Modelling pedestrian circulation in rail transit stations using micro-simulation

Rail transit with its high passenger capacity and high efficiency has become one of the preferred alternatives to automobile travel. This is evident in the increasing patronage of rail travel especially in urban areas. As a result, many railway stations experience high levels of pedestrian congestion especially during the morning and afternoon peak periods. Traditional design and evaluation procedures for pedestrian transit facilities aim to maintain a desirable pedestrian level-of-service (PLOS) for the individual pedestrian areas or subprecincts. In complex transit facilities, these sub-precincts interact with one another so that pedestrian circulation might be better assessed from a broader systems perspective. Microsimulation packages that can model pedestrians (e.g. VISSIM) can be employed to assess these interactions. This paper outlines a procedure for the potential implementation of pedestrian flow analysis in a rail transit station using micro-simulation. Base model data requirements are identified which include static (facility layout and locations of temporary equipment) and dynamic data (pedestrian demand and public transport services). Possible model calibration criteria were also identified. A VISSIM® micro-simulation base model was developed for the North Melbourne Rail Station for investigating proposed station operational and infrastructure changes. This case study provided a good example for the potential implementation of micro-simulation models in the analysis of pedestrian circulation.