1. Rolling Stock Aesthetics and Analysis-led Design for European Trains
Along with satisfying the railway operator’s branding requirements, the exterior designs used when developing rolling stock for the European market also facilitate the development of exterior graphics by maintaining a common identity across Hitachi’s trains in this market (the AT series), all of which share a conceptually similar external geometry. Meanwhile, fluid dynamics simulation is used in the design of rail car shape to improve aerodynamics (to reduce drag and aerodynamic noise). Hitachi has also reduced the size of the crashworthy structures developed to comply with European standards for collision safety without compromising their performance in a way that fits well with the streamlined front-end shape of the rolling stock.
For the train interiors, the design of features such as layouts, seating, ceiling lights, and luggage racks can easily be modified to suit the requirements of the railway operator. Hitachi has developed a virtual reality (VR) configurator system that can be used to assess designs from a passenger’s perspective. To provide cabin interiors that passengers will find comfortable, analysis-led design utilizing thermal fluid simulation is used for air conditioning and heating.
Hitachi was awarded the Imperial Invention Prize at the 2019 National Commendation for Invention for the design of the Class 800 high-speed train for the UK (Design Registration No. 1486294), the first time a design had won this award.
[1] Exterior design of standard rolling stock for European market