Evaluating passenger dispersal in metro train carriages through a pedestrian crowd modelling simulation

Increased patronage of suburban metro rail in many cities of the world has effected network performance. Crowding, especially during peak travel times detrimentally effects dwell times thus reducing network capacity. The authors' suggest that station dwell times are a significant factor in service punctuality and are determined by a number of variable factors such as passenger movement through doors, crowding on board, and the carrying of objects, and that these relate directly to the design of the carriage. Poor passenger dispersal within the carriage is a major factor in doorway occlusion and therefore delayed boarding and alighting. In this study, the efficacy of an experimental interior design of carriage was compared with an existing carriage interior for the Melbourne network. For that, a pedestrian crowd modelling simulation tool was used to evaluate the passenger dispersal and egress time. Results showed that with the adjustment of the structural feature within the carriage, an increase in the efficiency of egress by around 13% could be achieved. This is a significant improvement which can enhance the punctuality of the service as well as the performance of the network