AECOM was commissioned by Network Rail to deliver design options for 12 stations along the Crossrail West line as part of the Governance of Railway Investment Projects (GRIP) – Stage 4 process.
As part of a multi-disciplinary team, the Pedestrian Modelling team used a combination of visual assessments, static analysis and micro-simulation modelling to aide the Design team throughout the process.
Several major stations in London and further afield were appraised; including Ealing Broadway, Southall and Maidenhead.
Passenger flow assessments were carried out on each station to provide input to the detailed design for both normal operations and emergency fire evacuations. Static assessments were carried out for six stations to assess whether or not the layout would be suitable to be taken forward to GRIP Stage 5, with a further six stations taken forward for detailed dynamic modelling using the LEGION modelling suite.
This enabled the impact of physical constraints within the stations to be identified and lead to problems such as:
- Excessive queuing at gatelines
- Congestion at stairs and overbridges, and
- High-density levels in the platform waiting areas.
Suggested mitigation measures were discussed within the Design team and with Network Rail to determine which required design alterations were feasible and could be essentially accommodated by operational measures.
Partners
- CH2M Hill, The Nichols Group