Liverpool City Region model train carriage to help teach rail engineers of the future

A life-size mock-up carriage has been donated by Liverpool City Region to a college in Yorkshire, where it is being used as a teaching aid for students.

Class 777 units are being built for operation in the Liverpool City Region. As part of the design process, a full-size replica of one of the unit’s carriages was built.

It was then used displayed around the region to show residents what their new trains would look like and how their innovative features would work.

A group of local rail users made excellent use of the mock-up carriage as they directly influenced the design features of the new trains through a passenger research exercise. Over 10,000 people also viewed it when it went on public display in summer 2018.

The carriage has now taken on a new role as the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority has transferred it to the National College for Advanced Transport & Infrastructure (NCATI) in Doncaster, Yorkshire.

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The college will use the college to teach students rolling stock specification writing, design, and driver’s cab ergonomics. It is fully interactive, with working doors and a revolutionary automatic sliding step that will provide level boarding for all passengers across the Merseyrail network.

Cllr Liam Robinson, transport portfolio holder for the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, said:

“The new trains for the Liverpool City Region represent are going to be the most advanced in the country with state-of-the-art features that will make using our rail network more attractive and accessible. Importantly they were designed with the input of local people to meet their needs.

“In that spirit of collaboration, we’re delighted to be able to transfer ownership of this full-size, mock-up to the National College for Advanced Transport & Infrastructure. Hopefully it will prove to be not only a valuable educational tool but also an inspiration to the next generation of rail engineers.”

Completed mock-up 777 — Completed mock-up of Class 777 carriage.

Andy Gregory, Senior Curriculum Lead, Rolling Stock at National College for Advanced Transport & Infrastructure, said:

“The recent arrival of the Class 777 mock-up at our Doncaster campus will be a great addition to our workshop. Our level 4 Cert HE & level 5 Foundation Degree students were involved in the build which has recently been completed.

“It has given the students a chance to look at the design and layout of the carriages and explore how these affect capacities, including disabled areas, areas for cycles, and larger standing areas that are needed for urban Metro rail lines.

“With the mock-up having fully operating doors and situated against a platform they can see how access can be designed to make this easy for wheelchair-using passengers.

“The mock-up will become a great asset for the students to use to enhance their studies.”

David Frost, foundation degree student in High-Speed Rail and Infrastructure, said:

“The addition of the 777 unit to the workshop here in Doncaster is fantastic. It’s a really useful learning aid for our modules that have a focus on passenger-facing operations.

“Being such a modern example, it gives us an opportunity to look first-hand at how industry is adapting to modern-day considerations such as accessibility and passenger comfort.

“It is also a very visible training aid for those of us who benefit from a more hands-on approach to learning. And pushing buttons is fun!”