Mass Transit Railway Stations Research Articles

Application of artificial intelligence (AI) control system on chiller plant at MTR station

Chillers account for up to 40% of total station energy consumption in the Hong Kong Mass Transit Railway (MTR) system. As part of green railway initiatives, a site trial was conducted to apply a fully automated AI system to control a chiller plant in order to optimise energy performance in real time while maintaining a level of passenger comfort that suits each station’s environment. Through the predictive power of the AI system, the plant power’s consumption and cooling demands can be forecasted based on actual chiller, station, and weather conditions, all of which vary over time. The optimal operational settings can then be determined using an optimisation model for real-time chiller plant control, including staging, sequencing, chilled water supply temperature set-point, etc. This paper presents the formulation of an AI system using data-driven machine learning models and numerical optimisation, and the comparison of the actual energy performance of the proposed system against rule-based control optimisation in a conventional building management system (BMS) through the site trial. The results revealed the proposed AI system achieves better energy efficiency with annual energy savings of approximately 8.7%.

A natural experiment reveals impacts of built environment on suicide rate: Developing an environmental theory of suicide

BackgroundSuicide is a global challenge. Although it is clear that socioeconomic and demographic factors influence suicide rates, we know little about the impacts of the built environment on suicide rates. MethodsWe investigated the relationship between characteristics of the built environment and suicide death rates over a 13-year period in 151 rent-only public housing communities in Hong Kong. The regulations of the public housing authority in Hong Kong constituted a natural experiment with minimal self-selection bias. We conducted hierarchical regression analyses and found that characteristics of the built environment were significantly associated with suicide rates after controlling for SES and demographic factors at the community level. ResultsThree significant environmental factors were identified distance to the nearest urban center, distance to the nearest Mass Transit Railway station, and gross flat area per person. ConclusionThese findings demonstrate a significant association between features of the built environment and suicide rates. They also suggest possible interventions that might reduce suicide through design, or redesign, of the built environment. Lastly, we propose an environmental theory of suicide based on the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide.

A stress test of urban system flooding upon extreme rainstorms in Hong Kong

Many cities face high flood risks due to intense rainstorms and dense urban environments. Quantifying the degree and duration of flood impact to urban systems under extreme rainstorms is essential for long-term flood risk management and short-term emergency response. This study aims to develop a novel stress testing framework for evaluating urban system flooding upon extreme rainstorms in Hong Kong. The stress testing framework is based on a pipe-surface coupled hydraulic model for detailed flood simulation in urban settings and a dynamic flood impact evaluation method for assessing interruptions to urban transportation and building systems. The proposed stress testing method is applied to assess the flood impacts in Kowloon, the most densely populated area in Hong Kong. Detailed urban settings such as engineering drainage facilities and buildings are incorporated into the flood simulation model, and the model is validated both qualitatively and quantitatively by field observations. Flood hazard scenarios are investigated under design rainstorms of different return periods (20, 100, and 1000 years), and the impacts on transportation and building systems are evaluated with the new process-based impact evaluation method. The results of the case study indicate that underground mass transit railway (MTR) stations and residential buildings will be more affected than highways and other types of buildings in Kowloon: up to 56% of MTR stations and 43% of residential buildings may be affected under the 1000-year rainstorm, with inundation durations of 8 and 7 h for the MTR stations and residential buildings, respectively. To ensure public transportation services and reduce potential exposure of residents during extreme rainstorms, mitigation measures should be taken to reduce the affected percentage and duration of MTR stations and residential buildings. The proposed methods contribute to enhanced societal flood preparedness, warning, and response.

Food and beverage advertising in Hong Kong mass transit railway stations.

To examine the extent and characteristics of food and beverage (F&B) promotion in Hong Kong mass transit railway (MTR) stations in districts with different socioeconomic statuses (SES) and school density. All advertisements located in the eight selected MTR stations were recorded by photographs or videos, and classified into F&B and non-F&B. The percentage of F&B advertisements and unhealthy F&B being promoted, and common persuasive marketing strategies used in F&B advertisements were compared between low v. high SES districts and school zones v. non-school zones. MTR stations in Hong Kong. Not applicable. Of the 8064 advertisements documented, 861 (10·7 %) were F&B advertisements, promoting 1860 F&B items. More than half of the these were unhealthy foods. Stations in high SES districts or school zones tend to advertise more unhealthy items (high v. low SES: 55·8 v. 50·8 %, P = 0·049; school v. non-school: 60·8 v. 49·3 %, P < 0·001). More than one-third of the F&B advertisements recorded did not utilise any of those persuasive marketing techniques that were examined, and using models (13·9 %) or providing discounts (8·8 %) were the two most frequently used non-festival-related persuasive marketing strategies. Unhealthy F&B advertising in MTR stations is prevalent regardless of SES and school density, and persuasive marketing strategies were infrequently used. These suggest that a ban on unhealthy F&B advertising around schools or the use of persuasive marketing strategies alone would be ineffective in Hong Kong. To align with the recommendation from WHO, a universal ban of junk food advertising should be enacted.

