sbb cff ffs & the brünig retrofit program . . .

one important goal of a large company such as swiss federal railways, is to maintain a high design standard for a very long period of time. this aspects of the work can be seen in the brünig’s retrofit program, were the mandate was to improve a seasoned fleet of rolling stock vehicles through design improvements, in order to lengthen their life of service to the customers. here are two images of what brünig looked like, in the middle seventies / late eighties. the retrofit program was meant to take the vintage forty year old cars and give them the look, feel and comfort of the present and near future. the core of the new interior design approach was based on the seating units. the seating units reduced weight and cost while enhancing appearance and rider comfort. the color palette, use of natural meterials, lighting, ventilation and heating were also improved in this holistic approach to the vehicle’s interiors.