Many suburban railway systems around the world are experiencing a rapid increase in patronage. While this is a welcome development as an alternative to road congestion, higher passenger densities particularly during peaktimes of the day have implications upon punctuality, crowding and the passenger perception of comfort. The design of train carriage interiors has asignificant influence upon passenger movement through doors, dispersal onboard, and the carrying of objects. These factors in turn strongly determine station dwell times with consequences upon service punctuality. The literature in the field generally focuses upon the creation of predictive models around existing vehicle designs with the purpose of informing more accurate timetables. There appears to be a paucity of academic research from an industrial design perspective. The primary aim of this paper is to examine the literature surrounding the issues of punctuality where it is affected by accessibility and crowding. The secondary aim is to reveal what current design strategies exist to ameliorate this problem and to what extent they could inform the design of a new suburban train carriage.
Samenvatting