Name: 列車設計師設計出完美的通勤列車 | WSJ Pro Perfected (Train Architect Designs the Perfect Commuter Train | WSJ Pro Perfected)
Uploaded: 2025-02-19T07:48:59.000Z
Duration: 7 min 7 s

Nobody likes a packed commuter train, but does it have to be this way?

沒有人喜歡擁擠的通勤列車，但非得這樣嗎？

See, to train designers, like this one, the carriage is a blank slate, anything could go here.

你看，對於像這位設計師這樣的培訓設計師來說，車廂就是一塊白板，什麼都可以放在這裡。

程度副詞

And trains around the world have featured everything from spacious viewing carriages to high-end dining cars and even luxurious beds.

從寬敞的觀景車廂到高級，上等餐車，甚至豪華臥鋪，世界各地的列車都有自己的特色。

Throwing in too many things like this can cripple passenger flow, decreasing the number of paying riders you can get on and off, causing delays and potentially damaging your ticket sales.

加入太多這樣的東西會影響客流，減少可上下車的付費乘客數量，造成延誤，並可能損害車票銷售。

And ripping out all of the comforts and maximising space can be just as bad.

把所有的舒適設施都拆掉，最大限度地利用空間，可能也是同樣糟糕的做法。

So what can be done to perfect the commuter train?

那麼，怎樣才能完善通勤列車呢？

There's a single number that can have an influence on every inch of a train's design.

有一個數字可以影響列車設計的方方面面。

It's called the PPHPD – passengers per hour, per direction.

這就是所謂的 PPHPD - 每小時每個方向的乘客人數。

It's essentially a measure of how many paying passengers will be on the train at a given moment in time.

這主要是衡量在某一特定時刻有多少付費乘客會乘坐列車。

And getting the design right to hit that target is crucial.

要實現這一目標，正確的設計至關重要。

The frequency of a commuter train isn't just limited by how many trains are on the line.

通勤列車的班次不僅受線路上列車數量的限制。

It's also affected by how quickly passengers get on and off.

乘客上下車的快慢也會對其產生影響。

The tiniest of adjustments to the train can impact passenger flow, and that can make or break the economics of a train service.

對列車進行最微小的調整都會影響客流量，從而影響列車服務的經濟效益。

Especially as most modern trains are designed to be in service for 30 years.

尤其是大多數現代列車的設計使用壽命為 30 年。

That's why companies like Alstom, who design and build trains and subway cars that operate around the world, spend years designing their vehicles.

這就是為什麼像阿爾斯通這樣設計和製造在世界各地運行的火車和地鐵車輛的公司，要花費數年時間來設計他們的車輛。

As an operator, you will want to maximise your revenues, so you will maximise the capacity of your trains.

作為運營商，您希望最大限度地增加收入，是以會最大限度地提高列車的運載能力。

The first thing shaping the design of the train is the physical space it has to operate in.

影響列車設計的首要因素是列車運行的物理空間。

The length and height of the platforms and, on underground networks, the shape of the tunnels.

站臺的長度和高度，以及地下管網中隧道的形狀。

On London's 160-year-old underground network, for example, the roof of some trains have to curve so that they can fit into decades-old tunnels.

例如，在倫敦有 160 年曆史的地鐵網絡中，一些列車的車頂必須彎曲，以便能進入有幾十年歷史的隧道。

Which means that if you're over six foot, you're going to struggle to stand here.

也就是說，如果你的身高超過 6 英尺，站在這裡就會很吃力。

If height isn't a constraint, you may think that double-decker trains would help increase passenger flow.

如果高度不受限制，您可能會認為雙層列車有助於增加客流量。

It actually slows it down, as passengers have to navigate stairs just to get to the doors.

這實際上會減慢車速，因為乘客必須通過樓梯才能到達車門。

And speaking of doors, while you may think that their location is set in stone, it's actually a decision that designers have to consider.

說到門，你可能會認為它們的位置是一成不變的，但實際上這是設計師必須考慮的一個決定。

If you place, for example, three doors per car, you will have less passenger flow than if you put four doors per car, but it will also be sometimes a bit more difficult to place all the people seated.

