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More space than ever, a sliding step for wheelchair users, and bins and tables on trains for the first time - welcome to a new Merseyrail train.

Merseytravel is introducing a £460m fleet of ‘state of the art’ new trains to the network from 2020.

And now it and train manufacturer Stadler have created a full-scale mock-up of part of a carriage that future passengers can now explore.

You can see some of the new passenger facilities and the safety features and get a feel for what Merseyrail journeys could be like in 18 months time.

(Image: Liverpool ECHO)

The ECHO was given a tour by Merseytravel chairman, Cllr Liam Robinson, and chief executive, Frank Rogers.

Looking around the carriage, Mr Rogers said: “It’s much more open and bright than the existing saloon.”

And Cllr Robinson said: “The train looks like something you’d find in a big European city, which is what we are.”

(Image: Liverpool ECHO)

The announcement of the new trains was controversial because the trains are designed to be operated by drivers without guards. A row with the RMT has led to several strike days but talks between the union and the rail operator are ongoing behind the scenes.

While that’s going on, Merseytravel has been working with train builder Stadler, with drivers and with passenger representatives to refine the design of the new carriages.

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The fruits of their work are now on show in the full-sized chunk of a carriage now on show in a warehouse near the city centre. It’s due to go on show to the public in Lime Street in November.

When the ECHO visited, the front of the train looked rather odd as chairs were piled in front of it.

But you can clearly see the lights are designed in the shape of an M, for Merseyrail, lit up in red and white.

(Image: Liverpool ECHO)

But Cllr Robinson, aware that train enthusiasts will see these pictures, jumped in to say: “You’d never actually see red and white lights at the same time. You see white when a train’s coming towards you, red when it’s going away.”

As you walk up to the platform, you can see the massive windows that will give passengers better views than ever - though when the ECHO visited there was no glass in many of them.

Merseytravel this week announced plans to rebuild platforms up and down the network to ensure they’re compatible with the new trains.

(Image: Liverpool ECHO)

You can see immediately that the new trains will sit closer to the platforms than the current ones.

And on the outside of the carriages are Toblerone-shaped blocks that further reduce the gap between the train and the platform edge.

After you press the button and the door starts to open, a “step” comes out below to ensure there’s no gap between the train and the platform edge. That step automatically detects the platform edge and will extend to within millimetres of the platform.

(Image: Liverpool ECHO)

That means there is step-free access from the platform onto the train, making it possible for wheelchair users to get on and off the trains unaided.

Cllr Robinson said: “That’s something we’re particularly proud of. We’re the only part of the country doing this. We took the view we were pioneering something here which could be used elsewhere.

“Everybody can use the trains equally whether you’re a wheelchair user or pushing a buggy or carrying heavy shopping.”

Mr Rogers said: “It’s new technology in the UK but it’s tried and tested in Switzerland.”

As a safety measure, the doors are sensitive to any touch and spring open straight away.

There are also CCTV cameras up and down the outside of the train. The driver in the cab can then see all the doors to ensure the train is safe to move off.

(Image: Liverpool ECHO)

Inside the carriage feels much more spacious than the current ones, with wider aisles.

Cllr Robinson said: “The seats are bigger than the current ones but because we’ve utilised brackets in different ways, we get more space, which means wheelchair users and people with buggies can get through.

“It makes it much easier to clean and to put your bag under the seat. But it also makes it more difficult to hide anything that shouldn’t be there.”

(Image: Liverpool ECHO)

The headrests are narrower than the seat body. Mr Rogers said “People told us they wanted headrests but they wanted thinner ones so they could see down the whole train.”

Cllr Robinson said Merseytravel had a panel of 40 “real-life Merseyrail customers” who had made suggestions for the design of the new carriages. Their input, for example, has led to the introduction of “airline-style” pairs of seats as well as the more conventional Merseyrail blocks of four.

(Image: Liverpool ECHO)

There is also a plug and USB charging point under every block of seats. And there will also be bins on every train, as demanded by passengers.

The windows have been aligned with the seats, so each block of four seats facing each other gets to enjoy a whole window rather than a pillar.

There will also be “ledges” on the windows between those seats.

(Image: Liverpool ECHO)

Cllr Robinson said: “It will take a coffee cup and a tablet.

“We looked at everything from big tables through to nothing at all, and this was the most popular option.”

The carriage looks light on seats, but that’s because all the features including bike racks and buggy spaces have been put in one small space when in reality they’d be spread along the whole train.

(Image: Liverpool ECHO)

The spaces for bikes are bigger and also boast “perch seats” where people can lean if there are no bikes there.

Some of the blocks of four seats are made up of tipping seats

Liam said: “We’re thinking these could be dedicated buggy spaces. If we did that we’d be the first network to have dedicated buggy spaces.”

(Image: Liverpool ECHO)

The door to the cab is transparent, meaning passengers in the front right seat of the carriage would be able to see the journey ahead. But at the push of a button drivers can turn the glass opaque.

In the dummy cab the screens have not yet been installed, with vinyl stickers instead showing what the displays will look like.

Those displays show how the drivers can see the doors and the exterior of the train. And they can also see CCTV from inside the train and report any incidents to the control centre.

The cabs have been designed with input from Merseyrail drivers and from drivers’ union ASLEF.

Cllr Robinson said: “The existing Merseyrail cabs are not nice places to spend eight-hour shifts. We want to ensure the drivers have the best possible working environment.”