Eurostar’s New Celestia Double Decker Trains – A Worthwhile Investment?

Last week, Eurostar announced its intentions to introduce a brand-new fleet of double-decker trains on all of its routes travelling along the Channel Tunnel, including its recently announced services to Geneva and Frankfurt.

Valued at around 2 billion EUR; the significant investment will see a fleet of fifty new double-decker Alstom Celestia trains introduced on the operator’s network across five countries, with the new units offering an overall capacity expansion of 20% when compared to the current fleet.

However, this will not be the first time that the UK rail network has seen a double-decker train – trials of the the SR Class 4DD train were run in 1949 as part of an experiment along the Charing Cross to Dartford commuter line. These vehicles were pulled from service in 1971 following complaints from the public. So, put simply, what’s changed?

Recent calls from the Office for Rail and Road (ORR) for HS1 to cut charges for using the track from London to the Channel Tunnel have seen interest from a number of potential rival operators looking to make use of the existing infrastructure, and in response, Eurostar has almost literally decided to double-down on its services.

So, following what can be described as a mixed industry reaction thus far; we spoke with Course Director Automotive Design at Coventry University, Professor Aamer Mahmud, to get his views on the introduction of the new trains, why Eurostar has made this decision and why they might not be the answer to all of Eurostar’s problems.

RN: Thank you so much for taking the time with us today, Aamer. Eurostar has unveiled plans for new double-decker trains, so, to get straight to the point: why do you think the operator has done this?

AA: The main reason is logistics, there’s no question about it. Eurostar feels that [introducing the new trains] will help to find a balance between capacity and potential passenger numbers in the future.

If you look at it in parallel to the airline industry, operators are constantly re-assessing how many passengers they can fit onto a plane, and this is no different. It all comes down to the economy of scale: Eurostar wants to increase passenger capacity in the most cost efficient way and they want to do it without unnecessary expenditure or the potential of congestion.

RN: Are there any potential disadvantages of Eurostar choosing to go down this route?

AA: There are definitely some disadvantages, just as there are advantages. At the top of the list will, as always, be accessibility, technical challenges, boarding delays, of course, but most importantly: logistics.

Logistics are the overriding factor. Whether going down this route will result in cut costs, higher levels of passenger comfort or cheaper tickets, only time will tell, but from a design point of view Eurostar will be facing a big challenge. To make the implementation of the new trains really work, you have to look into and create a drastically improved user experience.

It may be a term that’s overused, but the user experience is and always will be absolutely crucial in order to make good use of the double-decker format and, ultimately, entice passengers to take the train instead of a personal vehicle or even a flight.

Rail travel has the potential to be a viable competitor to air travel, but in order to bridge that gap between the two industries rail must be brought up to date from what is currently a tired format from a user perspective.

Are there advantages to the introduction of the double decker? Yes, but currently they appear to be quite one sided, so we can only hope that Eurostar looks into the other side of it from a user perspective as well in order to truly make the most of what they plan to introduce. The approach to user experience will either make or break this entire operation.

RN: Industry reception has, it’s fair to say, been mixed. Concerns have been raised over potential congestion and overcrowding at stations both in London and Europe. What can Eurostar do to mitigate issues such as this should they arise? What can be done to ensure the passenger experience is kept at a higher standard?

AA: Eurostar will have a choice. Passengers will either find themselves having to live with the reality of overcrowded stations to the detriment of Eurostar’s business, or the operator will have to plan and organise ways to mitigate the potential issues that could arise.

Ultimately, this issue is endemic. Currently, planning and organisation is so poor, and time could be spent to ensure there is no overcrowding, for example, a system could be devised whereby timetables are staggered, allowing for potential flexibility whilst maintaining a higher level of passenger satisfaction.

Until now, passengers have accepted the reality of the state of train travel within this country, and not in a good way. The current experience is actively working against train travel. I’d love to travel by train more often but the difference for those travelling on long distance journeys and those commuting is vast. So work must be done to establish a more tailored experience for those taking a longer journey, and likewise for those embarking on shorter trips, again not unlike the experience you get with air travel – with tickets priced accordingly.

A large number of the issues the rail industry faces today can be solved through the use of emergent technology – it doesn’t seem to be about cost, these solutions are not costly, it’s about the logistics and the implementation of new systems that would improve, again, the user experience. Lots of tools are available – tools that would also help in the planning and implementation of these new double-decker trains.

