Effect of stairway width on pedestrian flow characteristics at railway stations

Abstract

The overall efficiency of transit operation depends on effective operation of various facilities like transit units, transfer stations and access infrastructure. Stairways at transit stations are vital links between different interconnected elements like platforms and foot over bridges. Transfer rate of pedestrians through stairway primarily depends on its geometric design. Many previous studies have reported that the stairway dimensions such as stair gradient, height of riser and length of stairway influence walking speed significantly. The walking speed is also governed by the space available to the individual pedestrian. The movement will be restricted with reduction in space and hence, in principal it depends on the width of the facility. In order to understand the effect of available space on the pedestrian flow characteristics, present study has been carried out at six stairways with different dimensions at two railway stations; one suburban rail transit and the other intercity railway station in India. Total 32 310 pedestrian data points are collected using video-graphic technique and has been used to develop the fundamental relationships of pedestrian flow using single-regime and two-regime models particularly for speed–flow relationship. The results also show that flowrate and walking speed increase with increase in width of stairway. Further, walking speed variation pattern is analyzed in three density regimes. Speed reduces gradually with increase in density and reduction in space. At both the stations, compared with the smaller stairway, maximum flow and walking speed are observed for wider stairway. The study establishes that the average walking speed, flow and density are more influenced by width of stairway than other dimensions. The results of this study will be useful in planning, design and management of facility of stairways at railway stations and can also be used in finding safe evacuation time.