Station Capacity

1. Station Capacity

2. Presentation Overview Learning objectives Station types & configurations Passenger circulation and level of service Station elements and their capacities Example problems

3. Learning Objectives Understand the different types of transit stations Be familiar with passenger circulation and level of service concepts Learn about the range of station elements and methods of measuring their capacities Consider some typical station analysis problems

4. Changes in 3rd Edition Significantly expanded discussion of passenger flow microsimulation Introduction of alternate stair capacity method based on stair lanes (instead of width) Introduction of clearance time analysis method Expanded discussion of volume-to-capacity ratio analysis for station elements Various updates to text

5. Station TypesandConfigurations Tower City–Public Square Station, Cleveland

6. Types of Stops, Stations, and Terminals • Busway stations • Light rail stations • Heavy rail stations • Commuter rail stations • Ferry docks and terminals • Intermodal terminals • Bus stops • On-street • Few or no amenities • Transit centers • Usually off-street • Few to many amenities • Transit stations • Off-street • Many amenities

7. Types of Stops, Stations, and Terminals Illustrated Off-street transit center, San Diego On-street bus stop, Albuquerque Rapid transit station, San Francisco Grand Central Terminal, New York

8. Passenger Circulation and Level of Service Rapid transit station, Toronto

9. Principles of Pedestrian Flow Minato Mirai Station, Yokohama • Pedestrian speed is related to pedestrian density • The more pedestrians, the slower the average pedestrian speed • Flow (how many pedestrians can pass by a given point) is the product of pedestrian speed and density: • V = S ×D • Units: pedestrians per foot width per minute • Average space per pedestrianis related to speed and flow: • M = S / VUnits: square feet per pedestrian

10. Applying Pedestrian Flow Principles Peel Station, Montreal • Most design problems relate to solving for either: • Station element width (e.g., stairway width) • Station element area (e.g., platform area) • Result is a station element sized to accommodate a given number of persons per hour, at a design level of service

11. Design Questions Springfield Station, Springfield, Oregon How many bus bays (loading areas) are needed? Is there enough room for passengers to wait and circulate? Is there enough space & passenger demand for particular amenities?

12. More Design Questions South Kensington Station, London • Are passenger processing elements (e.g., stairs, escalators, and faregates) adequately sized and provided in sufficient number? • Which station element(s) constrain capacity? • What are the requirements for emergency evacuation?

13. Design Issues Springfield Station, Springfield, Oregon • Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) • ADA requirements affect design • Addressed in TCQSM to the extent it impactsthe sizing of station elements • TCQSM provides input into the design process,but isn’t a design manual

14. Emergency Evacuation

15. Emergency Evacuation Design • Station design must address evacuation requirements • Maximum time to evacuate platforms and reach a point of safety • Based on worst-case passenger accumulations • Overall passenger flow through station is an important consideration (watch for bottlenecks!) • National Fire Protection Association standard 130 (NFPA 130) specifies evacuation design needs • “Standard for Fixed Guideway Transit and Passenger Rail Systems”

16. NFPA 130 General Considerations • Sufficient exit capacity to evacuate station occupants (including those on trains) from platforms in 4.0 minutes or less • Sufficient exit capacity to get from most remote point on platform to point of safety in 6.0 minutes or less • Second egress route remote from major egress route from each platform • Maximum distance to an exit from any point on a platform not more than 325 ft • Limits on assuming availability of escalators for evacuation capacity • Above based on the 2010 version of the standard • Always check the most recent version • Typically updated every 3 years

17. Number of People to Design for Evacuation • Loads of one peak period train on each track • Assume each train is one headway late (i.e., is carrying twice its normal load, but no more than its maximum capacity load) • Passengers on platform during the peak 15 minutes, assuming trains are one headway late

18. Design for Both Evacuation and Normal Operations • Maximum capacity required for normal operations or emergency evacuation will govern the sizing of a station element • Because emergency evacuation routes may be different than the routes taken by passengers during normal operations, don’t assume that evacuation needs will govern in all cases

19. Station Elements and Their Capacities Canary Wharf Station, London (weekend)

20. Pedestrian Access Bus Access Walkway Stairs Elevator Ticket Machine Lighting Customer Info Landscaping Phone Trash Can Bench Find the Station Elements Guideway Platform Shelter Sunset Transit Center, near Portland

21. Not Pictured… • Restrooms • Driver break areas • Vending machines • Escalators • Ramps • Kiss-and-ride • Moving walkways Faregates Park-and-ride Bike storage Artwork Electronic displays Station agents Doorways/gates

22. Waiting Areas Streetcar stop, Portland

23. Passenger Waiting Areas Process for sizing passenger waiting areas is based on designing for a desirable level of service Concepts originally presented in Fruin’s Pedestrian Planning & Design HCM has similar concepts, but intended for sidewalks—TCQSM’s levels of service are intended for transit facilities Level of service measure: average space per person

