The train concept
Passenger comfort in focus
The seats must be comfortable for long trips and functional for work and other activities, but also space efficient. A design that provides more space under the seat means that you can stretch your legs or store luggage at your fingertips. It is also important that passengers are provided with individual armrests, especially when three seats abreast for high comfort.Efficient concept with high capacity
The Gröna Tåget train concept is proposed to be a single-decker train to allow tilting with a wide carbody. For operation in Scandinavia, Gröna Tåget can be executed with a wide carbody that is between 3.45 m and 3.54 m wide provided that the vehicle profile is designed appropriately and that the suspension includes a Hold-off device (HOD) and active lateral suspension (ALS). The dimensioning area to achieve Scandinavian interoperability is Denmark where Gröna Tåget is intended to operate over the Öresund Link to Copenhagen and possibly beyond.
Capacity, measured in number of seats per train length, is essential both for transport capacity as well as economy of operation. The wide-body – about 3.3 metres interior width – enables an additional seat in every row compared to classic European trains, i.e. 2+2 seating in 1st class and 2+3 seating in economy. Comfort still needs to be high and individual armrests are a requirement to provide personal space also in economy class.
The platform lengths on electrified lines in the Nordic countries vary between 125 m and 410 m depending on the lines and at the stations in question. The generally most practical train length in interregional services is approximately 108 m with four long carbodies, which can be adapted to many different platform lengths and demand fluctuations by adding and detaching train units.
Design for safe and punctual operation
Gröna Tåget must be designed for punctual operation. This means that the train concept must be dimensioned for peak loading. Boarding and alighting must take place within very tight margins, which means that doors, entrances, luggage racks and the train’s central aisle must be in well-considered locations and correctly dimensioned. This is particularly important for family travelling in holidays. Disabled passengers can board at a special entrance equipped with a lift that is faster than many of today’s solutions.
Luggage racks for heavy luggage need to be able to accommodate more items than many trains today and also have room for prams in order to increase safety and improve the working environment in cases of extensive leisure-time travel. There must be a space under each seat for smaller bags and hand luggage and a shelf above the windows.