​THE ROMANCE OF RAIL

I started off my research project with the broad topic of trains: the evolution of the railway, the romance of train travel and carriage design.

 

Without sounding like a train spotter, I have always loved travelling by train; discovering landscapes never seen by car and watching the world go pass. Like many others I have spent a lot of time passing through and waiting in stations such as London St. Pancras and personally have always been awed by the immense structure of these historic landmarks.

 

As a leading innovator of locomotive development, the UK’s railway system is the oldest in the world. With the increasing demand for speed, reliability and frequency, the once loved method of transport seems to be loosing its charm.

I intend to look at the evolutionary story of the railway and investigate the challenges faced by the rail industry.

 

Travelling by train, as one of the first methods of transport, has been depicted in historical literature and film as a privilege and an occasion saved for exciting journeys to new destinations. Nowadays, it seems that the romance of train travel is fading.

I intend to explore this statement and consider the opinions of both the commuting passenger and the occasional traveller.

 

The interior design of train carriages and the service provided influence passenger experience as much as the landscape rolling past. The luxury and extravagance of the pioneering carriages can still be experienced today on the likes of the Orient Express. 

I intend to look at how carriage design has changed and its influence on passenger experience.  

 

I believe that this is a topic that has both global and personal significance being an experience that everyone can relate to.

I intend to continue to research and allow my discoveries shape and influence my final design project.