SCHOTT solutions no. 1/2011 > Rail Traffic

A vision on the way to becoming a reality: Light is increasingly being understood as an instrument for providing orientation, creating moods and ensuring comfort, regardless of whether this is in designing restaurants in trains (above) or VIP seating solutions (see left below). Photo: SCHOTT/L. Zimmermann
Greater Appeal Thanks to Light
Intelligent lighting solutions in train compartments are paving the way for greater comfort – and luring air passengers to the tracks.
Thilo Horvatitsch
Tremendous speed wasn’t the only aspect of the record-breaking trip of a Chinese passenger train (see also p. 8) at the end of 2010 that created the sensation of flying in a jet. Thanks to the personal reading lights attached to their seats, passengers in the vip class got to enjoy the same level of comfort that an airplane offers. ”We have already shipped over 2,000 LED reading lights for use in high-speed Chinese trains. The customer is very happy with the high quality and matching design, so the chances of us receiving more orders are pretty good,” says Dr. Armin Plichta, General Manager of Transportation at SCHOTT Lighting and Imaging. The example of seat lighting suggests that a new trend is emerging. More and more often, light is being looked at as an instrument that can offer orientation, create moods and ensure comfort, especially during long-distance trips. Here, the faster speed of an express train simply isn’t enough to convince discerning airline passengers to head for the tracks. Designers and manufacturers of train interiors are doing all that they can to keep up with the comfort standards that air travel passengers are accustomed to finding in many higher flight classes. The objective is to make train travel as comfortable an experience as possible, especially in the upper classes. But the challenge is also to meet a variety of different travel needs. Whereas business travelers often ask to sit in quiet zones that offer enough room to work and hold meetings in, First Class passengers often prefer a lounge or bar atmosphere. Customized lighting designs can help meet both demands rather effectively.
”We want our customers to be able to come up with high-quality design solutions in a quick and easy manner.”
Dr. Armin Plichta, General Manager Transportation SCHOTT Lighting and Imaging
Photo: SCHOTT/L. Zimmermann
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