Thameslink Trains

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
Clarke A (1973) Hazards of Prophecy: The Failure of Imagination" in the collection Profiles of the Future: An Enquiry into the Limits of the Possible

I have used really simple examples of good design, but I dont think good design necessarily means that it has to be simple. This is an example of something that was probably quite an investment for the train company to make and then also maintain, but I love it.

I hate commuting to work, I used to live in North London and it was so much easier then, just a quick 20 min tube journey. Now I live in South East london there are several changes on a train or DLR, unless I take the Thameslink. There are only two Thameslink trains an hour, but I often wait. Firstly because I do not have to do any changes. Secondly because the trains themselves are a lot less claustrophobic, they do not have any doors to separate the carriages, the chairs are well designed to give a lot of space to walk through the train. And lastly, they have these really clear display screens that show you not only where the empty seats are, but where you are currently sitting, and also where and which toilets are free. 3 photos of a display screen used on thameslink trains to display various information for passengers

Each one aspect of this design makes the overall experience so much better. It is so great that I will WAIT longer to take it over the train that might come next.