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Pininfarina to Redesign Eurostar Trains

Lateral thinking, you know, the concept you all heard about when (and if) attending sales seminars (think outside of the box and all that) is about all a struggling manufacturer can do at this point. Instead of trying to tackle the crisis on only one front, that of vehicle manufacturing or design Pininfarina remembered that it can also work outside on its usual field and do much more than designing cars.

In a swift move, the Italian company set its sights on the European train company Eurostar (in case you forgot, Eurostar operates trains traveling across the English Channel). As a result of a contract signed between the two companies, Pininfarina will be in charge of refurbishing and even redesigning the aging train fleet.

Eurostar began train services through the Channel Tunnel in 1994 and after 15 years of service, at around 300 km/hour (184 mph), the 28 trains (designated Class 373 in the UK and TGV373000 in France) are obviously in need of their first major makeover.

The contract between Pininfarina and Eurostar will be overseen by French railway operator SNCF (Societe Nationale des Chemins de fer Francais) and will result in restyled trains which will roll out no sooner than 2012. But if you got your hopes up and got ready to see a Pininfarina designed TGV, thing again. The Italian company was drafted to design only the interior of the Eurostar trains

It is not the Italians' first encounter with mass transportation vehicles. Pininfarina worked with other manufacturers or transport operators into designing just about everything from buses (Mercedes Benz Hispano Habit) to trains (AnsaldoBreba V250 Albatros). In the rail transportation system alone, the company worked for Swiss, Danish and Norwegian railways.

"We’re delighted to be awarded this important assignment. Together with Eurostar we’re determined to create a design that focuses on a great travel experience, thus mixing our style and outstanding functionality with a clear vision of future train travel," Lowie Vermeersch, Design Director at Pininfarina said in a release.
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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