Latest arrivals
MOB’S GOLDENPASS EXPRESS
Railway Interiors International ANNUAL SHOWCASE 2019 10
LNER’S AZUMA
On 1 August 2019, LNER’s Azuma trains entered operation on
a 393-mile (633km) route linking the English and Scottish capitals,
London and Edinburgh. From 2021, when a new timetable is
implemented, this route will take four hours. The trains are part of
the UK government’s £5.7bn (€6.4bn/US$7bn) Intercity Express
Programme. LNER is replacing its fleet of 45 trains with 65 Azumas.
Standard-class seats have more legroom and feature power
sockets and improved wi-fi. There are now window blinds in every
coach. Passengers travelling in first class will enjoy a refreshed
menu cooked on board.
The trains have been through testing with engineers and
technical staff from LNER, Hitachi Rail, Network Rail and the
Department for Transport.
Latest arrivals
A selection of the rail sector’s
most exciting recent designs
MOB contracted Pininfarina to design
its new Goldenpass Express trains,
and the first exterior images have been
released. The train is due to enter service
in December 2020 on a popular tourist
route connecting Montreux, Gstaad and
Interlaken in Switzerland.
The key challenge on the route is that
one stretch is narrow gauge and the other
is standard gauge, meaning travellers had
to change trains at Zweisimmen. To make
the journey seamless, the new train has
a variable-gauge bogie that can switch
between the two gauges in a few seconds.
MOB expects to accommodate an extra
1.5 million passengers a year.
“With the Goldenpass Express we
are facing a spectacular technological
challenge, shifting from narrow gauge to
standard gauge,” says Georges Oberson,
general manager of MOB. “We also
wanted this tourist train to be beautiful and
elegant. That’s why we assigned the task
to Pininfarina, one of the most prestigious
design companies in the world.”
New safety standards also necessitated
changing the position of mechanical
elements at the head of the train. But
despite this, the designers have maintained
a large window at the front. The windows
are designed to enable passengers to take
photos without reflections.