2nd Edition

Station Layout 11
• Areas where passengers may stop or hesitate through uncertainty or specific
need (e.g. to buy a ticket) must be identified and space provided so
that other passengers are not unduly hindered.
• In the event of service disruption, escalator failure or other unusual event,
passengers must be able to accumulate safely until operational action can
take effect.
• Future traffic growth can be accommodated.
• Emergencies can be controlled.
• Station signing is adequate.
• Infrastructure must be ‘right first time’.
2.6 Planning for Normal Operation
The degree to which the business is prepared to invest in providing space
purely for the added comfort of passengers must be decided by each railway
system based on its own market position and objectives.
The starting point for any station planning is the demand forecast. This
must be accompanied by a detailed knowledge of the likely train frequency
from each platform and the time staff would need to take action when
problems arise. Given working assumptions, it is then possible to determine
how many people are likely to have accumulated within a particular area
before control measures can be instituted.
The operator must determine his own relative values for key variables
which combine to determine the minimum size and capacity for any element
of a station.
These will include:
• time needed to become aware of a problem.
• staff reaction and decision time.
• action implementation time.
• accumulation rate for passengers.
• maximum density for safety.
The frequency and destination pattern of the train service is also a key
factor in the sizing of station infrastructure. Assuming, for instance, that
the total staff reaction time is effectively five minutes and that the normal
peak service is at five minute intervals, capacity at the platform must allow
for at least twice the normal numbers expected in the peak.