Perceived thermal comfort in summer by employees of Dutch trains

Abstract

In this study satisfaction with thermal indoor climate among Dutch train personnel has been investigated. In two types of Dutch trains 113 train drivers and 122 ticket inspectors were questioned about perceived thermal indoor climate in summer. Analysis of the data showed that the level of dissatisfaction with thermal indoor climate was found to be higher than 10% for the ticket inspectors of train type A&B and the train drivers of train type A. No dissatisfaction with thermal indoor climate was found among the train drivers of train type B. The perceived thermal comfort was found to be significantly worse in train type A when compared to train type B (2-sided p = 0,017). Moreover the perceived thermal comfort of train drivers was found to be significantly better than the perceived thermal comfort of ticket inspectors (2-sided p < 0,005). The most reported reason for dissatisfaction with thermal indoor climate among train drivers was insufficient control on ventilation, airspeed and cooling. Ticket inspectors reported temperature differences between passenger cars / passenger cabins as main reason for dissatisfaction with thermal indoor climate. Moreover our findings suggest that the higher level of dissatisfaction among ticket inspectors in comparison to train drivers is caused by the lack of personal control on temperature and the strict clothing protocol for ticket inspectors.