Adaptable train carriage ready for UK trials

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Developed by Cambridgeshire product development firm 42 Technology the so-called ‘Adaptable Carriage’ system allows the seats and tables within a passenger train carriage to be automatically stowed to create space cargo that would otherwise go by road.

The system - which can either be retrofitted to existing carriages or integrated into new design - has been developed as part of a two-year programme funded by RSSB (Rail Safety and Standards Board). According to 42 Technology the carriage features three key innovations: a concept that enables spare passenger-carrying capacity on, for example, off-peak services, to be used for cargo; a forward-folding seat design that allows any rubbish left on seats to be tipped onto the floor for easier cleaning; and a sliding mechanism to configure the seats into a seated position and to lock them in position along the carriage.

The reconfiguration process is fully automated, takes under three minutes to complete and as a result the 20 rows of seats in a typical passenger carriage (with four seats per row) can be compressed to create cargo space equivalent to the capacity of an articulated lorry.