Passenger switching time
The time in which passengers get on and off at a stop or a train station is referred to as passenger switching time or holding time with open doors . Usually the term is used in connection with local public transport . The number of passengers, i.e. the number and local distribution of boarding and disembarking passengers, has a major influence on the length of the passenger switching time. In addition, the passenger switching time is important for the design of vehicles as well as for the punctual operation and the travel time of a means of transport. The stopping time can be determined and incorporated into the timetable based on the number of passengers boarding and disembarking at a station , for example determined by passenger counts.
Influencing factors
Vehicle side
When designing a vehicle, the passenger switching time is understood as a vehicle-specific variable that can be represented as a function of the passenger switching rate. The passenger change rate indicates the proportion of passengers boarding and disembarking from twice the total capacity of the vehicle. For example, if a multiple unit can take 200 people, 200 passengers get off and 200 passengers get on again with a passenger change rate of 100 percent. If 80 passengers leave the train at a station and 20 new ones are added, the passenger change rate is 25 percent. Average values are used to calculate the passenger switching time, so that comparability is achieved through specific time information. If a new vehicle is developed, the function of the passenger change time is usually specified by the client. It is mainly of importance for regional trains , S-Bahn , U-Bahn , light rail , trams , trolleybuses and city buses, while in long-distance passenger and long-distance passenger transport there are few stops with relatively long stopping times and the passenger switching time remains of less importance.
Vehicle manufacturers, in turn, can reduce passenger change times by designing the interior (width of the aisles, aisle or side aisle, position of the handrails, few or no intermediate doors, continuous access to the train, storage space for bulky luggage) and especially by the number, width and division of the a - and influence exits. Additional routes to validators or ticket machines can be created in the vehicle . In addition, the ratio between sitting and standing is relevant for circulation in the vehicle, the former have a rather negative effect in this regard. In addition, a uniform carriage class promotes short passenger change times. If, on the other hand, the passengers first have to go to a certain area - including, for example, a women's or smoking compartment - this can mean that they do not board immediately and therefore delay their departure. In 1944, for example, the Viennese electric light rail system abolished the special smoking carriages to better distribute the passengers to the individual cars.
The design of the doors also plays a role because of the duration of the opening and closing process for the passenger switching time; Double-leaf sliding doors often close faster than single-leaf doors with the same width. Additional time is lost if folding steps , sliding steps , wheelchair ramps or lifting platforms have to be extended and retracted. In the case of double-deck cars , the width, number and arrangement of the staircases also play a role. Another focus is on door control and the question of whether the driver can force-close the doors or whether individual delayed passengers can repeatedly delay departure by pushing into the vehicle or blocking the light barriers or steps . In many modes of transport, the door request can be registered at the push of a button before arriving at the station, so that the door opens immediately after approval by the driver. Another way to save valuable seconds while staying at the station is the so-called central opening , as has been practiced on the main line of the Munich S-Bahn since 2016 . The driver opens all doors at the same time immediately after arrival.
Further influencing factors result from the consistent use of the low-floor technology or at least the reduction of the steps to be overcome when getting in and out. In some cases, climbing stairs is also relocated to the interior of the vehicle and can therefore still take place after departure, for example in the case of low-entry buses or only partially low-floor vehicles with different floor heights in the interior or with platforms . In the passenger flow procedure, on the other hand, passengers use separate doors to get in and out and thus do not get in each other's way.
In addition, the vehicle doors are often painted in a contrasting color that differs from the rest of the vehicle color so that waiting passengers can see the entrances early on from the outside. With the Solaris Tramino tram, on the other hand, a light bar above the entrances lights up green as long as boarding is still possible or red after the passenger changeover has ended. For the passengers already in the vehicle, the exit page is announced or displayed in some means of transport before arrival.
It is also advantageous if the passengers can see from the platform where there are still free spaces in the vehicle. For this reason, for example, the Viennese light rail cars had particularly low window sills at a height of only 790 millimeters above the car floor.
Eurotram at the Strasbourg tram : wide entrances accelerate the flow of passengers, but wide one-piece sliding doors result in longer closing times
The green arrow on the right shows the exit side at the next station
Such stop request buttons register the wish to exit before arrival, the door then opens immediately after approval
High-floor vehicles with many steps have a negative effect on passenger switching times
A Solaris Tramino with light strips over the doors
With the low-entry concept, stairs are climbed inside the vehicle, i.e. independently of getting in and out
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Examples on different vehicles
| Passenger change times of various railway vehicles depending on the passenger change rate |
||
|---|---|---|
| vehicle | 50% | 100% |
| Compartment car type BC4 Sa 13 | 30 s | 40 s |
| DB class 420 | 35 s | 60 s |
| x-wagon (middle wagon) | 65 s | 125 s |
| n-car (middle car) | 80 s | 140 s |
| SBB RABe 514 | 115 s | 200 s |
In the table opposite, the passenger change times of different vehicles are compared. The type BC4 Sa 13 compartment car was manufactured in Saxony in 1913 ; the interior consisted of separate compartments, each with its own door on each side of the car. The boarding and disembarking of the passengers was therefore quick, but passenger switching times were not decisive at the time.
