18.04.13
Passengers' best-loved and most-hated rolling stock discussed at ATOC event
The role of engineering in designing the railway of the future was the topic at yesterday’s ‘Future Train’ event, hosted by ATOC.
Speakers discussed the role of organisations like RRUKA, the EIT and ATOC itself in promoting and funding innovation, the ‘evolution’ vs ‘revolution’ argument, the need for a passenger viewpoint in designing rolling stock and interchanges, and improvements seen since privatisation and what’s still to come.
David Clarke, director of EIT (the Enabling Innovation Team), said every industry has barriers to innovation, but noted that are some specific challenges in rail, such as the structure of the industry and misaligned incentives. He said that since it is “relatively rare for manufacturers to indulge in speculative design”, the customer has more of a role in innovation, rather than just the supplier .
Professor Simon Iwnicki, the head of the Institute of Railway Research at the University of Huddersfield, and academic co-chair of the RRUKA, described the role of universities and academics in innovation. He noted some of the differences between business – which seeks practical, low-risk, short-to-medium term solutions – and universities, which are more science-driven and tend to concentrate on higher risk, more innovative, medium-to-long term technologies.
Francis How, technical director at the Railway Industry Alliance, said: “The nature of railways is that it’s half rolling stock, half infrastructure. We spend a lot of time changing infrastructure, a lot of time changing rolling stock: but it’s rare to have a project that changes both.”
That means, he said, that radical thinking in rolling stock design is constrained by the infrastructure available, while radical thinking in infrastructure is constrained by the rolling stock that has to use it. Radical changes to both require a level of co-ordination and central control that is rare to see.
Other speakers included ATOC head of engineering Louise Shaw and chairman Tom Smith, HS2’s Andrew Coombes, Southern’s Frazer Stirling (who is soon to become Go-Ahead’s head of fleet), and Anthony Smith of Passenger Focus, who gave attendees a run-down of passengers’ favourite rolling stock (including the London Overground 378s and South West Trains’ 455s) and least favourite (FGW HSTs, Virgin Pendolinos).
The best, he said, tend to make flexible use of space, be light and airy with space to move, and offer a certain level of comfort. Passengers particularly dislike the 3+2 seating lay-out, he said, adding that rolling stock designers need to put more thought into making standing more comfortable if services are destined to become more over-crowded.
There will be full coverage of the event in the June/July edition of Rail Technology Magazine. Subscribe at www.railtechnologymagazine.com/subscribe
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