During the reconstruction of the railway stations, attention was paid to passenger logistics not only for suburban communications, but for far away cities as well. For example, the reconstruction project of the Paveletsky Train Station provides for direct transfer from passenger trains to the subway station.
In addition, it was decided to develop the commercial component of stations. The head of the communications management sector of railway stations for Russian Railways, Dmitry Pisarenko, announced that the amount of commercial areas at the Kursk Station, which is the “first robin” of the reconstructed stations, was 24% of the total area. "We applied the practice of trust management. This experience will be transferred to all the other stations," said Dmitry Pisarenko. Already in August of this year, at the Kazan Station, a 9th hall will be commissioned, where a shopping center with boutiques of famous brands will be located (the investor - Reyalvey Service) and a food court. The Leningrad Railway Station is also undergoing internal alterations, having its infrastructure equipment adapted for a food court.
According to experts, all the stations are of interest to developers in terms of being multifunctional projects, especially in the retail segment. Stations are located in places with a good stream of people, and close to the train stations office projects can be implemented. However, in the case of Moscow, there is a complexity here, because all stations are located in the central part of the city, and city authorities are limiting the construction of new office buildings here.
"The Paveletsky Station is much better situated in this area, and its construction, together with the development of Dubininskaya Street looks more attractive as an investment project. In the absence of large shopping complexes in the neighborhood, there will be great demand for retail real estate here,” says the head of strategic consulting at Jones Lang LaSalle, Yulia Nikulicheva.
However, according to the expert, building up the Paveletsky Station will require an underground project underneath the station. Initially, the project called for the construction of an underground multifunctional complex of 120,000 sqm (including parking areas). After the change in the leadership of the city, this project, as well as the construction of the area under the Tverskaya Zastava and Pushkin Square, was reviewed. It was decided to reduce the amount of commercial areas of the underground MFC at the Paveletsky Train Station. These were reduced to two levels (20,000 sqm), and the parking lot, on the contrary, was expanded to hold 1,250 vehicles.
It is quite a different situation around the Riga Train Station. This station will not be widely used for commercial purposes, said Dmitry Pisarenko. Minimum commercial areas will also be in the Savelovsky Train Station, as only commuter trains run there and people enter the platform directly from the subway. Nevertheless, infrastructure for tenants will be created. "For which segments this will be - the market will decide. Most likely, it will be printed materials and fast food," said the representative of Russian Railways. All commercial areas of the stations, given to investors, will come with the rights of subleasing.
After its "refining", a station could become a center of attraction for other developers, said Yulia Nikulicheva. The successful implementation of such projects has been seen in international experience, especially in the United States, Great Britain and Germany. For example, the development of the King's Cross Station in London began with the creation of an MFC. "After this, the authorities began to attract developers and investors for the development of offices, hotels and apartments in the surrounding territory. Today in this public-private partnership venture, all of the areas around King's Cross have found their developers," says Yulia Nikulicheva.
However, in talking about the modernization of railway stations, we should mention one more thing, one no less important than the others. During the reconstruction and development of stations into MFCs, one cannot do without the city authorities, and this cooperation may require endless coordination.
