According to an article in the Metro this morning (http://bit.ly/fyYP0v) MPs are calling for wider seats on South West Trains as the current design is causing "physical damage" to passengers. However according to the South West Trains website which summarises the conclusions of the report there are issues related to people fitting the seats but this is a "comfort issue not a health risk".
The ergonomics study concludes that 59% of the population will be outside of the seating "envelope" with their elbows - i.e. not very comfortable.
The design of trains is complex. You need to get the capacity otherwise people are standing or can't get on at all. Running more services or having longer trains aren't that easy as answers. However it seems a shame that a comfort issue is seen as almost acceptable - once again it is the passenger that suffers from the compromise.
Last nights Dispatches programme on C4 made similar points about the passenger experience in the UKLabels: passenger experience, passenger satisfaction, railway, seating
