Railway Station Platform Research Articles

Improvement of Safety Standards for Railway Station Platforms

This study compares and analyzes the fire safety standards of both domestic and international railway station platforms by investigating the installation status of fire protection facilities in platforms with a total floor area of over 5,000 m<sup>2</sup> in the Chungcheong region. The existing fire protection facilities require improvement in their standards by taking into account various factors, such as the location of railway stations, openness of platforms, and amount of combustible materials. The installation standards for fire protection facilities on platforms must be clearly defined and reinforced. Additionally, the installation of evacuation elevators is required for wheelchair users on underground station platforms without any open areas, as this would facilitate easy evacuation in the event of a fire.

Reducing falls among visually impaired individuals on railway platforms: Field research on environmental challenges and solutions

The aim of this study is to assess the extent to which visually impaired people are at risk of falling from railway station platforms and to identify opportunities for improvement. A barrier-finding fieldwork approach was used to conduct this study. A total of 412 stations’ platforms were examined to provide recommendations for enhancing platform safety.The study found that four major factors contribute to accidents in which visually impaired individuals may fall from railway station platforms. These factors include "the spatial layout of the platform", "the warning tactile pavers", "the Fall Prevention Hoods", and "the fall prevention fences and platform screen doors ".Based on the findings of the study, several measures are recommended to enhance the safety and accessibility of railway station platforms for visually impaired individuals. These measures include closing the gap between the platform and the train, installing Fall Prevention Hoods at lower heights near the feet so that they can be detected using a guide cane, and avoid the placement of directional tactile pavers close to the front end of the train cars or at the platform edge facing train car couplings, etc.

Design of a Height-Adjustable Boarding System for a New Double-Deck Railway Vehicle

Abstract This paper deals with a solution for faster and safer boarding and leaving of passengers at railway station platforms from 150 mm to 550 mm higher than the head of the rail. This conception is based on the requirements of railway infrastructure administrators, transporters and also manufacturers of passenger rolling stock. This device is designed for the new double-deck railway vehicle for suburban and regional transport, which fulfils legislative and normative requirements that are specified for the selected area of vehicle construction and operational features. Selected parts of the construction were verified through a series of simulation analyses. This article also includes a study that deals with optimization of the boarding area considering designed changes in the construction of the floor and a draft for modification of the vertical clearance of the boarding entrance area in a rough construction of the vehicle.

Retracted: A Simulation Analyzing Approach to Estimating the Probability of Airborne Infection Risks in Railway Station Platform Coupling with the Wells‐Riley Model and Pathfinder Model

Retracted: A Simulation Analyzing Approach to Estimating the Probability of Airborne Infection Risks in Railway Station Platform Coupling with the Wells‐Riley Model and Pathfinder Model

Construction analysis of Guiyang Metro passing across Guiyang Railway Station in karst zone

The Huo-Sha Tunnel of the Guiyang Metro Line 1 in China runs from the Guiyang Railway Station to the Shachong road station, and it passes close to the railway station platform. The minimum distance between the crown and pile foundation is only 2.19 m, and the settlements of existing buildings are strictly controlled, such as pile foundations. Existing comprehensive measures, such as super pipe shed support, surrounding rock reinforcement, inverted arch grouting, and lining strengthening, are stringently adopted to prevent the influence of construction on the operation of station buildings and in-service railways, high-speed railways, and other buildings. In this study, the changing laws related to existing building subsidence, subgrade settlement, station longitudinal displacement variation, and the development trends of lining safety, stability, eccentricity, compression types, and internal force of the lining are analyzed. The following results are presented. The Huo-Sha Tunnel was gradually excavated. The roadbed settlement of the Guiyang Railway Station platform gradually increased, but it did not exceed the existing railway deformation control standards for the subsurface excavation section. The longitudinal distribution of the existing railway settlement is approximately a normal curve after the construction of the secondary lining. The outcome is consistent with the law of the surface settlement trough proposed by Peck, and the range is −50 to 50 m. The stress of the lining is primarily concentrated at the arch waist and crown, the compression types include large and small eccentricities, and the axial force value gradually increases symmetrically from the crown to the arch footing, while the maximum axial force appears at the arch footing, and all control indicators meet the corresponding control standards. The subgrade settlement of the skew section adheres to the deformation control standards of the existing railway of subsurface excavation sections after the stabilization of the secondary lining deformation.

