Manufacturing and Engineering Magazine Volume 420 - September 2015 | Page 69

vivrail.qxp_feature 2 04/08/2015 14:30 Page 67

MANUFACTURING & ENGINEERING VIVARAIL
discovered during routine inspections.
Passenger comfort is at the heart of the
operation and the train has been designed to
work for every type of traveller. Different seat
configurations mean it can suit different journeys. Commuters need to be able to get on
and off speedily so wide doorways and plenty
of standing room enables that. Those travelling with children or users of wheelchairs will
appreciate the amount of space to manoeuvre around, plus toilets that comply with all
foreseeable regulations. And for tourists the
large windows will make the train journey an
entirely enjoyable part of their holiday.
And of course the D-Train supports the 4Cs
identified in the 2007 Rail White Paper
‘Delivering a Sustainable Railway, including: light
and airy interior layout, with Wi-Fi, low noise
and vibration, ease of boarding and exit, and
fewer on-track failures due to remotely monitored train condition. For capacity, the D-Train
also offers more affordable seats due to low
whole-life costs and also, for minimising costs
and carbon emissions it also offers: low capital
cost, low maintenance costs including 10 minute
engine swap due to adoption of transferable
automotive industry technology (with self-protecting diesel engines), low Track Access
Charges, low fuel consumption (less than 0.5
litre per car mile), minimal empty running needed, due to on-site / overnight maintenance philosophy, the ability to re-use the aluminium
bodyshell, low vehicle weight (31 tonne DMOS +
19 tonne TOS cf. 44 tonne for a typical DMU),
low fuel consumption (35% less than typical
DMU), and start-stop engine technology to boot.
And if that’s not enough good news we should
also mention that the D-Train is built in Britain!

MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING MAGAZINE

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