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Mobility Design Lab

Passenger Rail

The Mobility Design Lab, located at MADA, is a leadingresearch body whose enquiry concerns the design ofthe physical, environmental and experiential aspectsof mobility, including rail. Rail systems can containunintended structures and processes that are barriersto a well-functioning transport system. At Monashindustrial designers, architects and communicationdesigners are looking at the interface between railtransport and the interaction of passengers, users andenvironment.

STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS

The Mobility Design Lab enjoys a close workingrelationship with both academic and industrypartners including;

• SensiLab• Metro Transport Melbourne• Volgren• IITB –Monash India• Monash Public Transport Research Group• The Institute of Transport Studies –Monash• Monash University Accident Research Centre• The Institute of Rail Technology• The Australiasian Transport Research Forum• The Transport Research Board USA

RESEARCH AND INDUSTRY SUPPORTEDACTIVITIES

Drawing on the comprehensive range of design anddevelopment expertise, researchers now located inthe Mobility Design Lab, have completed a number ofsignificant national and international design projects inrail.

• Ameliorating anti-social behaviour on suburbantrains. There have been a number of projects onthis topic. Firstly for Connex the then TransportOperating Company for Melbourne and then laterfor the French National Railway, SNCF in Paris.

• The lab has undertaken research in collaborationwith the faculty of IT at Monash into investigatingmethods of creating authentic passengersimulations, to measure dwell time stability and testthe efficacy of train carriage interiors to dispersepassengers during peak loads.

• Passenger train interior design research to mitigatethe effects of variable passenger densities.

• Researchers in the Mobility Design Lab have beenrecipients of RailCRC funding for research intoimproving and overcoming the challenges ofdisability access at older suburban stations.

Investigating boarding and alighting activity through

agent based modelling techniques

Three dimensional test rigs

Testing new designs in full size mock-ups

Industrial Design - vehicular design