Railway design for people: interview with Julien D'Hoker

Written by Lisa Abitbol

Published on September 29, 2024, modified on October 18, 2024

Looking for practical advice, feedback and inspiration for your next train journey? Make yourself comfortable and put your headphones in your ears: board now for “Je t'offre un rail?”, the podcast that will get you hooked on trains, produced with the support of SNCF Connect!

Rail design at the service of passengers

For season 2, we welcome 5 experts to explore the inner workings of the rail industry.

Julien D'Hoker is the first of them. Associate Director of the Yellow Window agency, a benchmark in mobility design, he explains how he designs trains that are practical, aesthetically pleasing and environmentally friendly!

This episode reveals not only what goes on behind the scenes, but also some great anecdotes about the evolution of railway design. Enjoy!

Episod program

• From Ferrari to trains, his inspiring career.
  Julien D'Hoker began his career at Pininfarina in Italy, where he designed luxury cars such as Ferraris. However, he soon realized that what he was really looking for was a human and social connection. It was this desire that led him to leave the automotive world and turn to a field more in tune with his values: railway design.
• Railway design at the service of people.
  For Julien, it's not just about creating beautiful objects, but above all about meeting the needs of users. Ergonomics, accessibility, smooth train travel... Nothing is left to chance. The goal? To make daily life easier for passengers, while integrating the technical constraints imposed by operators and manufacturers.
• Making the train an experience that goes beyond mere transportation.
  For Julien, taking the train isn't just about getting from A to B. It has to be an enjoyable experience too. It must also be an enjoyable experience. And that's exactly what his job is all about: making the journey memorable, whether you're a professional looking to work in comfort, or a family looking for a convivial moment. Every space in the train is designed for a specific purpose, whether for work, relaxation or leisure.
• The importance of design in ecology.
  Design doesn't just make trains more pleasant: it plays a crucial role in their ecological sustainability (longevity of materials, recyclability of components...). For example, he explains how thinking about materials helps avoid rapid obsolescence while optimizing maintenance and recycling!
• And other surprises that you can discover by clicking right here👇

“The train is a micro-society that I love working on. There are people, issues, constraints, and that's what makes this job exciting.”

“Making trains desirable means not creating transport, but travel.”

“By its very nature, the train is an ecological object. It carries a lot of people, it's electric and it's designed to last a long time.”

Episode highlights

Focus on emblematic projects

Among the major projects Yellow Window worked on: the Omneo Normandie intercity train, where the design team had to reimagine the concept of the train to meet demands for greater capacity, comfort, and sustainability.

“We want to create a train where passengers don't just wait, but have a real experience.”

Julien also shares some of his proudest achievements, such as the atypical wooden buses at Mont Saint-Michel, which add uniqueness to the experience.

Behind the scenes of a railway designer

Railway design is a long and complex process. Each train must be designed to last at least 50 years.

The work involves several stages: conception, specifications, prototyping, testing, technical adjustments and manufacturing. A train project can take more than 10 years to see the light of day, as every detail is carefully thought out to provide the best possible experience for users!

As for the technical challenges, they are numerous, since we have to work with industrialists, operators and a whole host of other professions who blend together to create what makes up our daily lives. “We're the slowest designers in the world,” jokes Julien, ”because it takes an enormous amount of time to design a train that will last for decades.”

Further proof that the train is not just a means of transport: it can also be a place of life, exchange and experience. Thank you to Julien for opening up a window onto his discipline - design - which is profoundly linked to the challenges of our time: improving mobility while respecting people and the planet.

To see more of Julien D'Hoker's work, visit the Yellow Window website and his Instagram page @yellowwindowdesign.

To make sure you don't miss a single episode and get inspired by our guests, don't hesitate to subscribe to the podcast on your favorite listening platforms. Thanks to our partner SNCF Connect, the reference app for trains and sustainable mobility, which accompanies over 15 million users on their journeys in France and Europe!