Modelling distributions of heterogeneous boarders and alighters on metro platforms

Distributions of boarding and alighting passengers on metro platforms have a significant impact on train dwell times and, consequently, a metro system's capacity. The extent of passengers’ awareness of the platform layout at alighting stations can lead to different behaviour on the platform, which determines the boarder and alighter distribution. This research develops a model for boarder and alighter distributions on metro platforms, considering the heterogeneity in passengers’ awareness and the corresponding behaviour. The train passenger loading data of the Hammersmith & City Line of London Underground are used for the model calibration and validation. The average absolute error of the calibration results at the car-level is only 1.2 passengers, and the maximum absolute error at the door-level is less than two passengers. It is estimated that, on average, 60% of the passengers lined up around the cars closest to the platform exits at their alighting stations to minimise the walking distance. The developed model is useful for the design of reasonable platform entrance & exit locations at the line-level, which help improve the metro capacity during both the design and operating phases.