This study explores the passengers’ accessibility dilemma in Valparaíso, Chile, through field observations and laboratory experiments. The aim is to investigate the accessibility in metro stations based on the users’ emotional experience. Perceptions were reported through the emotions of passengers according to a circumplex psychological model and an accessibility ranking. Passengers reported their emotions (e.g., stress, sadness, relaxation, and happiness) during different trip moments. Results indicate that rearranging train seats parallel to movement creates a more spacious aisle, enhancing mobility and evoking positive emotions such as happiness. However, an unexpected rise in sadness suggests that social dynamics may influence emotional responses, warranting further investigation. Overcrowding increases stress and sadness, emphasizing the need for capacity management to improve passengers’ emotional experiences. Field observations reveal that early journey stages, such as walking to the station or waiting on the platform, are associated with unpleasant experiences due to poor infrastructure and accessibility barriers. In contrast, train rides foster more positive emotions, credited to better accessibility onboard. Passenger dissatisfaction arises from issues such as elevator malfunctions, inconsistent train schedules, and inadequate station accessibility. This study could help to understand passenger behavior when the accessibility conditions of metro stations and their surroundings are changed. Further studies will expand the concept of emotions by considering social and psychological factors and explore different types of stations and their surroundings considering a larger sample size in laboratory experiments and field studies.

This study examines the influence of perceived inclusion and accessibility dimensions on user satisfaction within the Valparaíso Metro system in Chile. The research focuses on a quantitative survey conducted with 192 regular passengers along the Limache–Puerto corridor of the EFE Valparaíso railway network. A structured questionnaire comprising 58 Likert-scale items assessed perceived accessibility, inclusion, intermodality, safety, environmental effectiveness, and overall satisfaction. Data were analyzed using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) with the WLSMV estimator based on polychoric correlations, followed by multiple linear regression with robust standard errors. Results show that the proposed model explains 72% of the variance in overall satisfaction (Adjusted R² = 0.71). Among the five predictors, perceived inclusion emerged as the most influential factor (β = 0.64, p < 0.001), surpassing perceived accessibility (β = 0.18, p < 0.01) and intermodality (β = 0.11, p < 0.05). Safety and environmental conditions showed weaker but significant associations. These findings provide empirical evidence that inclusive perceptions—rather than merely physical or operational aspects—constitute the primary driver of satisfaction in urban railway systems. The study contributes to accessibility research by integrating psychosocial and perceptual dimensions into the evaluation of public transport performance. It also offers actionable implications for inclusive design, passenger communication, and service management strategies in metropolitan rail systems, particularly in Latin American contexts undergoing infrastructure expansion and modernization.