42 Technology shortlisted to design ‘train of the future’

We have been shortlisted in the Tomorrow’s Train Design Today competition to design a new generation of passenger carriages for the UK rail network.

42 Technology has been awarded £75,000 by the judging panel to develop its ‘novel and innovative concept’ for a flexible carriage concept to the next stage. The judges will review all ten of the shortlisted schemes in early 2015 with the aim of selecting up to five overall finalists who will each receive £750,000 of further funding to develop full-sized prototypes.

The train design competition was launched earlier this year as part of the UK rail industry’s 30 year vision for the network and to attract new ideas from architects, engineers and designers worldwide. 42 Technology’s design concept [shown above] is based on a more flexible way of using train carriages to help meet four key objectives: reducing costs and carbon emissions, while increasing capacity and customer satisfaction.

Everyone at 42 Technology is delighted that our initial design has been so strongly endorsed and that we are now in the running for nomination as a finalist.

The train design competition is being run by the UK Department for Transport, the Royal Institute of British Architects and FutureRailway, a cross-industry research group set up by the rail industry to support innovation.

A total of 48 entries were received across two award categories:

• the 4CS challenge which targets ‘long term horizon’ designs
• the Next Gen Train Interiors which addresses ‘medium term horizons’ for passenger rolling stock interiors.

42 Technology is one of five shortlisted designs in the 4CS category.