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transport

The train with less seats

OK, so I’ve finally seen the modified test train in the flesh. Here’s a short video explaining the changes.

Both the video and a Flickr slideshow are over on the PTUA web site.

I think it’s okay. In an age where people struggle just to squeeze on board the train, this design encourages people to move-in from the doorways and make more space, at the expense of some seats. And more importantly, the design around the doorways should improve dwell times and allow more trains to run on the tracks when the new ones are delivered.

But they’ve tried to allocate a space to keep clear behind the driver’s exit door, which I think was a mistake; it just clutters up the carriage, and people are unlikely to stand clear of it when the train is crowded.

PS. That’s something else the London underground and other metro systems have: fast-loading trains with fewer seats…

By Daniel Bowen

Transport blogger / campaigner and spokesperson for the Public Transport Users Association / professional geek.
Bunurong land, Melbourne, Australia.
Opinions on this blog are all mine.

6 replies on “The train with less seats”

Why does the driver’s exit door need to be unobstructed? Why is it even there? I’ve only seen such a door used once when passengers were on board – the driver had to run down to the back of the third carriage to sort out a brake problem, and he wanted to do it while the train was moving. If he’d stopped the train and just got out, the internal door would have been unnecessary anyway.

Being vertically challenged I’m all in favour of having more vertical poles.

If there’s no-one there to be embarrassed in front of I can even do a pole dance!

Originally Comeng trains didn’t even have a driver’s door to the passenger area; there was a row of seats against the back wall instead. The doors were added in the early-90s as part of a failed experiment with roving guards.

People are definitely not going to keep that little space clear. If anything, stundents will use it as a bag dump or adults will just stand in and around it. Those doors are useless and need to be removed.

I dunno what he did to the train, it just trundled along slowly while he ran down to the back. He stopped it at the next station and then ran back up the platform to the front.

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