Translink Press Release: New Train Preview - Translink
New Train Preview - Right On Track
21 January 2003
If you’d like to see what the future of rail transport in Northern Ireland will look like, then take yourself along to Great Victoria Street Railway Station/ Europa Buscentre between 27th January and 7th February, where a full size model of a saloon and drivers cab will be on display to the general public.
The £80 million contract for the manufacture and supply of the 23 new three-car train sets was awarded to Spanish company CAF in April 2002. This announcement followed on from an extensive consultative process with a wide range of interested groups, members of the public and staff to ascertain their preferences on the interior design and features. The key findings* of the process revealed that no-smoking carriages, toilets and CCTV on board security systems were priority requirements amongst the majority of train users, and all of these features along with many others have been incorporated in the new design.
“The mock-up design encompasses many months of rigorous consultation and design development work by Translink’s project teams along with CAF and our consultants. Our new trains will be built to incorporate industry best practice standards for passenger vehicle design,” said Ted Hesketh, Translink’s Managing Director. “We have made the process as inclusive as possible, and have actively sought the views of a large cross-section of the community, including passengers, potential passengers, staff, representative groups such as Disability Action, and the General Consumer Council.
“We have paid great attention to the interior design of the trains, as this plays a crucial part in the passenger’s overall journey experience. We are confident that the information obtained from our consultation and research initiatives will ensure that the new trains are of a high quality with high levels of comfort and safety”.
Michael Lorimer of the Northern Ireland Transport Advisory Committee, whose members include people with disabilities and people with specific expertise in transport and disability, said that the consultation process had been well handled, and had resulted in a great number of features that would benefit a wide range of passengers.
“Translink have made every effort to ensure that the new trains will be accessible to all passengers. Features that will specifically benefit disabled passengers include priority seating, dedicated access for wheelchair users, accessible toilets and audio and visual information displays.”
The first train is due to be delivered in December 2003, with the remaining 22 being delivered over 2004. The new trains will enter service in 2004 and 2005, after completing full commissioning.
-Ends-
Issued by: Sarah Stanczyk
Public Relations Officer
Tel: 028 9089 9455
Mob: 07711205436
Fax: 028 9089 9452
Email:sarah.stanczyk@translink.co.uk
*Translink collated and analysed the results of 2,268 questionnaires completed by members of the general public right across Northern Ireland. The findings are summarised below:
‘Top Ten’ train attributes:
1 No Smoking trains
2 Toilets
3 CCTV – on board security system
4 Air conditioning
5 Passenger ramp
6 On-board audio announcements
7 Destination displays
8 Wheelchair accessible toilet
9 High back seat type
10 Combined seating plans
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