1 How can we improve the utility of urban rail travel? A method for validating written accounts using observational surveys Noboru Hidano and Takaaki Kato Discussion Paper No.2001-2 Department of Social Engineering Tokyo Institute of Technology ABSTRACT This study employed observational methods and content analyses of Japanese literary works and of readers’ letters to one of Japan’s major newspapers in an attempt to determine methods for increasing the utility of urban rail travel. Utility, in this instance, refers to passengers’ perception of the quality of the travel experience. We identified four categories of utility: buffering, traveling with others, using travel time for productive purposes , and the sensation of motion. We also identified subcategories within the category of traveling with others, where communication between a passenger and stranger ( social communication) accounted for the largest proportion of written comments and literary works. Looking at others in a carriage peaked when most seats were occupied or a few passengers only were standing, and when the time between stations was short. A comparison between the results of the content analyses and observation surveys of rail passengers was consistent in the majority of cases. Keywords: Utility of travel, railway, public transport.