FRENCH National Railways has started developing economy sleeping cars designed to attract families back to its 24 conventional overnight services. Each car would accommodate 46 passengers in 10 three-berth and 8 two-berth ’rooms’. These would have longitudinal berths above and below the windows, with the third bunks arranged on an angle over a sinusoidal central corridor. Access would be by spiral staircase rising from the door pillar (below).
With conventional end-of-car toilets and washrooms rather than the en-suite shower rooms favoured for the business-class hotel trains, the new cars would be targeted at budget groups seeking more privacy than is available in a couchette. SNCF is building a mock-up of the vehicle at its Romilly works to validate the size of the rooms and to enable further ergonomic studies.
HSNCF is also developing a strategy to refurbish Corail inter-city stock built in the 1970s. An Fr18m prototype 10-car trainset designated TRN (Train Rapide Nationale) is due to be ready for test running next summer. SNCF’s Passenger Director Guillaume Pepy revealed last November that he wanted to move to fixed-formation trainsets. These would have six second class and three first class Corail cars. The 10th vehicle would be a multi-service car combining disabled and family accommodation, a children’s play area, catering office, self-service vending machines, a conductor’s office and spaces for skis and bicycles.
