UK: A new design of seat cushion incorporating small metal springs instead of foam is to be fitted in the first class area of a Great Western Railway Class 166 diesel multiple-unit this month, with roll-out across the rest of the class planned.
Mattress and furniture spring manufacturer Spinks was awarded funding from the Department for Transport and Innovate UK’s First of a Kind programme to bring its EcoSeat glue-free pocket microcoil technology to the rail market. Spinks is developing the seats with Quantum Seating, which has provided the aluminium seat frames and covers with high wool content for the prototypes.
However, the GWR project will make use of the DMU’s existing aluminium seat shell.
South Western Railway has also expressed interest in retrofitting its trains with the cushions, and as an experienced mattress manufacturer Spinks is also targeting the night train market.
Speaking to Rail Business UK at the Rail Innovation Conference in London on February 13, the company said the springs used on train seats in the past were much larger than ones available now. They were displaced by foams which were initially cheaper, but the price has crept up as fire and other standards became stricter. Springs are now competitive on price while also offering a longer life, lower environmental impact and full recyclability.
The company is using a ‘Squirming Herman’ device for accelerated endurance testing, which has now simulated 14 years of the harsh life of a train seat.
