SUBURBAN RAILWAY TRAIN BUDAPEST

2015

Suburban trains in Budapest are known in Hungarian as HÉV, serving lines in the Budapest metropolitan area. The system is operated by Hungarian State Railways. The lines of the suburban railway network reach most of the important agglomeration settlements, but in many populated areas stops have not been built. The quality of the services is a serious issue. Due to the neglected and, in some cases, double-track lines the desired travel speed and service density is not achievable. There are old electric engine cars operated lines around Budapest. Railway stations and stops are ruined, with no wheelchair accessibility, which does not make railway an appealing option for passengers. The vehicle fleet has partially been renewed, but there are still 40- 50-year old trains in service. The biggest problem lies within the capital. The railroad network was not significantly developed since World War I, almost all suburban lines arrive at terminal stations, and do not provide connections to the city or the public transport system. Railway lines often pass over metro and tram lines without stopping. Left without high-quality public transport options, the majority (2 out of 3) of the growing population of the suburbs commute by car. Only 3 out of 10 people use public transport, while this number is 6 out of 10 people within Budapest. Every third car on the roads of Budapest during peak hours comes from the agglomeration, and every second kilometre travelled by car within Budapest is driven by someone who lives outside the capital. It is, therefore, safe to say that the traffic problems of Budapest clearly originate from the agglomeration. The HÉV lines are planned to become integrated into the metro network. The Szentendre, Ráckeve and Csepel lines are slated to be merged into what is called the metro line 5 (North-South Regional suburban railway). The connection will be made by an underground line between the Kaszasdulo and Lágymányosi bridge stations, and extended in order to reach the center of Pesterzsébet.

Challenge

In August of 2013, BKK (Centre for Budapest Transport) elaborated a project for the refurbishment of the East-German LEW Hennigsdorf MXA type of trains. BKK and the Budapest Transport Company (BKV) the operator jointly have been collaborating on the design. In the framework of the refurbishment project, in the first step, a train set consisting of three locomotive cars will be produced as a pilot. Currently, neither the exteriors, nor the interiors of the suburban locomotive trains of the vehicle fleet operated by BKV meet the demands of the current era. The design serving passengers' comfort is well under the demands of these days.

Solution

In this pilot project we designed, managed and supervised the complete development process from the first ideas to production. My main tasks were: technical assessment, writing technical documentation, elaborating the new exterior and interior design in the form of 2D and 3D visual concepts, preparation of final design elements for manufacturing, keeping contact with domestic and foreign suppliers, supervision of the technical making of the prototype vehicle.

Exterior design

The exterior of the refurbished suburban rail motorcar has a fresh and vivid character. The target was to create a dynamic and modern image for this retro-styled vehicle. The carbody follows the form and designlanguage of the 60', 70'. We had to keep the old metal frame structure in mind and update the exterior appearance accordingly. We have applied the green-white-black colorcombination to create a new identity for the vehicle. The front theme has a strong linear layout. The new front design livery highlight this linear scheme. The side theme; the sizes and rates are made by the classic vehicle ratio system. The continuous black line-surface unifies the appearance of the side windows and gives modern charecher for the vehicle. The white paint gives a bit of lightness for this heavy structure. A visually uniform appearance conveys the affiliation to the Public transport provider BKK and BKV. The operator's customer service department determines the accent color, while the logos of the service provider are placed in the blue and white areas.

Interior design

The design target of the interior is to provide an ultimate comfort for each and every passenger and for the train. We created a brand new character. The old motorcar body frame specified the fixing points. We used this original architecture to create this new interior space. We redefined the functions, looking at the needs of passengers. The user-centred design is key priority right from the conceptual design project stage.  This modern and innivative interior offer a unique quality in this suburban railway segment in the capital. The multifunctional, penetrable interior can provide priority for the passengers with different needs and has remarkable room for they and they luggage, bicycles and baby stroller.