Seating Area

The low floor level, essential to the unique conve­nience provided by the ease of passage throughout the entire train, requires wheel boxes. For the first time, this constructional necessity was taken as a chance to offer high class train travel by utilising the resulting space for the arrangement of free-standing oval sofas, or alter­natively, diagonally mounted seats!

The number of seats (and accordingly the comfort) depends on the number of passengers and their good will to move closer during peak hours:

• The potential to freely choose your seating posi­tion offers the option of communicating with fellow travellers, or avoiding conversation by ele­gantly turning away towards the window.

• Up to 8 persons can be seated where 4 would be standard - which is a favourable option for traveller groups who may like to chat together or play cards for example. As the platforms are carpet­ed, more easy-going passengers even have the option of travelling on the floor.

• Children and youth-groups may appreciate the opportunity to lounge informally as an alterna­tive to conventional seating forcing them to sit up straight.

The sofas have a high and a lower back support, the latter of which can also be utilised as an arm rest when taking a nap or as a small writing-rest for tak­ing notes.

Functional Areas and Experience Zones

We have substituted the system of separated class­es by inventing lounges with a corresponding range of use according to the passengers' various needs and habits:

Panorama: A generously glazed front with wide, lowered, oval shaped side panes at the train's front ends offer an ultimate view to the traveller.

Another unique experience is the ability to watch the chief-guard in his innovative driver's compart­ment: he (or she) has an ergonomically optimized control desk in the centre of the wagon, with a new and unique arrangement of control elements which have already won a design award (Design Katterwe /Alstom-LHB).

Business: There are 'calm zones' located in the front and the rear part of the train, each furnished with two opposite seating groups around tables. They are shielded from the entrances by switchgear cabinets, and separated from the next seating groups by open passages between the wagons, offering business peo­ple an opportunity to check reports and students a last chance to finish their homework.

Communication: The communication areas utilise most of the train’s space. Comfortable seats with arm rests and head supports (Design Tricon) are the layout's basis.

Service: The service area in the middle of the train has wide, low windows - as found in the panorama areas. Here we find the continuously open snack-bar (the Bistro), with service availability depending upon traffic density:

• A caterer serves hot and cold beverages as well as little microwave snacks during peak hour traffic.

• During low flow periods, the caterer renders up his place to the passengers, by simply dropping his table leaf and closing the cabinets.

Next to the snack-bar, is the entertainment area, which can be reached via an open passage between the wagons. Here the passengers can amuse themselves watching the latest video-clips, news, ads and all kinds of information on a wide-screen. Here there are also sofas, as in the bistro area.

The wheel-chair stowing room can be found in this area, which can, of course, also be used for peram­bulators or bicycles. Continuing across the entry, you will find the disabled persons toilet. Speaking of which: the toilet modules with their round, auto­matically opening doors and attractive colouring present a hygienic atmosphere.