FLUX - Golden Traffic Hub, Swiss Mobility Award

In 2019, the FLUX Prize will be awarded to Stadt St.Gallen, which won over the jury with the general layout of the station area and the extremely careful design, which convinces with high legibility and functionality. The jury attested the project masterly qualities as well as a great performance in the coordination of the involved actors. In the surroundings and in the station itself, the spaces were carefully redesigned, regardless of the large number of stakeholders (six transport companies, SBB Immobilien, SBB Infrastruktur, the city, the canton, the federal government, organizations for the disabled, cab companies, bicycle associations and the stores involved). This resulted in an overall solution that creates a perfect connection between transport, public space and urban development on a large scale. Today, the boundaries between the SBB site and the city's public land are no longer recognizable. The railroad station has been perfectly integrated into the city center of St.Gallen and vice versa.

In the past, the station forecourt was the scene of conflicts and chaotic traffic conditions. The most important decision was to banish car traffic from the square in order to achieve the necessary calm for an efficient, pedestrian-friendly traffic junction. However, due to the small mass of the square, it was necessary to rethink and redesign the structure of the station area and the public transport network.
Notwithstanding an expanded service, the number of bus kerbs was to be reduced. To achieve this goal, lines with final stops at the station were replaced by diameter lines and shared use of the stops by different lines was introduced. Although the public considered the height of the canopies to be too high, only under this condition can the double-decker post buses stop at each edge.

The newly designed square is now crossed daily by an average of about 1`800 buses and 50 trains of the Appenzeller Bahnen (which operate as streetcars). Between 25`000 and 30`000 travelers use this place today to change from the bus or post bus to the train. In addition to this traffic flow, there are about 7,000 to 10,000 passengers who change between the bus and PostBus lines.
Both sides of the station have been designed as pedestrian zones, but car access is mainly from the north side, where 400 parking spaces are available. Car access is also available on the south side as far as the town hall parking garage, and here there are 100 additional parking spaces for users of the interchange.

Two underpasses located under the station facilitate the connection between the neighborhoods on this side and on the other side of the tracks. The west underpass provides direct access to the parking lot, the bicycle station and the newly built St.Gallen University of Applied Sciences, which is ideally located next to the station. The other underpass leads to the Bahnhofplatz, next to the town hall. The passenger has an unobstructed view of the bus station, and the layout is easy to recognize.
easy to recognize. The clever arrangement of the bus stop edges leaves a wide passageway free for pedestrians, and orientation in the station and its surroundings is quite instinctive.

Around 1500 bicycle parking spaces are located around the complex, including in particular two large bicycle stations (one at the end of the new underpass, the other at the foot of the town hall).

St.Gallen is also the first Swiss transport hub to be 100 percent adapted to the needs of people with limited mobility. All bus stop edges have a height of 22cm. Guidance systems for the blind show the way through the entire complex. In addition to stairs, the underpasses leading to the platforms are equipped with either a ramp or an elevator. In the underground spaces, lighting has been carefully designed to specifically reduce restrictions for people with visual impairments. The large number of people with reduced mobility at this location is a clear indication that this group of people feels safe thanks to the renovation measures that have been carried out.The very successful renovation of the historic station building in Art Deco style should also be highlighted.