Optimising passenger flows through stations

**背景**铁路公司已在部分车站月台设置分区标志，以协助乘客上车；尽管目前尚不清楚乘客是否理解这种方式，也不清楚这种方式是否有效。因此，乘客经常不能沿着站台最优地分布；这就导致了列车门口的拥堵，而且由于上车的乘客需要等待下车的乘客离开车厢才能上车，所以上车的时间也超过了必要的时间。当火车晚点时，尤其是在繁忙的换乘站，这个问题变得更加复杂。我们提出的解决方案将根据每节车厢的乘客数量，在视觉上引导上车的乘客到站台上划定的区域，以最大限度地减少整体上车时间，避免“羊群行为”。这将有助于减少列车延误，减少拥堵和乘客不适，并通过避免乘客密度高来提高站台安全性。**解决方案**建议的解决方案包括：一种利用现有基础设施（包括传感器和其他数据）检测站台客流的方法。该方法将依赖于线性代数来推断不直接监控的客流。显示当前客流和拥堵程度的仪表板。这将大大提高营运站员工对月台上乘客挤塞情况的能见度，使他们能够作出明智的决定，例如在哪里派遣员工，在哪里推动乘客；并且让乘客知道在站台上该往哪里走。根据PFM射频信标的历史数据，结合开放的列车到达和占用数据，开发站台客流的始发/目的地矩阵（即到站列车的下车和上车乘客）。一种计算乘客沿站台位置的方法，以便优化列车上车操作。该方法是基于对上下船乘客数量的预测。这将为乘客和车站工作人员提供动态建议，以方便乘客沿着月台重新分配。**差异化**我们认为，我们提出的解决方案方法将比目前可用的解决方案传达三个关键优势：3D模拟闭路电视图像作为替代的真实闭路电视数据，可用于模拟场景和极端事件，而不会损害数据隐私或访问极端事件的闭路电视录像。2. 我们的目标是使用算法方法来推断传感器“盲点”的流量；从而最大限度地减少了对重要的新传感器基础设施的投资需求。使用安装在车站的射频信标，结合开放的列车到达和占用数据，生成半真实的乘客数量。Novell用户界面“轻推”乘客，避免从众行为加剧情况。**商业化**在英国和全球铁路行业以及其他运输部门（包括机场），存在将拟议解决方案扩展到促进乘客安全和顺畅流动方面面临类似挑战的机会。

**Background**Railway companies have introduced zone marking on some station platforms to assist passenger boarding; although it is not clear that the way this is currently implemented is either understood by passengers or proving effective. Consequently, passengers are frequently not distributed optimally along the platform; and this results in congestion at train doors and longer than necessary boarding times as embarking passengers need to wait for disembarking passengers to leave the carriage before they can board. This issue is compounded when trains are delayed, especially at busy interchange stations. Our proposed solution will visually guide embarking passengers to demarcated zones on the platform based on the number of passengers leaving each carriage, to minimise the overall train boarding time and avoid “herd behaviour”. This will help to reduce train delays, minimise congestion and passenger discomfort, and improve platform safety by avoiding high passenger densities.**Solution**The proposed solution includes:1. A method to detect passenger flows on the station platform using existing infrastructure including sensor and other data. The method will depend on linear algebra to deduce passenger flows that are not directly monitored.2. A dashboard visualising current passenger flows and congestion levels. This will significantly increase the visibility of passenger congestion on the platform for operational station staff and enabling them to take informed decisions e.g. where to dispatch staff, where to nudge passengers; and for passengers to know where to move on the platform.3. Development of an origin/destination matrix of passenger flows on the platform (i.e. disembarking and embarking passenger of arriving trains) from PFM RF beacons historical data in conjunction with open train arrival and occupancy data.4. A method to calculate positioning of passengers along the platform, such that train boarding operations is optimised. The method is based on the predicted number of passengers embarking and disembarking. This will provide dynamic recommendations to passengers and station staff to facilitate a redistribution of passengers along the platform.**Differentiation**We believe that our proposed solution approach will convey three key advantages over those currently available:1. 3D simulated CCTV images as an alternative real CCTV data which could be used to model scenarios and extreme events without compromising data privacy or having access to CCTV footage of extreme events. 2. We aim to use algorithmic approaches to infer flows across sensor "blind-spots"; thereby minimising the need for investment in significant new sensor infrastructure.3. Generating semi-real passenger volumes using RF beacons installed at the station in conjunction with open train arrival and occupancy data.4. Novell user interface to “nudge” passengers avoiding herd behaviour to exacerbate situation.**Commercialisation**Opportunities exist to scale the proposed solution across the UK and global rail industries and into other transportation sectors, including airports, that are facing similar challenges in facilitating the safe and smooth flow of passengers.