RN: Of course. With that in mind, could the introduction of the double-decker trains provide any kind of answer to issues relating to passenger comfort? The new trains are said to be only marginally larger than Eurostar’s current fleet – will they make much of a difference?

AA: The capacity increase should make a significant difference in the grand scheme of things, yes – but again it comes down to the organisation. Eurostar must plan ahead and consider how each deck of the vehicle is used. Should the lower deck be used to prioritise accessibility? This would make the most sense, ultimately, but again we go back to how the units are laid out and whether there will be a concentrated differentiation between long and short distance travel.

The introduction of these new trains cannot utilise a ‘one size fits all’ approach. The user experience, again, degrades. At the end of the day, you can’t find utopia – but you can get close to it!

RN: The announcement of the double-decker trains has come, interestingly, not long after a number of rival companies have begun to set their sights on Eurostar’s model. Will it take more than this announcement to stop any competitors in their tracks?

AA: From an obvious, simplistic perspective: the knowledge that other companies will bring is always going to be an issue for Eurostar, there’s no question about it. These new companies will have plans, they will bring fresh agendas that will provide strong competition, so Eurostar will absolutely have to be on their toes!

Competition is always great for business, and it’s even better for passengers. When a company operates the majority of services and a passenger is dissatisfied with the current service, they will naturally seek a different mode of transportation.

The introduction of the double-decker train has marginal value – if it’s relying simply on the USP that it’s a different experience, it might not be enough to entice passengers to continue using the service over a potential competitor. If a rival is providing a better experience on a single-decker – they will go to that rival.

RN: User experience is always going to be the most important consideration with the launch of any new service or product.

AA: We talk a lot on my course about that user experience and those little additions that a customer might not think about, but when they experience it they think ‘god, I’m glad it’s here!’, and if you look at China or Scandinavia, they offer a choice of transportation that, especially in rail, you can just buy your ticket, hop onto the train and that’s it, it will get you exactly where you need to be, you’re not going to struggle with any stage of the process.

It’s important that from the time you arrive at a railway station that you know exactly where you need to be, what you need to use and just how it all works. We’re an ageing population, and if you’re a passenger with reduced mobility, that knowledge means everything to you. You need to know where the train will stop, if the platform is long enough, if you can store your luggage, your pushchair, it’s all crucial information for the passenger journey. These upgrades to rail experiences are absolutely possible now, the industry just needs to invest and plan accordingly.

RN: Have there been any cases for the introduction of double-decker trains before now?

AA: There have absolutely been some great initiatives and concept trains that never really made it to production, yes. The Avelia Horizon in France was, in terms of the modularity etcetera, quite ahead of its time, but of course we have had double-decker trains that have ended up having, unfortunately, a very short life span. The Shinkansen E4 series trains in Tokyo, but they were horrible looking! They retired quite early, but of course they did serve a very, very high capacity route.

The potential is there for a more sufficient vehicle, but it must be built with a level of planning that takes into account both the short and long commute, especially if there are a lot of stops in between. Again, this could build on the existing airline model and passengers could be given the choice, but this must be reflected in the price charged to the end user. The development of a satisfying model is just as important, if not more so, than the introduction of the new trains themselves.

RN: Finally, what should be taken into consideration when designing the new trains?

AA: There is a lot to be considered, especially when it comes to accessibility and modularity, but it depends on how much investment they are willing to provide. Will they opt for lighter, thinner seats to keep costs as low as possible? Today, manufacturing materials are available that can offer real comfort without taking into account such extreme dimensions. It is understandable why these manufacturers do choose such options; it’s there, it’s off-the-shelf, and when you look at the business case you will always opt for the cheaper option, but in order to take this leap forward into a more comprehensive, comfortable passenger experience, innovation must be explored and choices must be made.

The images that Alstom has released so far look good. The exterior does provide the kind of futuristic aesthetic that people desire, but you’re not going to be sitting on the outside! So right now it’s hard to tell. Regardless, all parties involved are going to have to sit down and formulate a complete plan and find out where the pinch points are, assess what they have and strive to provide the kind of transformative experience that people want. Where does it need more investment, what can be improved, that is the thought process these designs are going to need in order to succeed and to avoid falling into the same traps as the projects that came before it.

Professor Aamer Mahmud currently works as the Course Director for Automotive and Transport Design at Coventry University, and spent a number of years working in the design department for a range of OEM’s, including Saab Automobile, Mercedes-Benz A.G. and Peugeot S.A.