhusen.

The four selected teams of architects and specialists are given an extremely complex task. Through a so-called parallel architectural commission, they will provide proposals for the entire planning area’s structure, functions and overall architectural design. The area’s physical conditions, the fact that 80% of Sweden’s rail traffic operates the station, and the national interests in cultural heritage and communication are important constitute a framework for the commission.

– The teams have been chosen with care based on their skills, their understanding of the specific challenges and the team’s organization and collaboration structure, says Anna Bergström, responsible for the parallel commission at Jernhusen.

The selected teams combine strengths within all mentioned areas. Particularly, they stand out regarding originality and references in architecture and heritage, public space, stations- and mobility design or landscape architecture, expertise in sustainability and structural engineering. They also displayed a reassuring understanding of specific challenges in the construction phase, among other things through international experience from similar development projects and finally, credible, and robust team constellations for a long-term collaboration with Jernhusen.

The teams consist of constellations of several companies and all teams are international with local connection through Swedish expertise with solid knowledge of the history of the place.

The parallel commission formally starts in mid-February and then the teams have an intensive work ahead of them. It is carried out independently on the basis of a program and in dialogue with the assessment group, which includes representatives from Jernhusen, the City of Stockholm and the Swedish Transport Administration.

The final proposals will be delivered after the summer. The assessment group then appoints the proposal that will form the basis for continued work with the consultation documents for the new zoning plan and thus also the team that will continue to work with Jernhusen during the first stage of the realization of the zoning plan.

The opportunity to cover and develop the entire area also presupposes that Stockholm Central’s future train capacity can be secured. Increased travel and expanded railways around the country increase the pressure in Stockholm and it will soon be crowded here. The capacity space created at the railway station after Citybanan was put into operation is expected to be consumed before 2030. Both future train travel and the development of the area are therefore dependent on investments for increased capacity being included in the next National Plan for the transport system.

The pandemic is currently limiting the opportunities to travel, but the development of the station and the area will take many years and we are confident that trains will continue to be the most sustainable means of transport in the future.

– We must not miss this opportunity to develop Sweden’s railway hub – waiting will mean major disruptions for all passengers and significantly higher costs, explains Daniel Markström, regional manager at Jernhusen.