Innovation

The Government needs to procure a fleet of new trains for radically improved Thameslink services (24 trains an hour running north-south through the heart of London).


There were three bidders -- two bog standard jobs from Bombardier and Siemens, and this revolutionary new job from Alsthom, the X'Trapolis:



"At the heart of the train architecture is Bogie Offset Articulation which reduces the number of bogies by up to 30%, allowing the carriages to be shorter and wider and thus optimize the vehicle gauge. This in turn creates more passenger space and comfort.


"A wide, uninterrupted aisle and spacious gangways are created throughout the train, improving the feeling of security for passengers as well as mobility.


"The door configuration is geared to reduce stopping times at stations by making the boarding and alighting process more efficient, particularly on high-density routes. Two sets of double doors are situated in the centre of each carriage, providing 25% more doors than a conventional trainset, per equivalent length. The shorter carriages of X'Trapolis are also closer to platform edges, especially when these are curved, reducing the stepping distance from train to platform by almost half."


Guess which of the three bidders has now been eliminated?

Maybe it doesn't matter: the contract for that fleet has now been postponed, again, too...