Eurostar unveils train design by Pininfarina to celebrate 20th anniversary

Eurostar describes the trains as «inter-operable», with the ability to operate across the diverse Euorpean signalling systems, opening up the possibility to provide high-speed train services between the UK and other European city centre destinations. Photograph by Dan Howarth, copyright DezeenThe new fleet of 17 trains – seven more than are currently in circulation – will each be capable of carrying 900 passengers, boosting current capacity by 20 per cent. Additional reporting by Dan Howarth. «We tried to give overall a very coherent and cosy feeling through the train, independent of the class, to give more personal feeling to the space of the customers.»
Photograph by Dan Howarth, copyright DezeenThinner seats will offer passengers more leg room, while private booths with translucent glass screens will be available to business-class passengers. We’ve also doubled the amount of seats for wheelchair users,» said Eurostar chief executive Nicolas Petrovic, at St Pancras this morning. Pininfarina, which has worked with car manufacturers Ferrari and Maserati, designed the train with reclining seats and increased luggage storage, plug sockets and mirrors in seat backs and touch sensitive light controls that   «combine elegance with functionality» in Business Premier class. Eurostar also opened its new London ticket hall in July,   designed by Christopher Jenner, who was appointed as the company’s creative director last year. Related story: Priestmangoode unveils driverless tube train designs for London UndergroundEurostar e320, named after its top speed of 320 kilometres-per-hour (200 miles-per-hour), will go into commercial service at the end of 2015 in time to operate on extended routes to Belgium and the Netherlands – due to commence a year later. In the buffet car, a curved white bar with rounded corners gives a «subtle sense of elegance» to the space. Direct routes to Amsterdam with stops in Antwerp, Rotterdam and Schiphol are set to start late 2016. Rail company Eurostar unveiled the newly designed high-speed passenger train by Pininfarina at a press conference at St Pancras International station in London this morning. «The combination of bold design, chic interiors and Wi-Fi connectivity will raise the bar, providing an unprecedented level of style and comfort for our customers,» said Petrovic. Pininfarina also added a range of grey and blue-toned seats to help «every customer feel their personal space.»
«It’s functional – you go to the toilet, you come back and you remember you’re in this one, not the blue one,» said Filippini.