Rolling Stock as depicted in the RTS Future Railway video presentation, but what will these vehicles really be like and what will be their capabilities?

In February 2014 the 'Long Term Passenger Rolling Stock Strategy for the Rail Industry' was published. The strategy sets out a 30 year vision for GB rolling stock. The vision calls for a dramatic increase in the number of new vehicles being procured to nearly double the size of the fleet and to replace vehicles which are nearing the end of their serviceable life.

In December 2012, the GB rail industry published its Rail Technical Strategy (RTS), which presents a 30 year vision for the GB railway. Figure 1 depicts a possible vision of the future from the RTS Future Railway video. Underpinning this vision is the industry's '4C' objectives, namely halving costs, doubling capacity, reducing carbon and delighting customers, without negatively impacting safety or operational reliability.

Rolling stock plays a central role in the delivery of each of the 4C objectives. The costs of operating the railway are linked to not only the leasing costs for rolling stock, but also the damage to track infrastructure caused by vehicles using the network. The environmental footprint of the railway is significantly better than most current forms of transport. However, significant opportunities for improving the carbon footprint exist. Traction energy accounts for approximately two thirds of all greenhouse gas emissions from the GB railway, increasing the energy efficiency of rolling stock could have significant impact. Much of the existing fleet of rolling stock is made from steel. The use of novel, lightweight and more sustainable materials could have significant benefits in reducing energy use and the embodied carbon content of the fleet. Trains are intrinsically linked to customers'experience of the railway, with demand for travel projected to increase against a backdrop of changing population demographics. Finally increasing the capacity of the railway, whilst constrained by infrastructure and the operational model, needs vehicles which enable the full potential capacity to be delivered through exceptional reliability and low station dwell times.

THE CHALLENGE

The challenge is twofold and applicants are asked to enter applications against either or both challenges:

4CS TRAIN CHALLENGE:

Long-term time horizon designs for rolling stock that push the envelope of what is possible.

The purpose of this challenge is to identify novel design concepts for rolling stock by exploring the extremes of what could be possible by focusing the design brief down on delivering against each of the railway's 4C objectives (reduction in cost and carbon emissions and increased capacity and customer satisfaction) in isolation. Designers will be asked to 'blend' elements of these extreme designs together to generate a holistic vehicle design of the future. Designs should be conceptual in nature but be implementable on the current GB network (part of the detail design deliverable is the identification of current barriers to implementation). 

The following is a list of questions which designers may consider addressing in their design (the list is not exhaustive):
 

• Cost Reduction - how will the proposed innovation achieve a cost reduction? Has whole life cost been considered? Has the cost reduction been quantified in terms of a potential annual saving?
• Carbon Reduction - how will the proposed innovation achieve a Carbon reduction? Does the carbon calculation consider the whole manufacturing process? Does the innovation provide year on year savings? Has the Carbon reduction been quantified in terms of a potential annual saving?
• Capacity improvement - how will the proposed innovation achieve a Capacity improvement? Has the improvement been quantified? How is this demonstrated?
• Customer Experience improvement - how will the proposed innovation achieve an improvement in customer experience? How will it be measured?

Designers are encouraged to use novel, lightweight more sustainable materials as part of their design concept.

NEXT-GEN TRAIN INTERIORS CHALLENGE:

Medium-term time horizon designs for rolling stock interiors with a focus on flexibility and adaptability.

The purpose of this challenge is to develop entirely new concepts for the interior fitment of a train, which allow the utility of the train to be adapted either 'on the fly' or during breaks in service provision e.g. at turnarounds or at depots. Designs should fit within the space available on typical existing GB rolling stock vehicle classes.

The following is a list of questions which designers may consider addressing in their design (the list is not exhaustive):
 

• Adaptability: Can the design be reconfigured 'on the move', at turnaround or overnight? Can the design fit within existing rolling stock vehicles? What classes are addressed (1st, standard, Business, Premium, other)? Does the design take account of changing demographics (age, size, accessibility)? Does the design consider different types of traveller (commuter, long distance)? Does the design consider luggage or cycle storage? Does the design enhance the passenger experience?
• Novelty: What differentiates this design from others that may exist?
• Dwell time: Does the design facilitate efficient access and egress and assist in minimising dwell times?

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