Designers unveil ‘trains of the future’

The Tomorrow’s Train Design Today competition is being run by the Department for Transport, the Royal Institute of British Architects and FutureRailway – a cross-industry research group setup by the rail industry to support innovation.

The organising consortium believes that the competition will identify designs that will provide ‘a glimpse of the future’ and hopes ‘to deliver key elements of the designs to the rail industry’.

There are 10 shortlisted designs, whittled down from 48 entries by designers, architects and engineers.

Two separate challenges have been identified by competition organisers. The 4CS Train Challenge proposes ‘long-term horizon’ designs, which can reduce cost and carbon emissions while increasing capacity and customer satisfaction.

Transport Design International, 42 Tehnology, PriestmanGoode, Andreas Vogler and Creactive Design have all been shortlisted in this category.

The Next Gen Train Interiors Challenge addresses ‘medium-term time horizon’ designs for passenger rolling stock interiors and concentrates on ‘flexibility and adaptability’ to meet different service requirements.

Maynard Design, Automotive Trim Developments, Creactive Design, SeymourPowell, and Nikken Sekkei have all been shortlisted for this category.

The next stage of development sees the shortlisted designers receive up to £75,000 per scheme.

These designs will then be judged again in early 2015 before five finalists are awarded £750,000 each to develop full-sized prototypes.