Double-deck trains

[Bletchleyite]

If anyone were to click on the link that I quoted above, they could see what the proposal actually looks like. There are 360 degree internal views here.

http://360-host.de/ae3000/

It doesn't look "very cramped" to me.

It does to me. I'd have real trouble with upstairs, the ceiling is so low I'd be practically bent double.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Why low floor? It results in split floor height which is less flexible overall and less width lower down reduces floor area...

Because of accessibility. Like with buses (where high floor is similarly easier to design), removing the need for assistance for those with wheelchairs, prams and heavy luggage is a "killer app". It saves the railway money and it makes things better. We are in the UK well behind the curve on this.

 

[hwl]

Because of accessibility. Like with buses (where high floor is similarly easier to design), removing the need for assistance for those with wheelchairs, prams and heavy luggage is a "killer app". It saves the railway money and it makes things better. We are in the UK well behind the curve on this.

Except it decreases capacity on high volume commuter services...

 

[rebmcr]

It could probably run on HS2, but usually double deck trains are too big to fit the existing tunnels, bridges, platforms etc.

That was the point of the design study. It was sized to fit the UK structure gauge.

The whole point of it is that it fits in the normal UK loading gauge.

Well the 360° view shows a 360km/h service from Euston to Birmingham. That's HS2.

I don't believe the design shown is small enough for our classic lines.

 

[bastien]

Well the 360° view shows a 360km/h service from Euston to Birmingham. That's HS2.

I don't believe the design shown is small enough for our classic lines.

They're selling the idea as HS2 and Classic compatible, so either they're lying or...

 

[najaB]

I don't believe the design shown is small enough for our classic lines.

It is. PG1 loading gauge.

Will it fit every single line? Obviously not. But it was designed to fit a defined UK loading gauge.

 

[BRX]

You can see from the 2+1 seating upstairs that it's designed for a smaller guage than the continental ones (or HS2), where there is usually room for 2+2 upstairs.

 

[Mikey C]

You can see from the 2+1 seating upstairs that it's designed for a smaller guage than the continental ones (or HS2), where there is usually room for 2+2 upstairs.

Yes, double decker trains on the continent are far roomier

 

[furnessvale]

Yes, double decker trains on the continent are far roomier

Of course the answer could be an open upper deck as Preston trams used to be.

When passing under Fylde Rd railway bridge, the conductor had to go onto the top deck to make sure no passengers stood up and touched the overhead wire!

 

[najaB]

When passing under Fylde Rd railway bridge, the conductor had to go onto the top deck to make sure no passengers stood up and touched the overhead wire!

Back in the day when Darwin set the rules rather than the HSE.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Except it decreases capacity on high volume commuter services...

Given that "low floor" in the UK means "about 8in lower than it presently is", no it doesn't.

 

[MarkWiles]

Many airlines use 737s and 757s with 3-3 seating for flights much longer than most train journeys in the UK.

With incredibly narrow seats that the increasingly broad gauge British public have difficulty fitting into. The last flight I did was Hamburg to Gatwick in the centre seat of an Airbus A320 and it was purgatory, even for a relatively short flight and despite the Airbus having marginally wider seats than a Boeing. My 50" chest frame was wider than the seat, which is why the move towards 2+2 seating in local stock outside the south east is so welcome. Even without the obesity epidemic people today are bigger than in the 1950s and narrow seats just don't cut the mustard.

I must admit the idea of 2+1 seating upstairs on the Aeroliner would appeal, the single seats being ideal for solo travellers used to their own space in their cars. The only drawback I can see is the lack of overhead racks due to the restricted headroom.

 

[BRX]

I don't think we should be taking airlines as any kind of benchmark for what's acceptable for long distance (or even commuter) rail travel in any case.