Influence of the Rail Vehicle Layout on Efficiency and Railway Operation

Railway efficiency is increasingly significant given the competition with road and air transport, where usability of travel time, passenger comfort and operational reliability play key roles. This study investigates the influence of passenger rail vehicle layout on efficiency, focusing on aspects such as passenger changeover time, luggage storage, seating usability and overall comfort. Since 2001, empirical research at TU Wien has combined extensive passenger observations, surveys of more than 60,000 travellers, detailed luggage measurements and video analyses of over 20,000 boarding and alighting processes, complemented by controlled changeover tests in multiple vehicle layouts. These data informed the development of a calculation model and the TrainOptimizer software to evaluate and optimise layouts. Findings show that maximising seating capacity often reduces efficiency by limiting luggage storage, blocking seats and extending changeover times, whereas layouts with fewer but better-positioned seats and distributed luggage racks increase usable capacity and passenger satisfaction. Results also indicate that interior design directly affects time use, stress and well-being during travel. The study concludes that vehicle design has a significant impact on operational performance, energy use and the competitive position of railways, with well-balanced layouts offering both higher efficiency and an enhanced passenger experience.