Evaluating ticket gate directional restrictions using simulations of pedestrian flow considering stationary people in a railroad station concourse

Abstract

When large numbers of people are using railroad stations, such as during commuting hours, pedestrians must navigate others moving in various directions and standing stationary while waiting, particularly in front of the ticket gates. These heavy pedestrian traffic flows may cause congestion or crowd accidents. As a result, the national government and railroad companies in Japan are evaluating various countermeasures against railroad station congestion. In this study, we accordingly conducted a field survey to observe the flowing and stationary people in front of the ticket gates at a railroad station. Based on the data gathered by this survey, we constructed an agent-based model to simulate the movement of flowing people through the train station concourse according to the time of day, number of stationary people present, and ticket gate directional restrictions. The simulation results confirmed that the congestion in front of the ticket gates, indicated by the time required to pass through the concourse, was affected by the number and direction of flowing people, number and location of stationary people, and ticket gate directional restrictions. The implementation of an intentional pedestrian flow pattern effectively shortened the walking time of the flowing people in the concourse, thus easing congestion.