Cairns Tilt Train will have at-seat video entertainment: an at-seat video entertainment system is part of a new concept for long distance rail travel in Queensland, Australia - Train Design

International Railway Journal, Feb, 2002

THE quality of train interiors and onboard services have a high priority in Australia where rail journeys regularly extend over 24 hours often through spectacular and remote countryside. One example of the attention given to these features is the new Cairns Tilt Train, which is being designed and built for the 1600km journey along the east coast between Brisbane and Cairns, in Queensland's tropical north.

The two new trains are due in service by the end of this year and are claimed to be the world's fastest narrow-gauge diesel trains, with a maximum speed of 160km/h. The project is being delivered through an innovative alliance process in which the owner and operator, Queensland Rail (QR), and the contractor, EDI Rail, must jointly agree all decisions relating to the project. There are strong incentives for both parties to complete works under budget, and in the shortest time.

The tilting train consists of seven passenger cars with two lightweight high performance power cars operating in a push-pull configuration. The consist includes five cars with seats for up to 195 passengers, a luggage/operations car, and a centrally located club car. The journey time of more than 24 hours, the move away from sleeping cars, and the physical constraints imposed by the narrow gauge, required some innovative solutions for the interior environment.

All the seats are of business-class standard, with a pitch of 1080mm and extra recline ensuring that passengers have plenty of room. The seats themselves were designed specifically for this project, after an extensive world search failed to find a seat suitable for the long journey.

The interior of the cars looks more like the business-class cabin of an aircraft than the interior of a train. With overhead luggage storage, two vacuum toilets, and car end luggage storage (in addition to the checked luggage facility), the Cairns Tilt Train cars are a modern interpretation of classic train saloons. The club car will be the social hub of the train. In response to the limited space available, and with only one club car for nearly 200 passengers, the trains designers have opted for a light meal/snack type facility in the club car, complemented by a hot and cold meal at-seat service from aircraft-style meal distribution trolleys.

Given the extensive distances of the rail network in Queensland, and with much of the network subject to heavy freight traffic, maintaining ride quality was an enormous challenge. QR and EDI Rail have invested much in ensuring that the ride allows the passengers to enjoy the journey despite the difficulties presented by the track infrastructure.

The onboard Train Information and Entertainment System (Ties), which offers at-seat multi-channel video and audio programming, is claimed by QR and EDI Rail to be the most advanced of its kind in the world. A decision was made early in the contract to incorporate an at-seat, airline style entertainment system, but delivering on the decision turned out to be more difficult than expected. The alliance team was surprised to discover that an at-seat system for trains had not been developed commercially anywhere in the world, and so decided that they must develop one themselves.

Mr Danny Broad, EDI Rail's group general manager, said: "We had a number of suppliers who claimed to be able to provide the system, but found that they fell into two categories: those who had great ideas, but no real proven or qualified product, and the in-flight entertainment suppliers whose systems were extremely expensive. In both cases there was concern over how the system would fare in a rolling stock environment."

Mr Ross Hunter, QR's general manager for the technical services group, said: "As an operator of rail services, QR is acutely aware of the need for a reliable and robust system. Passengers expect it to work every time. We were also determined to get a product that could be easily and cost effectively maintained and upgraded. While it is not unusual for IT equipment to be available to staff on trains, this is the first time that it will be offered directly to passengers."

A team was set up by QR and EDI Rail to design, build, commission, and maintain Ties. The team adopted a systems engineering approach, and this defined the system in terms of the customer specifications. Further functional allocation then divided Ties into two subsystems, head end, and distribution and seat end. Working closely with the key technology partner, AAI, Taiwan, the project team developed the functionality and architecture required to meet the client needs, all within the tight budgetary constraints set by the project's senior management.

The project team also worked closely with the selected seat manufacturer in order to integrate the seat display units in an ergonomic and functional manner. Experience from air travel where headphone plugs and channel controls are not always easy to use led the team to conclude that all controls and the audio jack must be placed on the seat display unit itself. The display units are deployed from the seat arm console and turn off automatically when stowed. Testing included a prolonged cycle simulating more than 50 years of use.