Emergency evacuation simulation at starting connection of cross-sea bridge: Case study on Haicang Avenue Subway Station in Xiamen Rail Transit Line

Abstract

Due to the underground nature and dense concentration of people around transit stations, emergency evacuation during fire accidents can become a noticeable problem in subways. This study numerically simulated the crowd dynamics during fire evacuation in the Haicang Avenue Subway Station in Xiamen. The uniqueness of the case study is that this subway station is built as the starting connection of a cross-sea bridge at the seashore. Total evacuation time was affected by factors such as the width of the evacuation channel, proximity to exits, crowd density, and evacuation speed. Parameters in the computer modelling were obtained through proportional measurement algorithms and on-the-spot investigations, video recording, and personnel tracking at a mirror station. The study simulated the evacuation process in four scenarios using variables such as the number of passengers and width of evacuation stairs. When crowd dispersion increases, a longer evacuation time is needed. Suggestions are made to optimise the positions of outlets and to increase the width of exits to alleviate congestion.