RailSeat Ultra at QPR Stadium

Maximizing Space, Maximizing Fan Experience

When Queens Park Rangers decided to implement safe standing at Loftus Road, the club faced a big challenge: some of the seating rows at their compact Shepherd’s Bush ground are so narrow that if fitted with any form of rail seating incorporating a standard plastic seat the remaining space would be well below what the authorities insist upon for safe standing.

The solution to the challenge was found in the form of the RailSeat Ultra.

RailSat Ultra

Designed by Ferco specifically to address regulatory challenges unique to England and Wales, it has a closed depth of just 50mm. That meant that even though, at just 630mm deep, some of the seating rows at Loftus Road are among the narrowest in the UK, every fan in the new safe standing areas would be guaranteed personal space of at least 0.26 square metres, over 25% more than the minimum required by the authorities (and over 40% more than the similarly non-compliant amount of space that fitting independent barriers behind the existing seats could have provided).

The club subsequently commissioned Ferco to install around 1,000 rail seats for home supporters, split between the lower tier of the Loft ‘home end’ of the ground and a corner of the adjacent Stanley Bowles Stand. A further 250 rail seats were installed in the upper tier of the School End for away fans.

The RailSeat Ultra installed at Loftus Road is also future-proofed, providing standing fans with lots of space (more than in almost all other grounds with ‘licensed standing’ in England and Wales despite the very narrow seating rows), preventing progressive crowd collapse, and being extremely well received by home and away fans alike.

Like on all variants of the Ultra, although it has no integral lock, it will be possible in the future to secure the seat pan upright should that become a safety requirement to remove the risk of fans in standing areas climbing up onto the seats and injuring themselves by falling off.

The design of the Ultra model installed at QPR is also future-proofed to overcome the height difference: multiple mounting holes for the seat pan module enable its height within the rail seat frame to be adjusted. If building a new stadium or redeveloping the existing one, a club like QPR can, thus, in the future re-use their rail seats and mount the seat pan at the correct height for the new risers.

For the present, however, what is perhaps the most important thing is what the fans think of the RailSeat Ultra. On social media, they had their say:

@BaldyBarry

Much more comfortable and roomy. Helped to generate a good atmosphere as well.

@nickreinis

Absolutely great. Loads of space and a great atmosphere.

@GRDHoops

Went & stood in the safe standing for the second half. Seriously considering staying there for rest of the season if possible. So much more comfortable than the cramped Upper Loft.

@SemperEadem__

Thats how you do it, this and Celtic not just some half arsed rail.

@AndyS_tweeting

There are some truly awful knock off #safestanding installations appearing in our stadiums, but the latest one at #qpr certainly isn't one of them. I certainly hope this is what we end up with at #cpfc Let's get it right please @CEO4TAG

@StandUnited1889

At last some proper rail seats in place in the Championship. Well done to QPR for bucking the trend so far in the top two divisions and going for a design that maximises the space on each row.

@jonricLFC

Hopefully other clubs will take note - I have seen pics of some bad rail seats lately. For it to work and give people the experience they want they must be the proper system.