Neil Williams wrote:
On 2014-10-13 08:48:02 +0000, Recliner said:

I think the new trains will have lower floors, so standing upright by the
doors will be easier. In any case, would the attendant still need a full
width cab?

Arguably a half-width one would do, but that would add, what, 2 seats or
standing room for 2?

That's effectively what happens on the DLR: if the PSA is driving, they
take over one pair of front seats and open the cover over the controls, but
most of the time, they're elsewhere on the train.

I still remember when there were guards in the saloons (not the
rear cab) on LU Tube trains, and they just put a bar across the carriage
end when they occupied it. They seemed to have no trouble standing.

They of course had the full width to themselves, and it took up almost as
much space as a full cab.

True, but they needed to access doors on both sides in the days before
video monitors. They also had to step out on curved platforms to see the
whole train. None of that is needed today. In fact, door closing could be
automated or controlled remotely, with the PSA providing a manual override
if needed (eg, if a wheel chair is being rolled on). After all, we're all
used to using automatic lifts, where the doors close automatically (with
override buttons), and a train is really just a horizontal lift.