Point has led the work on one of these pilot projects called Prototyp Tåg.
The purpose of Prototyp Tåg has been to develop and test a real, live prototype that includes both communication and a physical solution for transporting bicycles on board Västtrafik’s trains.
The work in the project was carried out iteratively and in close collaboration with a stakeholder group consisting of project managers at Västtrafik, the business department of train at Västtrafik, SJ Götalandståg, vehicle experts, the Västra Götaland Region and Trivector Traffic.
In a series of workshops with the stakeholder group, Point carried out a mapping of existing knowledge related to the area of bicycles on board trains, idea generation and planning and design of the prototype. The overall goal agreed upon by the stakeholder group was to design and test a solution that would not only simplify the passenger experience and increase their satisfaction, but also be easy for staff to implement.
In the several iterations, a concept was designed that was feasible to implement given budget and time constraints and safety regulations. The final concept for Prototyp Tåg included a rearrangement of the carriage’s designation of space, which, among other things, meant that several seats were removed as well as a communication concept and signage for both the interior and exterior of the train. Consideration for aspects such as clarity, safety and ergonomics were included in the concept that Point developed.
The design process included tests of solutions on-site on a train carriage of the relevant type as well as discussions and weighing of different solutions based on train carriage blueprints.
In cooperation with Västtrafik’s communications agency, SJ Götalandståg and Alstom, who is responsible for maintenance, Point implemented the prototype on five Västtåg of the X61 type. Point also designed questionnaires to gather feedback from passengers and train attendants while the trains with the prototype were in regular service during a number of weeks. The results from collected feedback was analyzed and included as part of the evaluation of the prototype.
Currently, Västtrafik’s plan is to scale up the prototype and implement the design solution on more trains of the same type.
< watch the video showcasing the prototype here
