A study on strategies to improve passengers’ alighting and boarding efficiency of metro system incorporating impacts of passengers’ luggage by simulation
Document Type
Journal Article
Publication Date
2026
Subject Area
place - asia, place - urban, mode - subway/metro, ridership - behaviour, infrastructure - station, operations - capacity
Keywords
Metro system, management strategy, /alighting, boarding, passengers’ luggage, social force model
Abstract
The efficiency of alighting and boarding process at metro platform is crucial for ensuring smooth operations of metro systems. This study investigates the impacts of luggage on passenger alighting and boarding efficiency and proposes strategies for improvement. Based on a survey from a metro station in Xi’an of China, it is found that medium and large luggage carried by passengers significantly impacts the efficiency of alighting and boarding. Two management strategies are proposed to improve alighting and boarding efficiency: the first is to designate dedicated doors exclusively for boarding passengers with luggage; the second is to establish a capacity threshold for waiting area. An improved social force model is proposed to incorporate the changes in social forces experienced by passengers carrying luggage in simulation and to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed strategies. Simulation results indicate that the two proposed strategies can effectively improve passenger alighting and boarding efficiency.
Rights
Permission to publish the abstract has been given by Taylor&Francis, copyright remains with them.
Recommended Citation
Cao, R., Bai, Q., Wu, S., Wang, Y., Liu, N., Dong, S., & Liu, E. (2026). A study on strategies to improve passengers’ alighting and boarding efficiency of metro system incorporating impacts of passengers’ luggage by simulation. Transportation Planning and Technology, 49(5), 912-931.
