Alstom, the French rolling stock manufacturer, asked Mormedi to support in its bid to win a major commuter train contract by understanding the needs of travellers, and designing the trains’ CMF and livery.

Mormedi carried out a thorough investigation of the passengers, managing to profile them based on the space they need in the car and the time they require in their journey. In this way, he managed to lay the foundations for the design of the trains, which helped Alstom win the largest contract in the history of Renfe, the Spanish national railway operator, with an agreement for 152 high-capacity trains.

The challenge

To be able to design innovative trains that would win Spain’s national commuter train tender, Alstom asked Mormedi to uncover the insights and outline a design strategy that would respond to passengers’ needs. In addition, Alstom also asked Mormedi to define the look of the trains in terms of the livery and the colour, materials, and finish.

Our approach

Mormedi began the project by carrying out in-depth research with passengers, as well as into trends and competitors. Primary research consisted of stakeholder interviews, observation, and safaris to uncover unmet needs and pain points. Using the principle of universal design, we mapped the current traveller experience and defined a new way to approach different passenger profiles. In addition, the secondary research consisted of a competitor benchmark and analysis of business and technology trends. Through the analysis of the research findings, Mormedi came up with 22 key insights across the passenger journey that needed to be considered in designing a new train. These inputs were used to create a prioritized opportunity map, as well as the design guidelines for the next generation trains.