22.02.18
Seat design needs more scientific approach to ensure comfort, says industry
There should be more research into the design of train seats in order to provide a more comfortable and safer experience for passengers, the RSSB has argued.
According to the organisation, this would mean a more scientific approach to measuring and specifying comfort.
New research aims to develop a more sophisticated “human factors” approach to understanding comfort, considering the shape of the seat, cushioning, choice of material, lumbar support, vibration, legroom and journey length, amongst other aspects.
Train operating companies, owning groups, rolling stock owning companies, suppliers and seat design manufacturers have reportedly expressed a “real desire to move forward” in this area, and have given their backing for work to start.
It is hoped that a seat specification will be established with a set of minimum requirements, allowing comfort to be considered as an “essential feature,” alongside other considerations such as fire safety and “crashworthiness.”
RSSB says that this could help organisations involved in rolling stock procurement, such as ROSCOs and the DfT.
Jordan Smith, RSSB’s senior human factor specialist, explained: “There simply aren’t any reliable industry-approved measures to quantify passenger train seat comfort – they don’t exist.
“The rail industry wants us to challenge that, by exploring the potential of a new specification which takes full account of the complexity of the human factors involved, and allows owners, suppliers and government procurement teams to efficiently specify and deliver seating in line with passenger comfort.”
Despite coming in the midst of complaints about the seats on GTR’s brand-new Class 700 fleet, which have been likened to “concrete” by some commuters, the RSSB has claimed that the research is not directly related to the operator’s stock. Instead, it argued the industry “had already recognised that seat comfort was an issue that could be better informed by new research.”
This research project comes as part of the RSSB’s R&D programme, which is supported by its members and funded by the DfT.
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