Supporting Safe Walk of a Visually Impaired Person at a Railway Station Platform Based on MY VISION

Supporting Safe Walk of a Visually Impaired Person at a Railway Station Platform Based on MY VISION

A Simulation Analyzing Approach to Estimating the Probability of Airborne Infection Risks in Railway Station Platform Coupling with the Wells-Riley Model and Pathfinder Model.

Railway station platforms present a particular challenge, especially during a train departure or arrival where some passengers may have potential conditions that make them vulnerable to airborne infections due to the high density and close proximity of passengers. This study presented a simulation analyzing approach to estimating the probability of airborne infection risks in station platform spaces coupling with the Wells-Riley model and Pathfinder model. We examine the impact of overcrowded area of the station platform on infection rates under various traces of evacuation. The result of the potential risk for three modes is discussed, and the results of the standard model under the same parameter setting are optimised. Next, the impact of the ventilated volume based on uneven distribution of individuals and the exposure time based on evacuation on the infection risk in platform spaces are studied. The relationship between platform spaces overcrowding and the infection risk provided further insights to observe the supporting information.

Simulation Research on Passengers Behavior Evacuation Based on Future Humanized High-speed Railway Station Streamline Design

With the rapid economic growth and the continuous improvement of people’s living standards, people’s travel times and travel range is greatly improved. How to improve the efficiency of high-speed railway passenger station, to meet the passengers’ demands, to protect the public safety, to improve the comfort and other issues, has caused widespread concern of scholars. Based on the concept of future humanized railway station, the integrated streamline structure design of high-speed railway passenger station has been carried on, and crowd evacuation software has been used to simulate the way of passengers getting on and off. The results show that the integrated streamline design proposed in this paper is superior to the traditional design in structure and function, and can improve the utilization rate of high-speed railway station platform. The simulation of the best way to get on and off the train can save about 51 % of the station time. Time of passengers waiting and getting off the train has been greatly reduced which can effectively avoid the platform congestion caused by passenger travel safety. The integrated streamline design proposed in this paper can provide some references for the design of humanized railway station in the future.

Influence of Metro Tunnel Excavation on Deformation of Existing Pedestrian Underpass in Changzhou Railway Station Platform

In order to predict the impact of Changzhou Metro Line 1 passing through the pedestrian underpass of Changzhou Station in Shanghai-Nanjing Intercity Railway, FLAC3D software is used to simulate the excavation of the left and right subway tunnel lines step by step. The influences of existing and non-exiting pedestrian underpass on subsurface settlement are compared, and the deformation and stress distribution of the pedestrian underpass are analyzed. Additionally, the numerical results are verified by filed monitoring. The calculation and monitoring results show that the existence of the pedestrian underpass causes a relatively obvious “barrier” effect, which makes the vertical displacement changes with increasing of depth, and consequently causes the uneven vertical displacement. The tunnel excavation mainly causes the inclination of the pedestrian underpass, the floor deformation of the escalator channel, and the deformation difference occurs at the interface between escalator channel and pedestrian underpass; the existence of tunnel has little influence on the stress change of the pedestrian underpass. However, in order to protect from the concentration of stress, it is necessary to focus on monitoring the place where has a large stress during construction, such as, the right interface between pedestrian underpass and escalator channel, and the right exit of escalator channel.

Risk Assessment Model for Railway Passengers on a Crowded Platform

The purpose of this study is to develop a risk assessment measure to provide an understanding of the safety of railway station platforms. We estimated the number of accidents on a platform in a year. It was influenced by the factors such as the design, equipment, and the profile of the station users. Consequently, 16 factors were defined, such as the platform design and passenger movement. Poisson regression and negative binomial regression models were employed to estimate and analyze the number of accidents from a station database containing 158 platforms from 52 stations in Japan. The results show that the number of accidents is related to the length of the narrow part of a platform, the width of the gap between the platform and train, the curvature of the platform, passenger flow crossing, the number of trains passing and stopping, and the audio and visual announcements concerning approaching trains. We expect that this result will allow railway companies to identify weaknesses in station safety and subsequently set priorities for investments in safety. Furthermore, administrative authorities can evaluate the safety performances of railway companies, and consider subsidies for investments in safety.