例如，如果每節車廂安裝三個車門，乘客流量會比每節車廂安裝四個車門少，但有時也會更難安排所有乘客就座。

The operators of this train, London's Elizabeth Line, insisted that the carriage be redesigned to have three equally spaced doors to smooth out passenger flow.

這列火車的運營商--倫敦伊麗莎白線公司--堅持要求重新設計車廂，使其擁有三個間距相等的車門，以順暢客流。

And the width of those doors is getting wider.

It's normally around four feet to allow two passengers to pass each other.

通常情況下，乘客之間的距離約為四英尺，以便兩名乘客互相通過。

But on trains like New York MTA's new R211T, the doors have been widened by eight inches.

但在紐約 MTA 的新型 R211T 等列車上，車門加寬了 8 英寸。

We are noticing three people that cross each other at the same time, but it has also some impacts in the interior layout because we will not be able to put any seats in the entrance.

我們注意到有三個人同時相互交叉，但這也對內部佈局產生了一些影響，因為我們將無法在入口處設置任何座位。

But getting the doors right is pointless if passengers then block them the second they get on the train, which people tend to do if they're not traveling very far.

但是，如果乘客一上車就堵住車門，那麼車門的設計就毫無意義了，而如果乘客的行程不是很遠，他們往往會這樣做。

If you know that you will just remain two or three stops, you will stay closer to the vestibule.

如果你知道你只需停留兩三站，你就會呆在離前庭更近的地方。

One solution is to keep the space by the doors as open as possible.

解決方法之一是儘可能打開門邊的空間。

But the position of this bar can also have a huge impact.

但是，這個橫杆的位置也會產生巨大的影響。

If you keep them in the middle of the vestibule, people will stay stuck in the middle of the platform because they will try to grab the bar, which is a human reaction, and they will create like a traffic jam.

如果把它們放在前庭中間，人們就會停留在站臺中間，因為他們會試圖抓住橫杆，這是人之常情，這樣就會造成交通堵塞。

By just moving the bar by 20 centimeters, you will orient the people on the right or on the left.

只需將欄杆移動 20 釐米，就可以將人定位在右側或左側。

Once passengers are on board, there's a smart way to distribute them throughout the train and avoid them crowding in one car, by using open gangways and load monitoring.

一旦乘客上車，就可以通過開放式舷梯和載荷監控，巧妙地將他們分散到整個列車中，避免他們擠在一個車廂裡。

You can cross the full train, which is very good.

您可以穿越整列火車，這非常好。

You have this safe feeling because you are never alone in the train.

你有一種安全感，因為你在火車上從不孤單。

And load monitoring can show which parts of the train might be quieter.

載荷監控可以顯示列車的哪些部分可能更安靜。

You are just measuring, you know, the weight of the total coach and you know if it is empty or not empty.

你只是在測量，你知道，整個教練車的重量，你知道它是空的還是不空的。

Or you have also artificial intelligence that can detect through video analytic system the level of loading of a car.

此外，人工智能還能通過視頻分析系統檢測汽車的裝載水準。

That information can be even more useful to passengers if it's provided before they even board the train, which is exactly what Hong Kong's MTR does on its Tuen Ma line.

如果在乘客上車前就提供這些資訊，就會對乘客更加有用，這正是香港地鐵屯馬線的做法。

You can also subtly nudge passengers into place by using lighting, like brightening a carriage before it pulls into a station so passengers get ready to disembark, or by using color.

您還可以利用燈光巧妙地引導乘客就位，例如在車廂駛入車站前照亮車廂，讓乘客做好下車的準備，或者利用色彩。

By using this green or red light, we can also indicate the direction that they need to use.

通過綠燈或紅燈，我們還可以指明他們需要使用的方向。

Designers then have to decide how much room to allocate for standing passengers versus seated ones.

這樣，設計師就必須決定為站著的乘客和坐著的乘客分配多少空間。

And the amount of space each standing passenger is allocated is a figure that varies depending on where the train is operating.

而每位站立乘客所分配到的空間大小，則因列車運行的地點而異。

Usually the number of people per square meter is between three to six, depending on the cultures of the countries and so on.

