Comprehensive examination of regional railway passenger behavior and dwell time components: Insights from video-based observations in Victoria, Australia

In understudied regional railway operations, this study explores passenger boarding and alighting patterns and how station design impacts them, particularly dwell times. Despite extensive metropolitan and suburban train research, regional railways have been overlooked. This study investigates regional rail passenger flow and dwell time to bridge this gap. This article studies dwell times and passenger boarding and alighting at two regional stations in Victoria, Australia, using CCTV data. The objective is to identify insights that might improve regional railway services' efficiency and user experience and advocate for sector-specific solutions. Analysis indicates distinct station boarding and alighting features, highlighting the discovery of the ‘blinded phenomenon’ for train conductors particularly in the afternoon peak (PMP). The results of the study showed that PMP services, which prioritise alighting passengers, had higher dwell times than the morning peak (AMP) services, which emphasise boarding passengers. Obstructed views make it difficult for train conductors to monitor passenger alighting, prolonging dwell times. Better human resource strategies, artificial intelligence for crowd surveillance, and strategic CCTV system deployment to streamline operations and improve passenger experience on regional railways are proposed in the paper, laying the groundwork for future research and operational changes in this vital transportation sector.