On particulate emissions from moving trains in a tunnel environment

Increasing attention is being paid to airborne particles in railway environments because of their potential to adversely affect health. In this study, we investigate the contribution of moving trains to both the concentration and size distribution of particles in tunnel environments. Real-time measurements were taken with high time-resolution instruments at a railway station platform in a tunnel in Stockholm in January 2013. The results show that individual trains stopping and starting at the platform substantially elevate the particulate concentrations with a mobility diameter greater than 100 nm. Two size modes of the particulate number concentrations were obtained. A mode of around 170 nm occurs when a train moves, while the other mode peaks at about 30 nm when there is no train in the station. By using principal component analysis (PCA), three contributing sources were identified on the basis of the classification of the sizes of the particles, namely railway-related mechanical wear, suspension due to the movement of trains and sparking of electric-powered components. It is concluded that the particulate matter released by individual moving trains is a key contributor to fine particles (100–500 nm) on the railway platform in a tunnel.

Numerical Investigation on the Effect of Mobile Smoke Ventilator on Fire-induced Smoke Extraction for Underground Platform in a High-speed Railway Station

Abstract Fire-induced smoke extraction for the underground platform of a high-speed railway station was investigated. Nowadays, the development of high-speed railway in China is rapid. In order to economize valuable urban space and to realize the convenient interchange to the subway, some of the high-speed railway station platforms and transfer halls are set underground. It is difficult and uneconomic to achieve static ventilation in the underground platform. Therefore, the mechanical smoke control system is the most feasible method to ensure the fire safety of the underground platform. Mobile smoke ventilator is the most common smoke exhaust equipment for fire-fighters. This paper investigates the interaction between mechanical smoke control system and mobile smoke ventilator, as well as the effect of mobile smoke ventilator under the condition of mechanical smoke control system failure. An underground island platform and underground waiting and transfer halls of an under construct high-speed railway station in south China are reconstructed in this paper. A new system with mechanical ventilation and mobile smoke ventilator is proposed. The effects of mechanical ventilation without mobile smoke ventilator are also numerically simulated by Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) method for comparison. The distribution of smoke and CO in the platform and influences of them on evacuation staircases are computed and analyzed. The effect of fire location on smoke spread is explored in our research. This study based on CFD modeling enables the improvement of smoke control and exhaust in underground high-speed railway station fire. The results are applicable to practical fire-fighting and rescue for underground high-speed railway station platform.

도시철도 역사 승강장의 유니버설 디자인 기준에 관한 연구

Purpose: A large number of the mobility impaired have increasingly used the railway station, so the application of UD(Universal Design) on urban railway station has been interested. However, the current criteria used in domestic areas have concerned about the effective administration of railway station facilities rather than the needs of he mobility impaired. Of diverse facilities in railway station, the platform is considered as an important space due to many transportation users` riding or transfer in railway stations. Therefore, this study aims to explore the detailed criteria in adapting ideas from UD to platform within railway station. Methods: This study explores the criteria by evaluating findings from previous studies. First, all criteria related to platform in domestic and foreign areas are taken together and analyzed, and appropriate criteria first are established. Based on these, the current situation of platform facilities in railway station is evaluated. Then, the detailed criteria applicable to railway station platform are concluded, by reviewing types of the mobility impaired and principles of UD. Result: Findings from this study are as follows. First, the current criteria applied to railway station platforms lack ideas of UD, while the criteria used in foreign countries adequately reflect the ideas of UD on railway station platforms; therefore, the better criteria applicable to platform facilities in domestic railway station are necessary. Second, standard criteria used in domestic areas with newly additional criteria suggest that platform facilities should be established according to those criteria. Taken together, the better platform facilities should be provided to railway users through the application of UD to railway station platforms. Implications: For the future users in railway station platforms, the additional research on criteria of UD as well as diverse types of spaces within railway stations should have been continued.

