There doesnt seem to be any particular department amongst the TOCs, dft, rail delivery group or Rssb that is in command of passenger comfort or train layouts.... one of the most important positions in and transport industry. Its all about money.
Presume the "management" wouldn't normally ever be travelling on an Anglo-Scottish route in Standard Class, or is the seating in First Class in Azuma's equally as poor?
It always seems to be suggested that the cheapest seats are used without any evidence as to what successive seat models cost. Part of the issue is likely to be that seats stop being manufactured or are deemed unsuitable.
Equally the seats on Pacers and 153s some had Chapman or Richmond Seating, while some 150s and 156s were left with the much worse Ashbournes.
Absolutely! Personally I think it was a false economy then and will certainly prove to be one now that the railway needs to show that it has a good "product" rather than just relying on people with no choice about using it.
Wasn't there some piece of research done a few years ago around developing a standard for seat comfort? I'm sure I recall someone like Ian Walmsley (always on the seat crusade) writing about it in Modern Railways?
They're better than what is fitted in standard class and acceptable for long journeys. They're not as comfortable as what was fitted to the East Coast Mk3s/Mk4s but not dreadful.
Surely it’s possible to design a soft comfortable but single piece seat cushion which would show if it had been pierced by something?
Not so much pierced but it’s more of a fact that nothing can be tucked down the sides or the back of one of the ironing board seats. It’s a new regulation that was bought out
Would you happen to know the citation for this regulation?
So just have a nice soft seat without a back or sides! Surely designers can accomplish that without resorting to ironing boards
That’s what was done on the 720s. The ironing board seats were probably the cheapest that met the regulations. The 720s were due to have ironing boards before a load of people kicked off about it. So it definitely can be done
I’m yet to try one yet. It’s a so called upgrade on the 720s anyway. That’s what it says on the tin…
I went on a 720 on the GEML recently and it’s interesting how they follow a completely different design philosophy to most standing room optimised modern stock and try to cram in as many seats as possible like BR used to. I didn’t have any complaints about the seats themselves. If anything the original ironing boards on 700/717s that started all these problems are actually softer than on 345s or 195/331s.
158752-759 are the 8 3 car 158s which still have original seats designed in the 1990s for longer distance express journeys. Apparently the middle cars had modifications to make the seats even more comfortable than on other 158s.
For me I’d never like them to be honest. They are never gonna be as good as the favourite train, the 317
Strangly the seats on these and the 745s are a touch softer but instead have no lumber support! Sort one thing, ruin something else. Why not put the new seats in existing stock for a while for evaluation
Ah that would be too simple!
That's all well and good, until the seat base comes loose, like so:
Are we travelling on the same 720s?
