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Martin Toward gave a joint keynote with behavioural scientist Pete Dyson at the Railway Industry Association’s Future of Rail: Passenger Experience event in London. Martin’s half looked at what the laboratory can measure about passenger comfort, and what that means for how trains are specified.

The talk argued that the building blocks of comfort are well understood but rarely put together. Softer cushions tend to make the ride worse, yet ride is only one part of a balance that includes first impressions, support, legroom, durability, safety and cost. It closed by calling for the passenger experience to be specified, and tested with passengers before, during and after a train is built.

Credit line: Martin Toward and Pete Dyson, RIA Future of Rail: Passenger Experience, London, 21 October 2026

RAIL magazine spent a day in the laboratory to find out what actually makes a train seat comfortable. Paul Clifton was strapped into a seat on the six-axis simulator with the motion of an old Pacer dialed in and discussed our passenger comfort research. The same issue carries a companion feature in which behavioural scientist Pete Dyson responds to the research.

Paul Clifton, RAIL 1066, 22 July to 5 August 2026

The Times covered the machine behind train seat comfort, and the research that uses it. The piece followed RAIL magazine's report on the scientific approach taken at Southampton, bringing the laboratory's seat testing to a general readership. 

Engineers use a motion simulator to test for seat designs that won't be a pain in the backside. Just don't expect a smooth ride on a Thameslink Class 700

Laurence Sleator, The Times, 22 August 2026

In April 2026, the Green Signals podcast went behind the scenes at the University of Southampton to hear how railway research is done and what it saves the industry. 

The laboratory features from 25 minutes 55 seconds, covering how seats and vehicle motion are measured and reproduced.

Listen to Green Signals podcast

On BBC Radio 4's PM programme on Wednesday 26 August, presenter Evan Davis discussed train seat design with Pete Dyson, an expert in transport and travel behaviour at the University of Bath. Dyson noted that while train companies carry out passenger research, RAIL magazine had reported the scientific approach to seat comfort taken by the ISVR at Southampton. 

Listen to BBC Radio 4's PM podcast. 

This is an audio-only BBC Radio interview.