Test and analysis on the seismic performance of a steel truss-to-circular CFT column sub-assembly

This paper presents an experimental and theoretical investigation on connection between steel truss and circular concrete-filled tubular (CFT) columns used for modern low-rise railway station platforms. Two full-scale cyclic tests were performed on connection sub-assembly and results showed that relative strength between the steel truss and column zone had a major effect on the subassembly's seismic performance and failure patterns. Results also indicated that a better deformability and energy dissipation capacity can be obtained if the column zone is slightly weaker than the steel truss. In addition, a simplified theoretical model was proposed to predict the experimental load–deformation histories and failure patterns. Satisfactory comparisons were observed.

Numerical Study of Smoke Control for Underground Platform in a High-Speed Railway Station

Smoke control for the underground platform of a high-speed railway station was investigated. Nowadays, the development of high-speed railway in China is rapid. In order to economize valuable urban space and to realize the convenient interchange to the subway, some of the high-speed railway station platforms and transfer halls are set underground. It is difficult and uneconomic to achieve static ventilation in the underground platform. Therefore, The mechanical smoke control system is the most feasible and most reliable method to ensure the fire safety of the underground platform. How to protect the evacuation stairs free from the threat of fire-induced smoke is a major concern of smoke control in the underground platform. An underground island platform and underground waiting and transfer halls of an under construct high-speed railway station in south China are reconstructed in this paper. Three smoke control modes based on mechanical ventilation, namely mechanical air makeup, pressurized air supply for stairwell and air curtain, are numerically simulated by Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) method. The distribution of smoke, temperature, and CO in the platform and influences of them on evacuation staircases are computed and analyzed. The effect of fire location in smoke spread are explored in our research. This study based on CFD modeling enables the improvement of the design and operation of smoke control and exhaust system for underground high-speed railway station. The results are applicable to practical fire engineering designs for underground high-speed railway station platform.

‘If the child cannot come to the school, then the school must go to the child’: The railway station platform schools in Odisha, India

Despite its constitutional obligation of ensuring universal primary education, the Indian Government has not been able to find a way to educate its 18 million street children. It is widely accepted that the government lacks the capacity – financial, managerial and human resource – to provide meaningful education to those who are left out of the formal education system. Many civil society organisations across India are trying to bridge the gap by educating children living in high-risk settings. One such initiative, the Railway Platform School started by Ruchika, proves that quality bridge or condensed courses are an effective way of encouraging children to access the formal education system. This article argues that the government needs to appreciate and support this kind of innovative initiatives, and also government and other civil society actors needs to operate under a collaborative framework to ensure reach out to children, who have been left out of the Government schooling system.

Maintaining absolute clearances in ballasted railway tracks using in situ three-dimensional polyurethane GeoComposites

Maintaining track clearances in ballasted railway tracks are a critical issue for the safety and operational performance of the railway environment. In general, railway standards aredefined with respect to the minimum gauge clearance allowed between the dynamic swept envelope of the train vehicles and the fixed structure for a given vehicle speed. Absolute clearance of a line is categorized based on the clearance level, for example, in the UK, it is defined in terms of normal, reduced, or special reduced clearance. In special reduced clearance, the level of track fixity is defined as high fixity, medium fixity, and low fixity. In high track fixity, a concrete-slab track solution must be adopted; in medium track fixity, some form of ballast stabilization and/or reinforcement can be used. The principal requirement is that using a standard methodology, the clearances should always be greater than zero; the clearance representing the margin for unknown events. In this article, an in situ three-dimensional (3D) polyurethane ballast reinforcement technique is used to provide a very robust level of track fixity. The performance of the reinforcement technique is shown through experimental tests using a 200 ton capacity cyclic compression machine. The experimental tests are used to show the performance of the technique for applications like railway tunnels and station platforms where clearances issues are paramount. The base and shoulder GeoComposite experimental tests are performed with the initial ballast poorly compacted thus representing a worse case on-site scenario. Based on the experimental results, a new track fixity category is proposed termed virtual high fixity. A case study showing the impact and site application of the 3D polyurethane reinforcement research to Grovehill Tunnel UK is presented and reference is also made to another reinforced clearance issue site at Hoxton Station UK.

