Simulation-based adaptive optimization for passenger flow control measures at metro stations

Effective passenger flow control measures are essential for the safe operation of metro stations. Existing in-station control measures include adjusting the operation mode of escalators and setting up temporary fences. However, in practice, metro operators often adopt fixed operation modes during fixed periods, indicating that the current passenger flow control measures at metro stations are overly rigidified. Therefore, developing an adaptive control strategy to constantly balance the wildly fluctuating passenger flow and optimize the operation performance is a key issue in current research. In this study, transportation efficiency and congestion risk are selected as evaluation objectives for passenger transportation risk, and passenger flow feature, station structure, and passenger flow control measures are considered key influential factors. Subsequently, an adaptive optimization method integrating simulation and data interpolation is proposed. The software Legion is used to conduct 150 orthogonal simulations, and prediction models for passenger transportation risk are obtained by performing data interpolation on the simulation results. Finally, taking a certain metro station as a case study, the optimal passenger flow control strategy under any passenger flow composition is obtained by scenario acquisition, risk identification, and adaptive decision-making. The results show that setting up temporary fences can reduce the passenger density near the fare gates, while adjusting the running direction of escalators can reduce overcrowding on the platform. Under varying passenger flow composition, the optimal strategy for the current scenario can be obtained, controlling passenger transportation risk within an acceptable range and providing assistance for metro operators in decision-making.