Development of station areas through business cooperation – cooperation models and financing

The management of railway stations will change in the future in almost all station areas. The State Railways company (VR) has announced its desire to give up its 25 station properties, almost all of which are station areas in the member regions of the MAL network. Several municipalities have announced that they are not interested in acquiring and developing station properties. The assignment aimed to promote the implementation of development projects and investments in these station areas in a comfortable and functional way.

The work made extensive use of previously collected material, with the investigation work aiming to tie together the previously formed final results and the additional observations that have subsequently emerged. Although the work focused on examining current models of the multi-functional development of station areas as well as recommendations for their development and for the financing of these development investments, the study was also reflective in nature as it sought to gather together the conclusions produced by previous studies. 

The work consisted of three work packages. Work package 1 analysed the models in use. The goal of the analysis here was find out which investments and measures have promoted growth, usability and the sustainable development goals of the station areas. Work package 2 mapped the practices and opportunities of EU funding in relation to development. In work package 3, a practical plan was formed for the development of station areas and for obtaining EU funding to promote development projects. In addition to MDI’s experts, Jaana Myllyluoma from FCG, who specialises in mapping EU funding opportunities, also participated.