More than a place for catching the train
Hjärup station
Hjärup is located along one of Sweden’s busiest railway corridors in southern Sweden. The town has long been divided by the railway, with the centre pushed to the periphery. When the Swedish Transport Administration undertook an expansion to four tracks, the municipality saw an opportunity for change. The vision was to create a functional station that could also unify the town and give it a distinct central point.
Facts about the project
Client
The Swedish Transport Administration and Staffanstorp Municipality
Place
Hjärup, Sweden
Status
Completed
Photographer
Tim Meier
The station creates a new vital connection
With its characteristic green weather protection and a lowered railway, Sweco, on behalf of the Swedish Transport Administration and Staffanstorp Municipality, transformed a former barrier into a vital connection. The new station links the eastern and western parts of Hjärup, promotes sustainable travel, and gives the area a new heart.
A new square above the tracks
Sweco was responsible for both the design and technical planning of the station and the surrounding urban space. By lowering the railway by approximately four metres, tall noise barriers could be avoided, while unobstructed sight lines of the area were created. A new square has emerged above the tracks – an open, public space that unites the town and provides room for movement and social gatherings.
Central to the design is the sculptural weather protection, with its soft green colour referencing the traditional railway catenary poles. It serves both as a protective roof and a clear visual landmark. Together with green noise embankments, sloping support walls, and plantings, the station blends into Hjärup’s landscape and extends the green corridor through the town. The green noise embankments and plantings contribute to biodiversity with rich plant life.
Centre for sustainable travel
The new station is more than a place for catching the train. It acts as a hub for sustainable travel and also as a meeting place. By breaking the barrier effect and creating natural flows, the project enhances safety, movement, and social cohesion in the town. At the same time, the station facilitates densification and urban development close to public transport, a key to future climate-smart communities.
Multidisciplinary work
The design task was assigned to Sweco by the Swedish Transport Administration and Staffanstorp Municipality. Sweco’s multidisciplinary team contributed with general architecture, landscape architecture, planning, design, land use and traffic planning and management, in a holistic approach where technology, place, and people converge.
Nominated in the category “WAF Completed Buildings – Transport” at the World Architecture Festival 2025.
Read more about Sweco’s offer within transport architecture.
