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Hi Guys,
Just a quick thanks for the responses. As you can imagine, it is quite difficult to get good quality research from speaking directly to people, especially when they learn you are from a university rather than a company.
An offshoot of this project for us is to look at double-decker carriages and a hypothetical way of introducing them into UK routes, although I believe that they cannot be used in the UK due to the gauge we employ (???). As it happens, I read in Railways Illustrated that Virgin had recently run from Glasgow to Euston in 3hrs 52min, which if done regularly, could reduce the need for a full overnight service.
The problem for us is justifying the use of sleeper trains. We have been set the brief to design the carriages, but our research frequently leads us to the conclusion that low cost airlines represent huge competiton. Unless you had a real aversion to flying, it could be difficult to justify taking the train, especially when it is often only marginally cheaper. We are increasingly being forced down the specialist route; looking at carriages for specific markets and user groups rather than the general public, which is not something I personally want to do.
The testamonials in the replies are great- they provide the kind of information that is difficult to get elsewhere. Obviously, rail compainies wont tell us what is wrong with their carriages (e.g. the heating controls) and there is only so much first-hand information you can gain from books and magazines.
Thanks again for the help and advice,
Ian
PS. DSY011, when did you travel from Bulawayo to Cape Town? My dad was born in Bulawayo and says he has vague recollections of being taken by train into South Africa in the 1950s.
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