As a quotation project, IFS Design created a design for the exterior and the driver’s position for the new vehicles for Liverpool’s Merseyrail. One of the requirements was to negotiate the fine line between design similarity to the existing vehicles and the embodiment of an innovative successor with new technologies. Examples of this are the inconspicuous incorporation of the emergency exit door at the ends of the units, the striking LED lighting and the adaptation of CI paints to the shape of the head of the train.
The driver’s desk arranged to one side is based on the operator’s stipulations, and serves to allow unhindered access to the escape door in case of an emergency. A decisive innovation is the integration of the most important driver’s controls in the driver’s seat arm-rests.