Will this ‘bouncy castle’ train solve overcrowding?
...or is it just a load of hot air?
A TRAIN in which seats are deflated in the rush hour to make more room for passengers has been designed for Network Rail as a solution for overcrowding.
The futuristic carriage has been likened to a ‘bouncy castle’ by the designers, who say it will have 40 per cent more space for people than on current trains.
The ‘air train’ could be a reality by 2020, according to Arup, the design and engineering consultancy behind the project.
It says the interior floor, walls, ceiling, windows and seats are formed from a continuous ‘cloud skin’ which houses all the functions required in a train interior, including seating, lighting and air-conditioning.
In the rush hour, the retractable seating would create floor space equivalent to adding one-anda-half carriages to a four-coach commuter service, it claims.
The design is under active consideration as one of the shortlisted entries in a competition, Tomorrow’s Train Design Today, part-funded by Network Rail and organised by the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB).
According to the train’s designers, ‘a cool white light during the morning provides passengers with an environment to wake up in, whilst in the late afternoon and evening a warm white light reflects the colour temperature of an evening sunset.
The air train draws inspiration from clouds floating in the sky and it is intended that passengers should feel this way as they move freely through the carriages.’
During testing, volunteers were asked to try out the seating.
Arup engineers, who have spent a year working on the project, say: ‘The novelty of the seats makes people smile. When using prototypes, two volunteers struggled to resist the temptation to try to bounce their friends up and down.’
They conclude: ‘It is extremely important to prevent a “bouncy castle” effect where people disturb others by sitting down suddenly.’
The atmosphere inside each carriage is intended to be ‘serene’, and care has been taken to deter vandals by making the seats stab-proof and fire-resistant.
The grab handles are soft and flexible and in the event of a crash, the interior of each carriage would absorb the impact like airbags in a car, it is claimed.
A number of other proposals are also being examined by Network Rail, including one – first revealed last year – for European-style double-decker trains to run on the planned HS2 high-speed link between London, Birmingham and Manchester.
Talks have already taken place in London between the German transport engineers responsible for the double-decker design and civil servants at the Department for Transport, though it is understood that no decision has yet been taken.
Arup, which is developing the air train idea in co-operation with Japanese architectural practice Nikken Sekkei, has extensive experience of building railway infrastructure in Britain, the US and China.
Its is a joint contractor on the the new £1.3 billion Queensfery Crossing over the Forth.
Associate product designer Stephen Philips said: ‘Elements of the air train concept, including the innovative ventilation system and retractable seats, could be implemented by 2020-2022. This is the start of our work in the highly challenging world of rolling-stock design and engineering. There is a real need for innovation in this industry.’
The RSSB said it wanted to raise standards for passengers by identifying the technology needed to deliver the railway of the future.
Network Rail said it was unable to comment on competition entries until a winner had been chosen. An announcement is expected later this year.
The deflatable seats ‘make people smile’