24. Waiting Area LOS ≥ 13 ft2 per person 10-13 ft2 per person 7-10 ft2 per person 3-7 ft2 per person 2-3 ft2 per person < 2 ft2 per person LOS A LOS B LOS C LOS D LOS E LOS F

25. Walkways Ferry terminal, New Orleans

26. Pedestrian Flow on Walkways Source: J. Fruin, Pedestrian Planning and Design

27. Walkway LOS ≥ 35 ft2/p, avg. speed 260 ft/min 25-35 ft2/p, avg. speed 250 ft/min 15-25 ft2/p, avg. speed 240 ft/min 10-15 ft2/p, avg. speed 225 ft/min 5-10 ft2/p, avg. speed 150 ft/min < 5 ft2/p, avg. speed <150 ft./min LOS A LOS B LOS C LOS D LOS E LOS F

28. Walkway LOS Source: J. Fruin, Pedestrian Planning and Design

29. Walkways • Typical average free flow pedestrian speed for design: 250 ft/min • Capacity occurs at LOS E/F threshold • Pedestrians move at a shuffle

30. Walkway Design Process Based on desired LOS, identify maximum flow rate per unit width Estimate demand for peak 15 minutes (or shorter period surges) Allow for wheelchairs and people with large items Compute design pedestrian flow: (Step 2) / 15 Effective width = (Step 4 / Step 1) Add appropriate buffer width on each side(depends on elements to each side)

31. Stairs andEscalators Hollywood & Vine Station, Los Angeles

32. Pedestrian Flow on Stairs Source: J. Fruin, Pedestrian Planning and Design

33. Pedestrian Ascent Speed on Stairs Source: J. Fruin, Pedestrian Planning and Design

34. Stairway LOS Source: J. Fruin, Pedestrian Planning and Design

35. Stairway Capacity Factors Even minor reverse-direction flows may reduce stairway capacity by as much as one-half Although sizing procedures may suggest a continuum of stairway widths, capacity is really added in one-person-width increments (roughly 30 inches) Alternate method to analyze stair capacity based on stair “lanes” (new in 3rd Edition)

36. Stairway Design Factors • Much new construction will use escalators as the primary vertical circulation element • Can design to LOS E in this case • Where stairs will be the primary vertical circulation element, design to LOS C to D • Emergency evacuation needs may result in better LOS during normal conditions

37. Stairway Design Process Based on desired LOS, identify maximum flow rate per unit width Estimate peak 15-minute demand Compute design pedestrian flow: (Step 2) / 15 Required width = (Step 3 / Step 1) If minor, reverse-direction flow use occurs, add width of one lane (30 inches)

38. Escalator Capacity Factors Wheaton Station, Washington, DC area • Escalator width • Typically “single”, “intermediate”, or “double” width • Operating speed

39. Escalator Capacity Factors • Manufacturers often state capacity based on a theoretical capacity—two people on every step—which is never obtained • Capacity reduction factors • Intermittent pedestrian arrivals • Pedestrian hesitation at boarding (especially elderly and persons with disabilities) • Pedestrians carrying baggage or packages • Pedestrian desire for a more comfortable spacing

40. Escalator Capacity Source: J. Fruin, Pedestrian Planning and Design; unpublished New York City Transit data Nominal capacity values based on one person every other step (single-width), or one person every step (double-width) Intermediate-width escalators have capacity close to double-width but less comfort and flexibility for walking

41. Elevators Washington Park Station, Portland

42. Elevator Usage Elevator outage information, Washington, DC • Usually for persons with disabilities and auxiliary to stairs/escalators, but can be primary vertical circulation in deep stations • Deep station access: • New York: 168th, 181st, and 191stStreets • Washington, DC: Forest Glen • Portland, OR: Washington Park • When not working, impacts station access for mobility impaired, particularly when only a single elevator is provided

43. Elevator Capacity • Calculated similarly to transit vehicle capacity: • Car capacity is combination of loading standard (area per passenger) and elevator floor area • Time to make round-trip, including time to load and unload passengers, and open and close doors • Station access elevators sometimes have doors on two sides for simultaneous loading and unloading • Walk-in, walk-out without turning around

44. MovingWalkways Court Square–23rd Street Station, New York

45. Moving Walkways • Typical speed 100 ft/min, some up to 160 ft/min • Usually slower than typical walking speed • Capacity limited at entrance • Speed not a factor for capacity unless it causes persons to hesitate when entering • Capacity similar to escalators • Double-width: about 90 people/min

46. Doorways Manhattan Whitehall ferry terminal, New York

47. Doorway Capacity Source: J. Fruin, Pedestrian Planning and Design

48. FareControl Faregates, Chicago

49. Fare Control Capacity Sources: J. Fruin, Pedestrian Planning and Design Transit Capacity & Quality of Service Manual, 2nd Edition L.S. Weinstein, TfL’s Contactless Ticketing: Oyster and Beyond A. Weinstein et al., Human Factor Constraints on Transit Faregate Capacity Each combination of equipment, fare media, and fare structure has a distinct processing time

50. TicketMachines Ticket machines, New York