Simulation Modeling on Emergency Evacuation in High-Speed Railway Stations in China

A simulation study on occupant evacuation in high-speed railway stations （HSRSs） was presented in China. Pathfinder was employed as the simulation platform and a typical HSRS in a medinm-sized city in China was selected for model development. The model was carefully calibrated and validated by comparing simulation results with field data. Evacuation efficiency could be improved with the increased door width while such effect decreased when the door width reached a marginal value. And the marginal value varied under different occupant densities. An exponential function between evacuation lime and occupant density was fitted, indicating that occupant density significantly affected evacuation efficiency. A set of different evacuation strategies were compared, in terms of their evacuation performances. It was found that a balanced door usage would result in more efficient evacuations in HSRSs. Thus occupant flows were suggested to be managed considering door capacity. To avoid potential safety issues caused by such strategy （ e. g. , more occupants could be evacuated from a smaller area designed with higher door capacity ）, occupants needed to enhance their awareness of following evacuation guidance instead of panic escape in emergencies. Moreover, such safety issues could also be avoided during the design phase that the evacuation capacity was designed to be proportional to the room capacity for each floor. The results of this study provide valuable information for HSRS design and flow management in China.

A simulation study on occupant evacuation in high-speed railway stations(HSRSs) was presented in China.Pathfinder was employed as the simulation platform and a typical HSRS in a medium-sized city in China was selected for model development.The model was carefully calibrated and validated by comparing simulation results with field data.Evacuation efficiency could be improved with the increased door width while such effect decreased when the door width reached a marginal value.And the marginal value varied under different occupant densities.An exponential function between evacuation time and occupant density was fitted,indicating that occupant density significantly affected evacuation efficiency.A set of different evacuation strategies were compared,in terms of their evacuation performances.It was found that a balanced door usage would result in more efficient evacuations in HSRSs.Thus occupant flows were suggested to be managed considering door capacity.To avoid potential safety issues caused by such strategy(e.g.,more occupants could be evacuated from a smaller area designed with higher door capacity),occupants needed to enhance their awareness of following evacuation guidance instead of panic escape in emergencies.Moreover,such safety issues could also be avoided during the design phase that the evacuation capacity was designed to be proportional to the room capacity for each floor.The results of this study provide valuable information for HSRS design and flow management in China.