Schoolchildren asked to imagine future of trains

Crazy golf compartments and private pet carriages will be included in the trains of the future, according to a series of inventive designs by schoolchildren.

Virgin Trains asked the youngsters to imagine what they think rail carriages will look like when they grow up, as it develops its new Azuma trains, which will be launched on East Coast routes in 2018.

The operator selected six ideas from a raft of drawings sent in by children to create full-colour images.

Designs included a double decker bus layout to maximise capacity, floor-to-ceiling clear walls for optimal viewing and robotic arms for handling baggage.

David Horne, managing director of Virgin Trains on the East Coast, said: "The Virgin Azuma is set to be the most state of the art train on the network when it arrives in 2018, so what better way to celebrate this than to work with our younger customers to find out what they would like to see on our exciting new trains.

"Their ideas have given us a refreshing outlook on what the future could hold and will help us towards our goal of revolutionising every element of our customers' experiences."

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