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Source: The Huffington Post (Inhabitat)
August 15, 2011

Photos: Inhabitat

We all know that taking the train is one of the greenest ways to get around, but we wouldn't exactly call being jam-packed into a metal compartment with a bunch of strangers "fun." Well one station in Utrecht is trying to change all of that with their new 'Transfer Accelerator' - a slide that lets commuters skip the stairs and experience a thrill we all loved as kids. Designed by HIK Ontwerpers, the slide and the rest of the station revamp are already making taking the train a more pleasurable experience.

One of the best ways to encourage good behavior is to make it fun, and this newly revamped train station in Utrecht complete with a slide is a great example of that philosophy in action. The slide, which has been named the 'Transfer Accelerator', gives travelers a new way to get down the stairs at the entrance to the Overvecht station. Not only is it way more appealing, but it's also a bit quicker. Designed by HIK Ontwerpers as part of the station's redevelopment project, the slide is just one of the many additions to improve the usability, sustainability and safety of the new station.
	The Overvecht station was originally built in 1995, but had since fallen into disrepair with the concrete crumbling and no one in the kiosk.
ProRail, the railway maintenance company, hired HIK Ontwerpers to redesign the station to improve safety and usability of the station.
	The renovation consisted of reworking the circulation, rebuilding the stairs, adding more planting spaces and of course the slide.
Dubbed the 'Transfer Accelerator' by ProRail, adults and children alike make use of the playful slide to get down the stairs.

Read the rest of the article in The Huffington Post