Accurate Wind-Induced Response Analysis of Long-Span Structure Based on Quick Modal Response Estimate for Mode Selection

By the combination of POD method and mode superposition method, the eigenvector similarity factor is introduced on the representation of the similarity between the load spacial distribution and the structural mode. Meanwhile, the eigenvalue got from the wind pressure field decomposition indicates the relative ratio of the energy associated with the corresponding load spacial distribution to the total of the wind load energy. It is proved that the eigenvector similarity factor and the eigenvalues are two of most important factors when measuring the relative significance of each modal response. So the quick estimates of the modal responses are provided, which predominates in picking structural modes to obtain wind-induced dynamic response of long-span roof structure with frequency-domain method. Then, by arranging the estimative response of each mode in reduced-order and truncating higher modes to expedite computations, the accurate wind-induced response is calculated by ACQC method, which has taken into account the partial correlation of wind loads and the quad-spectra (imaginary parts of XPSD) of the generalized wind loads. Finally, utilizing the rigid model wind tunnel test data of some large railway station platform, the effectiveness of the scheme proposed is verified.

"A Straight Steal": "An Affair of the Heart" and Maurice Gee's The Fat Man

“An Affair of the Heart,” first published in 1936 and since then frequently anthologised, is one of New Zealand’s best-loved stories. It made a significant contribution to the reputation of its author, Frank Sargeson, who following Katherine Mansfield’s death was considered to be New Zealand’s most important writer of short fiction. Narrated by the middle-aged Freddy Coleman, the story tells how old Mrs Crawley, bent double from years of poverty and toil, sits night after night in the local shelter shed. She is waiting for the last bus and the return of her long-absent son, Joe, who never returns. Coleman wonders if Joe is in gaol or has escaped to America. He recalls how even during his own (and Joe's) childhood, Mrs Crawley was a pitiful figure who had been abandoned by her husband. Clad in a man's old hat and coat, she would scavenge for pipis, mussels, and kauri gum on the beach near her tumble down bach. She had three daughters as well as Joe, but Joe (whom she nursed past infancy) was her favorite child. The Fat Man was first published in 1994. It is one of ten novels for children by distinguished New Zealand novelist, Maurice Gee, who combines writing for children with writing for adults. The Fat Man went on to receive several awards and international acclaim, and because of its violent subject matter it was also the subject of much debate. However, in spite of the attention given to this novel, a connection to the Sargeson story has gone unnoticed. As Gee himself has pointed out in a recent interview, Sargeson's story is the source of his portrayal in The Fat Man of old Mrs Muskie, the widowed mother of Herbert (the eponymous "fat man"). The reader learns how every weekday she walks into town, spends a quarter hour shopping, and waits for ten minutes on the railway station platform for the arrival of the train from Auckland – only (after scanning the passengers) to go home again. She dreams always of the return of Herbert who thirteen years earlier went to America and became a gangster. Herbert Muskie has two sisters and a brother, but during childhood it was he who was his mother's favorite, a fact that is underlined after her death when he asks his wife Bette to sing "Old Fashioned Mother" (112):

ユビキタスステレオビジョンによる滞留人数計測システム

We have developed some human sensing systems that can be used in real time environments, such as on railway station platforms and at railroad crossings, to increase safety in busy public places. We describe an application for counting the number of people remaining in divided areas in large spaces. For this purpose, we installed stereo cameras on ceilings that point downward towards the boundaries of specified areas. The system can track all the people passing in each camera's view and can count the number of people remaining in each area. The system can work robustly even under extreme lighting variations by using the stereo cameras. It was used at “EXPO 2005 Aichi, Japan,” and was active opening hours a day for six months. We have stored all the tracking and counting data to make a precise analysis of the human behavior.