Eurostar set to launch new Pininfarina trains
Eurostar has unveiled its new fleet of Pininfarina-designed trains, which are set to go into service at the end of next year.
The e320 has been in development since 2009, when Italian design group Pininfarina was appointed to the work ahead of Seymour Powell. They will replace the existing Eurostar interior designs, which were created by Philippe Starck.
Eurostar says the new e320 designs feature “more space per seat” while each seat will be equipped with power points and a USB socket. There are also ergonomically designed reclining seats and increased luggage areas. The new e320 trains also feature newly designed buffet bars.
Pininfarina has also designed the external livery for the trains, which uses the Eurostar identity created by SomeOne.
Each train can carry 900 passengers, boosting capacity per train by 20 per cent. They are capable of reaching a speed of 320 kph (200 mph).
The new trains are ‘inter-operable’, says Eurostar, with the ability to operate across diverse European signalling systems across the continent
Eurostar chief executive Nicola Petrovic says: “With just one year to go until our new e320 train comes into service, passengers will see a complete transformation of our service. The combination of bold design, chic interiors and wifi connectivity will raise the bar, providing an unprecedented level of style and comfort for our customers.”
A total of 17 new e320 trains are set to go into service at the end of 2015.
The launch of the new trains comes as Eurostar marks its 20th anniversary with a campaign designed by The Clearing, which features illsutrations by Jean Jullien, Toni Halonen, Eili-Kaija Kuusniemi and Adrian Johnson.
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The redesign of the interiors has been a long time coming – they’re currently so drab, grey and brown, the experience doesn’t at all match the glamour you expect from a cross-European train journey. Based on these pictures alone, it seems like the interiors are a bit of a missed opportunity; the standard class looks extremely functional, reminiscent of a budget airline (Ryanair?!), and there’s nothing special about first class either. Eurostar should be a really attractive alternative to flying to mainland Europe, but based on this I get a strong feeling of budget travel and nothing that reflects the excitement of speeding through an incredible underwater tunnel to another country…
So, is this the same Pininfarina that designed the Ferrari Dino? Testarossa? Daytona?
Or some different one that sucks the style and charisma out of things and replaces them with tepid blandness?
At least people not getting to fly to Paris will have a two hour reminder of what it’s like to be on the Heathrow Express.