Journey to the Future - A Passenger Experience at the Dutch Design Week

The journey of the future is for NS a question for today. Mobility is a necessity: to get to work, to take the kids out of town, to get the personal care you need. Because of the growing demand for mobility, we face some serious challenges.

NS asked Mecanoo to think about the future of the journey together with Prorail, Bureau Spoorbouwmeester and Springtime. Our vision shows what the door-to-door journey could look like from the perspective of the passenger. Digitalisation and new modalities are going to change our journey as will our spatial environment.

In the document “Public Transport in 2040”, the government and its stakeholders set ambitious targets with regard to sustainability, passenger satisfaction and capacity. A seamless mobility system that integrates public, shared and private transport is the only way forward.

The purpose of this Vision for the Future is to provide insight into what is needed to meet the intended goals for public transport in 2040. We identify the choices to be made and the associated dilemmas so as to determine the necessary steps, get the challenges on the agenda and activate the various stakeholders at an early stage.

Together, we are on the way to imagining and anticipating mo­bility and the associated quality of life for 2040. Our ambitions are big and so are the challenges and uncertainties. We feel that the best way to predict the future is to design it.

The journey of the future literally takes shape in the interactive model that NS presents at the Embassy of Mobility in collaboration with Mecanoo. This model shows the nine different phases of the door-to-door journey. The exhibition is completed with panels, models and VR experience. 

During this journey, DDW visitors can see in different ways what challenges we face and how innovations can provide solutions. Designers, stakeholders, experts and the public are investigating this during the Dutch Design Week at the Embassy of Mobility on Ketelhuisplein.

Arne Lijbers joins the debate Sunday 20 October from 12:30 - 13:30.
Francine Houben joins the conference "Mobility is a necessity" Thursday 24 from 10:00 - 12:00. Francine will share Mecanoo’s collaboration and vision on the current and future challenges on mobility.

Registration is free. The Embassies and exhibition in the Gloeilampplantsoen are open daily from 11:00 – 18:00.

Join this think tank and register now for extremely interesting debates and workshops. All good reasons to come and visit our exhibition at the Embassy of Mobility at the Dutch Design Week!

Explore all 421 events at DDW – Dutch Design Week from 19-27 October.