The Hague Moerwijk

In recent decades, many authentic and characteristic elements have disappeared in the rail sector through the application of a uniform corporate identity and a systematic approach to everything that has to do with the railway. With this, many stations have lost their relationship with their environment, becoming impersonal and unpleasant; personnel has been replaced by machines and camera surveillance suggests a certain safety on platforms that are not necessarily perceived as such. At odds with this development is the desire of the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment to achieve an annual increase of five per cent more passengers. One of the projects that ProRail has used to achieve this is the ‘Prettig Wachten’ (Pleasant Waiting) initiative. The goal of this project, which was launched by the Royal Railway Architect, is to make the stay at twenty-five small and medium-sized stations in the Netherlands more agreeable. karres+brands was asked to create a concept and design for three different NS stations: Den Helder-Zuid, The Hague-Moerwijk and Wolvega.

One of the first projects to be implemented within the Pleasant Waiting initiative is the upgrading of the Moerwijk station, which is situated above an intersection in the Laakhaven quarter of The Hague. Studies among travellers conducted by ProRail have shown that the Moerwijk station is appreciated for its central location and good access to other train stations and public transport. Passengers are less positive regarding the spatial situation: it is cold and windy, the station has no ambience, there are no facilities, and the furniture is damaged. As part of the developments in the area of the city centre around the Laakhaven quarter, a major traffic engineering transformation of the intersection was initially anticipated, but because of the economic crisis, these plans will probably not be realised, or only in part.

As part of the Pleasant Waiting project, karres+brands has proposed four interventions:
– Organising and cleaning up public areas in the immediate station area;
– Making the platform access points located under the railway viaduct more attractive;
– Making the waiting rooms situated on the platforms larger and more agreeable;
– Increasing the quality of stay on the platforms by planting greenery.

Due to the restricted budget and uncertainties surrounding the realisation of the city centre area, only the design for the waiting areas of Moerwijk station and planting boxes were carried out on the platforms. With limited financial resources, a positive atmosphere has been added to a place where the future is uncertain. The existing bus shelters and canopies over the station’s access points were too small, and stood in illogical places. These have been demolished and replaced by new, reddish-orange houses at the places where travellers wait. The structures are much larger than the original roofs and offer passengers better protection from the strong winds on the elevated platforms. To increase a feeling of safety and liveliness, a transparent material was chosen: double glazing in a reddish-orange colour. This makes the houses into conspicuous elements in this, as yet, grey and relatively anonymous station area. Through their striking colour, the waiting structures make a significant contribution to the station’s ambience and recognisability.