It's very easy to see how the 2900s could have been made better with the benefit of hindsight. On the other hand, IE had a fair bit of hindsight to draw on from the 2600, 2700 and 2800s. They put a lot of effort into getting the 2900s right from an engineering perspective. The IE engineers were involved throughout the design and assembly stages., and it really shows in terms of reliability.
Unfortunately, the same can't be said from a passenger viewpoint. You only have to take a ride on the earlier DMUs to be asking "is there anything that could be done to make them a bit quieter?" A little sound insulation under the floor couldn't cost the earth, could it? I don't think an exact replica of the C3K interior would be right for a commuter train. The reduced seating and increased standing room on the trains is, unfortunately, a necessary aspect of modern commuting. However, NIR went to the trouble of mocking up the interior and showing it to customers to get feedback. Couldn't IE have done the same?
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