PASSENGER BOARDING TIME, MOBILITY AND DWELL TIME FOR HIGH SPEED 2

HS2 has a challenging dwell time of 2 minutes at some of its stations. Achieving this will be influenced by a number of factors including the platform-train interface and the relative heights of each. This paper will... [ view full abstract ]

HS2 has a challenging dwell time of 2 minutes at some of its stations. Achieving this will be influenced by a number of factors including the platform-train interface and the relative heights of each. This paper will describe the research relating to the effect of the height difference and the provision of steps on the dwell time, The project also looked at the impact of passenger demographics and passengers with luggage on boarding and alighting times. The main experimental research was conducted in collaboration with University College London, using the PAMELA research facility to build a rig of the train and platform for testing with subjects. We also conducted a number of real life observations at train stations within the UK to validate the experimental findings. The research programme also included a literature review and observational study to examine issues around mobility and ageing that affect walking speed and movement around the station. This also used another CCD/HS2 research project that looked at the demographics of the future passenger population and how this would impact on passenger movements. The research programme made a number of recommendations around the configuration of the platform-train interface to optimise boarding times.