Midland Mainline Meridian Intercity

Travellers on Midland Mainline's rail services complained that they received higher levels of comfort on airplanes, at motorway service stations and in their cars. At the same time, staff at the company wanted a more comfortable and practical environment to work in. Rather than buy new trains to combat these issues, Midland Mainline turned to Seymourpowell's industrial designers to reconceive the trains from the inside out.

Challenge
This project demanded planning and operation on a huge scale, in terms of both scheduling the process and creating the manpower and space to house the development. On top of this was a very tight timescale, requiring the specially formed project team to move from a 'blank page' to a full-scale industrial design mock-up in just six months.

Response
In-depth product research with consumers, as well as work with Midland Mainline's brand team, led to an interior theme that echoes a relaxed modern hotel. Under stringent quality targets, Seymourpowell ran development sessions with a broad range of people, including future users such as train drivers, crew, cleaners and maintenance staff. This allowed the transportation design to include many new details that improved on previous trains.

For the exterior treatment, the desire was to create a strong sense of 'locomotive' whilst working within very strict guidelines governing crash structures, vision lines and the layout of the driver's cabin. For the interiors, particular attention was paid to comfort and seating capacity, including the creation of ergonomic seating. Lighting integrated into luggage racks helped to increase a sense of spaciousness and provided a more inviting atmosphere.

Result
Together with the full-scale mock up, the project team delivered a full set of digital surfaces, successfully meeting all safety, legal and manufacturing requirements.

Manufactured and engineered by Bombardier Transportation in Bruges, the Meridian train has gradually replaced the previous 'Turbostar' fleet, providing extra capacity and better reliability for the operator and an improved travel environment for customers.

The client says...

'Seymourpowell have got a belief and a conviction in what they do. They are designers who want to design good quality products that are practical and easy to use. Their attention to detail is phenomenal; they understand the importance of the smallest detail.' - Malcolm Brown, Customer Services Director, Midland Mainline