Sitting pretty: A new era in train seating

Research short: Our seat comfort guidance is helping to enhance the passenger experience in GB and beyond.

How RSSB research is leading to comfier seats

Robert Staunton
Head of Research Implementation, RSSB

The future of passenger comfort is here, thanks to our research on seat comfort. Since its initial release in 2019, the resulting guidance has been widely adopted. And it’s already leading to significant advancements in seating design.

With comprehensive advice on product design, human factors, and ergonomics, the guidance includes a method for rating comfort using a variety of metrics. These include seat dimensions, accessories, cushion thickness and compression, and attractiveness. Combing these measures provides an overall score for seat comfort, setting a new benchmark in the industry.

Who’s been levelling up their seat comfort?

If you saw our recent ‘Implementation Matters’ report, you’ll know that we build implementation into all of our research projects. Doing so makes it easy for rail organisations to adopt our findings and start deriving value from them.

This project is no different. Companies in Great Britain and beyond are already using our findings and guidance to improve seat comfort and satisfy passengers.

East Midlands Railway

EMR applied our seat comfort guidance while designing its new intercity Aurora fleet. The operator wanted to maintain the character of its large Meridian seats but further enhance their comfort. Collaborating with DG Design, EMR used the guidance to support the assessment of its baseline seat and to influence the design direction and dimensions for the new seat.

Angel Trains

Angel Trains is working with Spinks and Quantum Seating to replace foam in their seats with micro-pocket springs. This work, funded by Innovate UK, will enhance comfort in addition to extending the lifespan of the seat.

Alstom

Meanwhile, Future Travel Studio worked with Alstom to develop DreamSuite. Also funded by Innovate UK, this is an innovative new combined sleeper and seating solution for long-distance rail travel. Underpinned by our metrics for optimum seat comfort, this aviation-inspired design will help reach new heights in passenger comfort.

International organisations

Our seat comfort guidance has been adopted internationally, as well. It’s helping Transport for New South Wales in Australia gauge seat comfort for new rolling stock orders. Meanwhile, Irish Rail is using it to determine seat and leg spacing on its new DART metro rolling stock.

What’s next?

By embedding our guidance and scoring system into their design and manufacturing processes, operators and rolling stock manufacturers can ensure that their seats meet minimum comfort expectations. In doing so, they’ll be encouraging continuous improvement in passenger
comfort.

The next phase of this research will expand to include parameters for assessing seat comfort on moving trains, promising even greater advancements in the future.

This piece of work represents a significant opportunity to enhance passenger experience and set new benchmarks in the industry. What’s even more exciting is that passengers around the world are already starting to feel the benefits. And when passengers are happy, industry thrives.

Want to learn more?

The guidance was informed by our research project that set out to determine how seat comfort can be defined, tested, and validated in an evidence-based way.

Check out ‘Defining the requirements of a seat comfort selection process’ on our Research Catalogue.

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