ABSTRACT
This presentation describes both laboratory and field studies into the thermal requirements for environments in railway carriages. Rail passengers arrive at a station platform in a number of thermal states ranging from hot through comfortable to cold. They then get on the train and take a seat in the rail carriage. A journey is then undertaken where the environment is usually relatively constant and then the passenger gets off the train having completed the journey. The thermal environments experienced during that whole journey, can include changes of environment from hot to cold for example, and a period of steady state, but maybe the sun comes in through the window or there is a draught. This paper describes research and how it has been brought together to form an holistic model for predicting the rail passenger’s thermal experience. When combined with models for other environmental components an ergonomics guideline for railway carriage environments can be proposed.