The multiple units of the DB class 420 were built from 1969 and designed for use on S-Bahn routes from the start. Both the end car and the intermediate car of the three-part train have four doors on each side of the vehicle. The change of passengers is therefore faster than average on these trains. The x-cars , also purely S-Bahn vehicles, have three doors on each side and a higher number of seats than the trains of the 420 series and thus have a longer passenger switching time.
The n-wagons are an example of wagons used in regional traffic and are on routes with longer stopping distances. You have two doors on each side. The multiple units of the type SBB RABe 514 are part of the Siemens Desiro Double Deck product family : With their two floors, they have increased capacity, but only two doors per side at the ends of the car.
Italian compartment car of the type Centoporte ("Hundred Doors "), each compartment has its own entrance from the outside
The double doors at the end of the wagon were characteristic of German express train wagons , thus representing a hybrid between local and long-distance wagons
TGV Duplex intermediate wagons have only one door despite their two-story construction, which means that passenger exchange times are relatively long
In the case of the subway in particular, numerous doors ensure short stays, as here on the Prague Metro . In addition, the color of the doors contrasts with the color of the vehicle.
Passenger flow on an Italian trolleybus : entry (entrata) front and back, exit (uscita) at the double door in the middle
Station side
Regardless of the vehicles, numerous measures are also taken in the stations to keep passenger change times as short as possible. For example, the consistent use of elevated platforms enables rapid entry and exit even in conjunction with non-low-floor vehicles. In the case of low-floor vehicles , underground platforms or bus boards prevent, on the one hand, the need to board directly from the lane or the lower sidewalk and, on the other hand, prevent passenger movement from being hindered by the individual traffic flowing between the vehicle and the sidewalk. The width of the platform can also play a role, so that the passengers waiting in the station do not inadvertently block the way for those who disembark. The Spanish solution with platforms on both sides is a structurally particularly complex form of separating passengers entering and exiting . Another method is to color-mark the positions on the platform where the doors of the vehicle are likely to come to a stop or to equip them with platform screen doors . As a result, the waiting passengers can position themselves accordingly before the train arrives. The Baselland Transport AG (BLT) in turn identifies the area to which the only low-floor entrances comes her older articulated railcar to a halt, with a yellow marker. Strongly curved platforms can also have an unfavorable effect, for example if the driver has to get out first to be able to convince himself that the train is ready to depart instead of driving off immediately after the door has been closed.
Train destination indicators, in turn, provide additional information about whether a short, quarter, half, three-quarter, full or long train or a single or multiple train is arriving. On long platforms, they are intended to prevent people from waiting in positions where shorter trains do not come to a standstill and the departure is delayed by waiting for these people. Circular grilles are often used on bus platforms in front of larger schools in order to better channel the flow of passengers after school and to ensure orderly entry to the buses.
In addition, some transport companies rely on information campaigns or stationary loudspeaker announcements with prompts such as get off first - then get on . There are also announcements for the desired distribution of passengers such as please use all doors and further targeted educational measures. For example, the Kölner Verkehrsbetriebe (KVB) expressly recommend their passengers during the carnival season :
“Our trams have a few doors, but many passengers tend to concentrate on the first door. The passenger change takes far too long and not only this train gets out of schedule. Therefore, please distribute them on the platforms and use all doors to get on. "
The number and position of the platform entrances also play an important role. If a station has only one entrance, there is a risk that the passengers will all cluster at one entrance. Terminal stations are particularly disadvantageous for short passenger switching times , because there the passengers cluster towards the cross platform - especially if this is the only connection between the individual platforms and those who change trains also have to use it. Platform roofs that are too short can have a similar effect if passengers predominantly use the entrances in the covered part of the platform when it rains or when there is strong sunlight.
In the case of buses, stop caps prevent the vehicles from having to rejoin the flowing traffic after the passenger has changed and lose further time. In city traffic, in turn, stops can target before are created larger intersections, the waiting time at the traffic light system to use the same for the passenger change. Special door closing signals show the driver when to end the passenger change in order not to miss the next green phase. Another measure is to designate highly frequented stops with long platforms as double stops so that the vehicles traveling there only have to stop once to change passengers.
