Refurbishment
South Western
Railway has
invested £110m
(€123m/US$137m)
in refurbishment
since 2017
ANNUAL SHOWCASE 2019 Railway Interiors International 47
NEW COMPETITION
Railways face increasing competition
from car-sharing and hailing services
such as Uber. In the face of these lowcost,
easy-to-use options, rail has to
present a compelling transport case.
David Clarke, technical director of the
Railway Industry Association, believes
new and refurbished carriages can
tempt travellers on to the rail network.
“Rail is the best option for longdistance,
high-speed travel and for
carrying large numbers of people
over short distances for commuting,”
says Clarke. “Refurbished carriages
help with decarbonisation, which is
a concern for many users. Improved
comfort on refurbished carriages with
more space and better ventilation is a
big attraction. If users can also charge
their devices and access free wi-fi on
the move, this is an advantage rail has
over most other forms of transport.”
easier and quicker, which means less downtime
on the network and in the depot.”
Accessibility
In Australia, the Queensland government has
appointed Bombardier Transportation to
carry out a US$274m (€246m) update of
its New Generation Rollingstock (NGR).
Like many operators, the Queensland
government wants to improve the
accessibility of its carriages and onboard
toilets for people with reduced mobility.
The reconfiguration also includes an
increase in overall seating capacity. “The
refurbished fleet will add 26% to passenger
capacity, so each six-car train will now carry
a maximum of 964 people,” says Wendy McMillan, Bombardier
Transportation’s president for Southeast Asia and Australia.
“That makes for more efficient journeys and improved
environmental performance.”
Others are focussing on technological upgrades. For
example, these are part of a refurbishment contract awarded to
Siemens by South Western Railway in the UK, to be completed
ABOVE AND INSET: BLS’s
Nina trains now feature
LCC lighting, heatinsulating
windows, CO2
sensors to monitor interior
air quality, passenger
information systems and
more space around doors