Where Is the Safest Seat on a Train?

Safety experts say the middle of a train is by far the safest place to sit, according to NBC News. Other advice focuses on direction. Experts have recommended choosing a rear-facing seat, because passengers are less likely to be thrown forward during a collision, as CBS News reported.

Some research points the same way. A 2008 study by J. Mayrose on seating position and occupant safety found that the rear middle seat is safer than any other occupant position in a fatal crash, according to a record of the study on PubMed, a database of medical research.

The wider question is how trains protect people when they crash at all. The UK Rail Safety and Standards Board lists a research project, known as T118, on whole-train dynamic behaviour in collisions. That is, how the whole train moves and reacts during a crash. The project investigates how to improve passenger survivability by absorbing crash energy better, meaning how the train's structure takes in the force of an impact so less of it reaches the people inside.

In the United States, a task statement for the Federal Railroad Administration's Railroad Safety Advisory Committee includes promoting safe train operation and the survivability of locomotive crews when train incidents occur. Notices for meetings of the same committee have listed locomotive crashworthiness, which describes how well a locomotive protects its occupants in a crash, and crew working conditions as topics for discussion.

Structural design is also a subject of study. A 2002 paper by D.C. Tyrell focuses on the structural features of rail passenger cars and how equipment performs during train collisions and derailments.

Comparisons with other forms of travel have also been made. HuffPost stated that subways, buses and planes are safer than trains.