Although the passenger switching time only plays a subordinate role in long-distance passenger rail transport, measures are still being taken there. Examples of this are car position indicators and the associated division of the platforms into sectors or announcements such as “First carriage class is at the head of the train” or “The bicycle compartment is at the end of the train”.
On the Wuppertal suspension railway , blue markings on the floor show the position of the doors
This sticker, attached to a busbar on the Munich subway, informs passengers of the stopping position of a so-called short train that only fills two thirds of the length of the platform
This case sheet ad of the Vienna S-Bahn explicitly refers to a so-called single set that does not fill the entire length of the platform
The signal close doors shows tram drivers at traffic light-controlled intersections when they have to end the passenger change in order to reach the next green phase
If the passengers have to get on directly from the lane, the change of passengers can be hindered by individual traffic
BLT: Labeling of the guaranteed low-floor entry with yellow floor marking (at the level of the second bogie)
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On the passenger side
In addition to the number of passengers boarding and disembarking at a station, their behavior, age and state of health can also influence the passenger switching time. For example, passengers who, instead of moving up into the car, stop in the door area immediately after getting in, significantly impede the flow of people. Groups traveling together, passengers with bulky luggage, bicycles, walking frames, dogs or prams as well as wheelchair users, people with reduced mobility and the blind or visually impaired can also delay departure. For example, Deutsche Bahn refuses to take bicycles with you on the Intercity-Express on the grounds that longer stopping times in the stations would be necessary for loading. In addition, there are systematic fluctuations as a result of the different mobility needs of passengers during the day, i.e. there is a contrast between routine everyday drivers - who predominate, for example, in the morning rush hour - and less experienced casual passengers spread over the day.
Operational side
In addition to the possible speed, the train length and the acceleration and braking behavior of the trains used, the passenger switching time has an impact on the performance of a railway line. In the case of dense train sequences, the position and design of the route blocks must be adapted to the passenger switching times in the individual stations in order to prevent delays . The occupancy rate of the vehicle also plays a role. In the case of very overcrowded trains, for example, passengers standing in the door area may first have to leave the car in order to let others get off, but then have to get back on themselves. Demand stops, on the other hand, prevent a forced waiting time at stations, even though nobody wants to get on or off.
In addition, many transport companies forego being able to purchase tickets from the driver or have existing visual cards checked by the driver for reasons of time . On the other hand, the accumulation of passengers boarding at a door through measures to secure income, such as controlled front entry , as well as a high proportion of ticket sales in the bar tariff can have a negative effect on the passenger switching time.
literature
- The change of passengers in public transport, dissertation ETH No. 10630, presented by Ulrich Alois Benedikt Weidmann, dipl. Civil engineer ETH Zurich, 1994
Individual evidence
- ^ A b c Lars Schneider: Operational planning in local public transport: goals, methods, concepts , page 84
- ↑ a b c Karl-Heinrich Grote, Jörg Feldhusen ( Ed. ): Dubbel: Pocket book for mechanical engineering. 23rd edition. Springer Verlag, Berlin 2011, ISBN 978-3-642-17305-9 , p. Q 36.
- ^ Alfred Horn: Wiener Stadtbahn. 90 years of light rail, 10 years of underground. Bohmann-Verlag, Vienna 1988, ISBN 3-7002-0678-X , p. 140.
- ↑ VVS complains about technology: Sliding step costs S-Bahn too much time , Stuttgarter Nachrichten online from August 27, 2014
- ↑ Every second counts - S-Bahn trains now open doors on the main route centrally and automatically , press release from Deutsche Bahn AG from December 5, 2016 ( memento of the original from December 20, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and still Not checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Kk Oberbaurath Victor Schützenhofer: The operating resources of the Viennese light rail. - II. Car of the Vienna light rail. In: Journal of the Austrian Association of Engineers and Architects, year 1897, number 39, pp. 549–553.
- ↑ First get off - then get on! VAG tests markings on the platform. VAG Verkehrs-Aktiengesellschaft Nuremberg website , February 12, 2010, accessed on November 15, 2014.
- ↑ New announcement in Stuttgart light rail vehicles: First get off, then get on , Stuttgarter Zeitung of February 25, 2015
- ↑ Our tips for your carnival days and also for the rest of the year , KVB press information
- ^ Vieregg Rössler GmbH, performance of the tram tunnel of the "Combined solution Karlsruhe" , Munich 2010
- ↑ New timetable: Rail makes it difficult to take bicycles with you on long-distance trains , Spiegel online from December 7, 2007
- ↑ Weidmann
- ^ Joachim Fiedler: Railway system. Planning, construction and operation of railways, S, U, light rail and trams. 5th edition. Werner Verlag, Munich 2005, ISBN 3-8041-1612-4 .
