Great Britain

It is claimed there are something like 2000 airliners around the world fitted with In-Flight Entertainment (IFE) systems. The airlines regard them as an important element of adding value to their service, and winning new business.

Now, rail companies are looking at following suit¹, and equipment manufacturers are licking their lips in anticipation² of orders. It's hardly surprising when you consider that in Britain alone, there are 2000 inter-city coaches that could be fitted with In-Train Entertainment (ITE) systems. Bring Europe into the equation, and the number of vehicles becomes truly huge.

With this potentially gigantic market firmly in mind, a new start-up company called Volo set about proving that a sophisticated³ ITE system could fit within the constraints⁴ of rail vehicle regulations, and would prove popular with passengers. The results from the in-service pilot are exceeding expectations.

From the start of Volo's development, the need to provide content that offers users something new was the driving force, and deals were made with television stations in Britain, as well as film studios, to ensure that the product was relevant and up-to-date. So far, there are more than 40 items on a 'menu' for passengers to choose from. This content ranges from music videos, to comedy and entertainment programmes, to full-length films not available in shops. There are also games, and a news 'ticker tape'⁵ to keep passengers up-to-date.

Interestingly, though, while passenger surveys said that news and sport would be the main reasons for people using the system, in practice, comedy and music have proved most popular.

Another tantalising⁶ possibility is to link the system with on-board GPS to provide a pre-recorded driver's eye view of the journey: an experience few passengers will ever have had. There could also be detailed information for visitors to stations along the route —its scope is limited only by the imagination of the train operator.

Passengers buy a scratch card for £3.50 giving them unlimited access to the choice of many services on their journey. With DVD rental prices for newly-released films standing at around the same level in Britain, there is immediate value for users. Revenue⁷ is shared between the train operator and Volo, but looking long-term, particularly at the lucrative⁸ first class market, it would seem sensible for train operators to look at the system being a no-cost incentive⁹ for passengers to use their trains.

At the core of Volo's system is a high-bandwidth wireless system¹⁰ installed at depots and stations, and a powerful server on the train. This allows new content to be uploaded¹¹ at regular intervals, preventing it becoming stale for users. The server distributes the content to the 36 touch-screen displays in the carriage according to user demands. All 76 seat locations will be fitted during a fleet fit.

Image quality on the 235mm screens is excellent, and attention was also paid to sound quality. With the ambient noises of air-conditioning, wheel, and track, the rail environment is very different to that of a car, and extensive surveys of headphones were undertaken. Fitting the computer server in the coach was a matter of replacing a luggage rack, but new seats and tables had to be sourced to handle the touch-screens.

And as well as fitting the equipment into the coach and installing more than 3km of new wiring, particular attention had to be paid to ensuring that the extra heat generated by the computer systems didn't unbalance the air-conditioning.

It is early days, but if Volo's analysis of the potential market size is correct, and if passengers warm¹² to the system and start paying to use it, long-distance railway journeys could become far more enjoyable for passengers—and profitable for the operators too.

Notes:

1 suit - комплект 2 anticipation – очікування, передчуття 3. sophisticated – складний, удосконалений 4 constraints – обмеження, обмежуюча умова 5 'ticker tape' – тикер – телеграфний чи електронний апарат, який оперативно видає фінансову інформацію на паперову стрічку чи на екран; вперше був використаний на біржах США у 1867 р

6 tantalizing – привабливий, провокуючий 7 revenue – дохід, виручка 8 lucrative - рентабельний 9 incentive – стимул, спонукання 10 a high-bandwidth wireless system – безпровідна система з високою пропускною спроможністю 11 to upload - пересилати 12 to warm - надихатися

Switzerland

Rail or road? The choice depends on many factors but travellers are more likely to plump for¹ rail if the experience helps them to relax and prepare for the busy day ahead. Just like the slow-food movement has attracted many followers, 'more-frills' rail travel that enhances² a passenger’s well-being can and will entice³ people to take the train. But what exactly is well-being?

Passenger well-being is no enigma

First of all, well-being is a clean, spacious, comfortable seat with reasonable adjustability and an inviting texture⁴. Second, it's a serene⁵, subdued⁶ in-coach atmosphere that can never be achieved with hard materials. And third, it's a visually stimulating environment that tells passengers their business is appreciated. These three elements - a soft interior orchestrated⁷ with flair⁸ - make even short-haul⁹ rail travel a genuine, appealing option.

Not least due to its design teams, Switzerland's Lantal Textiles is one of the leaders in the development of complete soft interiors for rail-cars. The company serves its customers as a one-stop general contractor¹⁰, providing not only ideas and expertise but also the products that turn visions into reality, with all of the resources needed to create charismatic interiors. In addition, the mill¹¹ offers a vast repertoire of appealing¹² and tasteful off-the-shelf¹³ products from suave velvet pile¹⁴ or flat-woven seat upholstery fabrics¹⁵ to hard-wearing aisle¹⁶ carpets and a broad selection of warm leathers, curtain and headrest fabrics. Moreover, the range includes wall and ceiling coverings, and textiles for the exposed sides of luggage racks.