Development and application of underground space use in Hong Kong

Underground space has been utilised in Hong Kong for many decades. It has been developed through various phases of infrastructure development and improvement. The early forms of underground space construction were associated with war time protection and mining operations and this has extended with increased urban densification to numerous examples of underground basements that have incorporated car parks, retail and commercial underground spaces. Notable underground space also includes numerous road, rail and utility/service tunnels that comprise a network of over 500km of tunnels in the city to accommodate essential services and transport. With the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) construction in the 1970s it kicked off a spate of excavation of underground space for metro stations and linking tunnel networks that has developed one of the most efficient and reliable metro systems in the world. The private sector has increasingly, over the last few decades, linked their commercial and retail properties to the MTR station network providing hubs of interest and commerce within the underground network. Since the 1990s, a few government “Not-In-My-Backyard” type facilities have been built in rock caverns to meet the needs of the community, including a sewage treatment plant, a refuse transfer station and an explosives depot.

Terminating Architecture: Mega-Development in Hong Kong

This paper examines large development projects as a function of finance in the context of Hong Kong, taking Kowloon Station as an exceptionally revealing case. Hong Kong's property market is one of the most established in Asia, and it points to the ways in which large-scale development schemes proliferate along efficient and affordable mass transit railway systems with great speed and success. At Kowloon Station, finance redefines architecture; instead of focusing on aesthetics and community, it is now promoting standardization, market visibility and semantic control. The financial viability of these developments depends entirely on these new goals; mega-developments such as Kowloon Station – and those in other parts of Asia – are successful in inventing major mass transit railway stations as terminals, in capturing commuters within spatial enclosures surrounded by barrier-like physical features, and in terminating architecture as it has long been established as a discipline. Mega-development is increasingly reinventing the contemporary Asian city.

An urban island floating on the MTR station: A case study of the West Kowloon development in Hong Kong

This article examines the West Kowloon development in Hong Kong by considering the Kowloon Mass Transit Railway (MTR) station and its attached properties in the form of a megastructure. It begins by reviewing the socio-political and economic background of the project in its historical context, which has ultimately given the urban development project its unique characteristics. For a more clear understanding, various types of megastructure prototypes are analysed in comparison to the Kowloon MTR station and the properties in the West Kowloon development. The article describes the entire process of the megastructure, from the formation of the architectural design concept to its final realization. A final part concludes with a consideration of the project as a megastructure and as a significant node along the metro network in Hong Kong. Through the case study of the West Kowloon development, this article aims to assess the spatial characteristics and configurations of the megastructure project, and to establish the criteria by which to critique it in an architectural context.

Modeling Hong Kong real estate prices

This paper attempts to estimate real estate prices from a Hong Kong perspective. A hedonic price model is estimated utilizing housing transaction data during a period of relatively stable property price movements. Empirical results suggest that while a residential property of larger size, higher floor level, and better view commands a higher transaction price, a property lying closer to the mass transit railway station also commands a price premium. The nonlinear effect of floor level has also been confirmed to exert an impact upon prices. Furthermore, an apartment located on an “unlucky number” floor is not preferred by homebuyers and is usually transacted at a price discount.

Variation of Walking Speeds on a Unidirectional Walkway and on a Bidirectional Stairway

The variation of walking speeds for passengers passing through a facility within a congested underground station is known to be an important factor influencing pedestrian route choices. This paper describes a study of walking speed variation under unidirectional and bidirectional pedestrian flow conditions in Hong Kong, China, mass transit railway stations. The studied facilities selected for data collection and analysis include a unidirectional walkway and a bidirectional stairway. The variation in walking speed is due to increased passenger demand in the station when trains arrive. A study of the distribution of walking speed variation and relationships between average walking speed and variations of that speed was conducted based on data collected from an observation survey. For uncongested sections, when the mean walking speed decreased, the walking speed variation also decreased under both unidirectional and bidirectional pedestrian flow conditions. In addition, the walking speed variation was smallest when pedestrian flow approached capacity. However, in congested sections, when the mean walking speed decreased, the walking speed variation increased under both unidirectional and bidirectional pedestrian flow conditions. All walking time data were empirically proved to present a normal distribution. This paper presents newly developed walking speed variation models for three selected pedestrian facilities. These models can be further considered in connection with pedestrian simulation models to assess alternative improvement schemes at urban railway stations.

