A Soundscape Approach to Assess and Predict Passenger Satisfaction

Abstract

Interior noise in trains is a significant contributor to passengers’ comfort and satisfaction. In the design of new rolling stock, the A-weighted average sound level has generally been applied as the standard indicator. However, surveys show that the passengers’ satisfaction varies for different types of rolling stock, even though the sound level is comparable. In order to set consistent design targets, the challenge is to relate emotional and subjective parameters such as comfort and satisfaction to technical and objective parameters such as for example sound level and reverberation time. This is relevant both for prediction and assessment of passenger comfort.

This paper presents an experiment, based on the standardized appraisal of soundscapes. A soundscape can be understood as “the acoustic space a person finds himself in” or “a collection of sounds that forms a particular environment”. In the experiment the subjective appraisal of soundscapes inside trains is assessed, with subsequent analysis of the physical parameters involved in the same event, trying to relate these to one another. This approach shows promising results that could be used, after further development, to predict and improve passenger satisfaction. Further research and validation is required, but the experiment presented here may be the first step to a new system of indicators, assessment methods and design recommendations.