I posted over on the Coffee Shop forum an idea to improve provision for buggies, prams, pushchairs and rollators which are very badly catered for on GWR's fleet of 80x units, and it created an interesting debate, so I thought I'd post it here as well.
The 5-car units have no provision for storing them unfolded in standard class. The 9-car units have two disabled spaces in Coach A which can be used if no wheelchair user requires them, though hardly great with babies and toddlers considering it's the quiet carriage.
Passengers are usually reluctant to fold them, and for convenience it is usually better to keep the child in the buggy, especially for shorter journeys. So, they get left in vestibule areas causing a blockage, or get shoved into one of the bike/luggage compartments in the vestibules, which means that space can't be used for luggage and bikes. A lot of the time, they also don't quite fit in that space!
So, with an intention of minimising the cost and time of any required modifications, as well as minimising the number of seats that would have to be removed, I've got out my measuring stick and worked out how I think it should be done. Turns out that removal of four seats, replacement of those with three tip-up seats, and change of direction of two more seats, and you would get plenty of room for a buggy, with the loss of just one seat per carriage!
I've attached a diagram to show how it would work, including nominal measurements and notes.
Comments appreciated!
The 5-car units have no provision for storing them unfolded in standard class. The 9-car units have two disabled spaces in Coach A which can be used if no wheelchair user requires them, though hardly great with babies and toddlers considering it's the quiet carriage.
Passengers are usually reluctant to fold them, and for convenience it is usually better to keep the child in the buggy, especially for shorter journeys. So, they get left in vestibule areas causing a blockage, or get shoved into one of the bike/luggage compartments in the vestibules, which means that space can't be used for luggage and bikes. A lot of the time, they also don't quite fit in that space!
So, with an intention of minimising the cost and time of any required modifications, as well as minimising the number of seats that would have to be removed, I've got out my measuring stick and worked out how I think it should be done. Turns out that removal of four seats, replacement of those with three tip-up seats, and change of direction of two more seats, and you would get plenty of room for a buggy, with the loss of just one seat per carriage!
I've attached a diagram to show how it would work, including nominal measurements and notes.
Comments appreciated!