Variation of Walking Speeds on a Unidirectional Walkway and on a Bidirectional Stairway

The variation of walking speeds for passengers passing through a facility within a congested underground station is known to be an important factor influencing pedestrian route choices. This paper describes a study of walking speed variation under unidirectional and bidirectional pedestrian flow conditions in Hong Kong, China, mass transit railway stations. The studied facilities selected for data collection and analysis include a unidirectional walkway and a bidirectional stairway. The variation in walking speed is due to increased passenger demand in the station when trains arrive. A study of the distribution of walking speed variation and relationships between average walking speed and variations of that speed was conducted based on data collected from an observation survey. For uncongested sections, when the mean walking speed decreased, the walking speed variation also decreased under both unidirectional and bidirectional pedestrian flow conditions. In addition, the walking speed variation was smallest when pedestrian flow approached capacity. However, in congested sections, when the mean walking speed decreased, the walking speed variation increased under both unidirectional and bidirectional pedestrian flow conditions. All walking time data were empirically proved to present a normal distribution. This paper presents newly developed walking speed variation models for three selected pedestrian facilities. These models can be further considered in connection with pedestrian simulation models to assess alternative improvement schemes at urban railway stations.

Levels of Service for Stairway in Hong Kong Underground Stations

Safe pedestrian movement is essential in all cities, but particularly in such densely populated cities as Hong Kong. This paper aims to investigate the levels of service (LOS) for stairways in Hong Kong Mass Transit Railway (MTR) stations. Space requirements and several qualitative factors were gleaned from the observation of pedestrian preferences and behavior. A pilot study was carried out before the pedestrian preference interview survey was conducted in a Hong Kong MTR station. On the basis of the survey results, six LOS design standards for stairways in Hong Kong MTR stations are proposed. The survey results are also compared with previous research findings. Lighting/clear visibility on the Hong Kong MTR station stairways is found to be the major factor of concern, with interest in the environment being of low priority. The proposed LOS standards can be used as a basis for the design and development of pedestrian stairways both in Hong Kong MTR stations and in stations of other Asian cities with similar environments.

A study of passenger discomfort measures at the Hong Kong mass transit railway system

AbstractThis note investigates the important attributes relating to the crowding effects at the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) stations in Hong Kong. Data was collected at two sets of three MTR stations to study the responses of the passengers due to the discomfort at crowded vehicles and platforms. Stated preference surveys were used to study the effects of passenger discomfort measures.

Pedestrian Route Choices between Escalator and Stairway in MTR Stations

Passenger demands on underground stations are always excessive and can cause severe congestion. The study of pedestrian behavior is particularly important in planning and design of the underground stations during peak hours. This paper reports an investigation on the behavior of pedestrians in choosing between escalators and stairways in Hong Kong Mass Transit Railway (MTR) stations during peak hours. Time-lapse photography surveys were conducted in six selected MTR stations to collect the relevant data. The travel time functions of the vertical pedestrian facilities have been calibrated and are used for developing the pedestrian route choice model. Service levels have been defined for the vertical pedestrian facilities based upon the service levels defined by previous researchers. It was found that the stairway capacities in the ascending and descending directions in the Hong Kong Mass Transit Railway stations are higher than in London Underground stations. It was also found that the pedestrians are more sensitive to the relative delays when using the vertical pedestrian facilities in the descending direction than in the ascending direction.

RIDING THE UNDERGROUND DRAGON

The most successful subway system in the world is to be found in Hong Kong, Britain's crown colony on the South China coast. Finished ahead of schedule and within budget, the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) is clean, safe, and virtually crime-free. This study, based on five months of fieldwork, describes the development of the MTR and how it has kept crime to a minimum. The system's low crime rate is attributed to three factors: (1) the nature of Hong Kong society, with its overall low crime rate; (2) the efforts of the MTR District Police to ensure a rapid response to calls for assistance; and (3) most important, the well-conceived design of the MTR's stations and trains, which discourages criminal behaviour.