An experimental study on pedestrian movement in railway station

Abstract

Railway stations are complex and concentrate significant passenger volumes. Urban population rising has a great impact on railway stations, as they are concentrating higher dense of people. Analyzing pedestrian movement assists in understanding their behavior and the quality of service of Public Transport infrastructure. This paper analyses how several factors such as age, gender, carrying backpack, social interaction, and travel purpose influence the average walking speed of pedestrians. An observational study conducted in the central Railway Station in Patras on Sundays during summer months. Day and hour of the observation were selected in order to study the behavior of pedestrians travelling in leisure time. Video footages used to investigate pedestrian movement and the factors that influence pedestrian dynamics. The mean speed was observed 30% lower than the values mentioned in Transit Capacity and Quality of Service Manual, which might be attributed to the travel purpose of pedestrians. In consistent with previous studies, the impact of age, carrying backpack, and walking in a group on pedestrian walking speed rates has been verified. Results also revealed a trivial effect of gender when the travel purpose is leisure activities and people are not in a rush.