A study of crowding effects at the Hong Kong light rail transit stations

Abstract

This paper investigates the important attributes relating to the crowding effects at the Light Rail Transit (LRT) stations in Hong Kong. With the data collected at two selected LRT stations for studying different crowding effects, the relationships between the dwelling time of trains and the crowding situations at LRT stations are firstly determined, and regression models are established for the dwelling delays of train. In this paper, the degrees of congestion on LRT platforms are also examined. The Level of Service (LOS) concept is applied to study the degrees of congestion on LRT platforms. Finally, the responses of the passengers due to the discomfort at crowded vehicles and congested platforms are investigated, in which stated preference surveys are conducted to study the effects of passenger discomfort at crowded vehicles and congested platforms. The results of this paper could be used as a basis for the platform design and planning of the LRT stations in Hong Kong.