New Train Fleets For West Midlands Trains
Class 730 Aventra
Alstom's finest, the new Aventra
With the arrival of London Northwestern Railway and West Midlands Railway identities, came an order for new trains, the Class 730 from Alstom, and Sam Jessup Design was tasked with bringing the brands to life in this state-of-the-art rolling stock.
Commuting and long distance
Both LNR and WMR ordered different specifications of trains, for both commuter and long-distance operation, so both livery and interior had to be customised to meet the needs of the end consumer, and fit in with the established brand identities too.
Two looks, one goal - styling the Aventra
With a superb new train product from Alstom, it was only right that the LNR and WMR brands were allowed to shine through, both inside and out. Although all Class 730s are essentially the same trains, the different liveries and interiors give them a unique look, and aim to provide a well-branded environment, and journey, for the customer.
London Northwestern Railway's Class 730 trains are predominantly designed for longer-distance work, so commuting into London Euston from as far north as Northampton, Milton Keynes and Watford - therefore this fleet has been given the LNR identity as debuted on the Class 350, but the angles and style have been worked to fit the unique Class 730 body shape.It's an identity that feels bold, bright and approachable, yet retained an upmarket and refined style - becoming an able competitor to the brand's nearest competitor Avanti West Coast.
West Midlands Railway's Class 730 trains are designed for a combination of mid-distance regional work, and high-density commuter work on Birmingham's famed Cross City Line, so this fleet has been given the same identity as shown on the Class 170 fleet, which works alongside the TfWM's Bus and Metro livery but has its own unique colour scheme, mixing bold orange with deep purple to create a style like no other.
I worked closely with famed industrial designer Andrew Schoenemann on the creation of a new scheme for the interiors of the all Class 730 trains, including new custom moquettes, carpets and dedicated colour schemes, plus new interior customer labelling.
Class 196 Civity
A new Civity for the city
CAF's Class 196 trains were selected by West Midlands Trains to provide extra capacity, a better onboard experience and a boost for West Midlands Railway brand. As creator of the master WMR look, Sam Jessup Design were tasked with bringing the orange and purple style to these new and shiny machines.
Brand matters
The WMR style debuted on the Class 172s, has been reworked to fit into the architecture of the new 196 - orange and purple used in abundance, creating a uniform look across the new 196 and 730 Aventra fleets - and like all WMR trains, the design is inspired directly by the West Midlands region itself.
Looking to the future - styling the Civity
Another new fleet for West Midlands Railway meant it was time for me to fire up my laptop, get my purple and orange swatches, and create something that would knock the socks off the fine people of the West Midlands Region.
The CAF Class 196, with its unique front end and interconnecting door, needed a bit of work to fit the livery to the architecture, but as you can see, it looks just as fantastic as its Alstom Class 730 sister stock. I specified a black front adjoining door (who needs yellow on train fronts these days anyway!) used the bold orange to accentuate the black window and headlight surrounds, and even (as a UK train first) ensured that the cant rail line on the bodyside sat in grey, rather than an orange so subtle you wouldn't see it. Plus, a hat-tip to CAF with their logo large and proud on the lower cab side.
The house WMR style (as debuted on the Class 172 and 170) fits like a glove, and gives perfect brand continuity across all WMR fleets - and, of course, continues to create a fair bit of buzz on social media and in local press, some love it, others hate it – which means people have taken time to stop, absorb, think, and have their preconceptions challenged.
I worked closely with famed industrial designer Andrew Schoenemann on the creation of a new scheme for the interiors of the all Class 730 trains, including new custom moquettes, carpets and dedicated colour schemes, plus new interior customer labelling.
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