Abstract
In this paper, an analytical reduced dynamic model of a rail vehicle system is developed. This model considers only 38 degrees of freedom of the rail vehicle system. This reduced model can predict the dynamic behaviour of the rail vehicle while being simpler than existing dynamic models. The developed model is validated using experimental results found in the bibliography and its results are compared with existing more complex models from the literature. The developed model is used for the passenger comfort evaluation, which is based on the value of the weighted root mean square acceleration according to the ISO 2631 standard. Several parameters of the system, i.e., passenger position, loading of the railway vehicle and its speed, and their effect on the passenger comfort are investigated. It was shown that the level of comfort is mostly affected by the speed of the railway vehicle and the position of the seat. The load, however, did not have a significant effect on the level of comfort of the passenger.