Changes in Rider Anthropometrics and the Effect on Rail Car Design

This research takes a quantitative, statistical approach to the best way to account for the growth in rider size and weight over the last 30-40 years and how it affects new light rail car design standards. Case scenarios were created using past and present anthropometric data of the American population, provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Initial recommendations are extrapolated from the findings concerning how the industry should look at the effects of passenger load. The paper concludes with a brief outlook to the future research questions that should be addressed.