The interior designs for London’s new Crossrail trains from design duo Barber & Osgerby, have been unveiled by the Mayor of London and Transport for London. Barber & Osgerby have acted as design consultants for the interiors, working alongside TfL and manufacturer Bombardier, which will build the trains in its Derby factory. The new trains, which are due to enter service in May 2017, are more than 200m-long (one-and-a-half times longer than the longest Tube train), and will be able to carry 1,500 passengers in nine fully-interconnected, walk-through carriages, so you could (at least in theory) get on at Moorgate, walk through the train and get off at Liverpool Street without the train actually moving.
The interior designs for London’s new Crossrail trains from design duo Barber & Osgerby, have been unveiled by the Mayor of London and Transport for London
According to Transport for London, the new trains have been designed with accessibility in mind. Large, clear areas around the doors will allow for quicker boarding and alighting, while each train will feature four dedicated wheelchair spaces and other multi-use spaces, where chairs can be tipped up to accommodate prams or luggage. Seating will be a mixture of metro-style and bay seats and free wi-fi will be available on the trains. The interior design and colour palette aims to provide an accessible and welcoming environment. This includes darker floors that aim to wear in rather than wear out over use, while light-coloured ceilings aim to maximise the feeling of height and open-ness in the trains. The material and colours also align with Crossrail stations, part of an aim to create a consistent customer experience. The trains are designed to be as efficient as possible, and will include energy management systems for controlling lighting and air conditioning, which will re-generate energy back into the supply when braking.
New Crossrail Trains
The duo were appointed to design the trains in July 2014, but their role has apparently altered slightly since then. Osgerby said: “We did design the entire thing, but ultimately our role has become less about the industrial design and more about the creative direction, because a lot of the industrial design was already done. It was already considered as part of the tender that Bombardier had. So I would say that we have had the kind of creative influence and we remain creatively involved in the whole project, but we're not claiming to be the design team.” Barber, added: “We are pleased to be working as design advisors on the new Crossrail fleet. This is an exciting civic project and a key component of London’s transportation future for the next one hundred years. We are honoured to be making a contribution to its design and look forward to its inaugural journey.”
The Crossrail will run over 100km from Reading and Heathrow in the west, through new tunnels under central London to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east
The Crossrail will run over 100km from Reading and Heathrow in the west, through new tunnels under central London to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east. The first section of the cross-capital rail line is due to open in May 2017, with services running from Shenfield in Essex to Liverpool Street in central London, in advance of services commencing through Crossrail’s central section in December 2018. Other parts of the project will open in stages, with operation planned for December 2019, when the east London section will connect to Reading and Heathrow Airport in the west. The construction of the rail line also involves the building of new stations, and upgrading existing stations and adjacent public spaces in central London, such as the roof garden above Foster + Partners' Canary Wharf station, which was finished earlier this year.