通常情況下，每平方米的人數在三到六人之間，這取決於各國的文化等因素。

If you've ever felt slightly cramped on a commuter train, it could be because it was designed that way to maximize the number of paying passengers.

如果你曾在通勤列車上感到略微擁擠，那可能是因為列車的設計是為了最大限度地增加付費乘客的數量。

If you go for longitudinal seats or transversal seats, it will change everything.

如果採用縱向座椅或橫向座椅，一切都會改變。

That's because adding seats in clusters that face each other can draw passengers further into the car, away from the doors, but all at the cost of space in a train that's usually under nine feet wide.

這是因為，在面對面的座位群中增加座位，可以將乘客吸引到車廂內更遠的地方，遠離車門，但這一切都要以在通常不到 9 英尺寬的列車中減少空間為代價。

However, placing seats along the edge of the train, like this, can speed up passenger flow and give more room to standing passengers, but all at the cost of comfort.

然而，像這樣沿著列車邊緣放置座位，可以加快客流速度，為站立的乘客提供更多空間，但這一切都以犧牲舒適度為代價。

And that space can go even quicker if you don't accommodate for passengers who bring on luggage, strollers, pets, and even bikes.

如果不照顧攜帶行李、嬰兒車、寵物甚至自行車的乘客，這些空間會用得更快。

Bikes is today one of the concerns of all our customers.

如今，自行車已成為我們所有客戶關心的問題之一。

The best way probably is really to dedicate one space for bike users and not to try to mix them too much in the same coach.

最好的辦法可能就是專門為自行車使用者提供一個空間，而不要試圖將他們過多地混雜在同一輛客車裡。

But the best solution is to provide a bit of everything and build modular seating in zones throughout the train, including flip-up seats that can flip out of the way when it's busy.

不過，最好的解決方案是提供各種座椅，並在整個列車上分區建造模塊化座椅，包括在繁忙時可以翻轉的座椅。

As we are searching for more capacity, we need to mix this kind of arrangement.

由於我們正在尋找更多的容量，我們需要混合這種安排。

Separately, these measures might not seem like much, but added together, they can dramatically change the efficiency and comfort of a commuter train.

單獨來看，這些措施似乎並不起眼，但加在一起，就能極大地改變通勤列車的效率和舒適度。

But what about those futuristic or luxurious design features, like this or this?

但是，那些未來主義或奢華的設計特點呢，比如這個或這個？

Well, Alexei says he offers comfortable and spacious features in design proposals, but they often get rejected by the operator in favour of fitting in more paying passengers.

阿列克謝說，他在設計方案中提供了舒適和寬敞的功能，但往往被運營商拒絕，因為他們希望能容納更多付費乘客。

That's because for operators, it's a balancing act.

這是因為對於運營商來說，這是一種平衡行為。

Comfort comes at a cost, and subways and metros are supposed to be transport for the masses.

舒適是要付出代價的，而地鐵和捷運本應是大眾的交通工具。

It's often critical that they're affordable for all.

讓所有人都能負擔得起往往是至關重要的。

But Alexei's designs are making their way onto some trains, ones run by private operators.

不過，阿列克謝的設計正在一些列車上出現，這些列車由私人運營商營運。

They will want to be differentiated compared to the other competitors.

與其他競爭對手相比，他們希望與眾不同。

Take the privately run Heathrow Express train in London.

在倫敦乘坐私人營運的希思羅機場快線列車。

A ticket will cost you twice as much as the same journey on the London Underground.

一張車票的價格是倫敦地鐵同程票價的兩倍。

But as well as a shorter journey time, you also get charging sockets, onboard entertainment, luggage racks, flight info, and even cup holders.

不過，除了縮短旅途時間外，您還能獲得充電插座、車載娛樂設施、行李架、航班信息，甚至還有杯架。

But even if clever design tricks make commuter trains more spacious or comfortable for now, it's not set to stay that way.

不過，即使巧妙的設計技巧能讓通勤列車暫時變得更寬敞或更舒適，但也不可能一直如此。

According to the UN, by 2050, almost 70% of the world's population will be living in city centres.

據聯合國統計，到 2050 年，世界上將有近 70% 的人口居住在城市中心。

So all that extra space might not last for long.

是以，這些額外的空間可能用不了多久。