ERC - Proof of Concept
Transfers are known to be a major factor adding to the relative unattractiveness of trips. Due to the negative appreciation of transfers, multi-modal trips have a hard time competing with uni-modal trips.This while multi-modal travel forms a crucial part in any sustainable transport system. The efficiency of transfer hub infrastructure determines transfer attractiveness to a large extent. Yet, many transfer hubs are not able to efficiently handle (increasing) passenger demands, leading to growing crowding in transfer hubs, decreasing passenger comfort, unreliable transfer times, increasing station dwell times of trains. Improving the design of transfer hubs can be an effective solution to crowding, but in many cases the cost of such improvements are extremely high and it often takes decades to effectuate extensive transfer hub modifications.
Intelligent Multi-modal transfer flow management system (iMTFM)
Rather than changing hub design, this PoC solution is based on existing assets that uses technology and our understanding of passenger flow dynamics to optimize the efficiency and safety of transfer hub infrastructure. This dynamic management of passengers is inspired by the insight that performance of walking facilities is reduced considerably by unequal passengers loads and other emergent processes in dense pedestrian flows that cause significant inefficiencies. We expect that dynamic management of hub passenger flows can significantly improve transfer efficiency and reliability, passenger comfort and safety and can simultaneously increase the attractiveness of multimodal travel at a fraction of the cost of changing the hub design. It can thus be an attractive alternative or companion solution of station re-design for the short or medium term when issues arise at multi-modal transfer hubs.
This PoC aims to develop an intelligent Multi-modal Transfer Flow Management (iMTFM) system, which allows transfer hub operators to guide and control of passenger flows in hubs from access to egress of the hub by means of ITS-based solutions. The iMTFM system consists of a number of elements, involving both hardware (sensors, actuators), software (traffic state estimation and prediction using data fusion and machine learning techniques, sentiment analysis, state prediction, problem diagnostics, and control signal calculation), and system design tools. Recent developments within the ALLEGRO project regarding these elements form the basis of the iMTFM algorithms.
Case study
We will demonstrate the functioning of the iMTFM system at Amsterdam Bijlmer ArenA station. This station is a busy a multi-modal transfer hub that facilitates a large business district at the southeast of the city, and connects national and regional railways to the urban public transport network of Amsterdam. Moveover, this station is close to multiple, very large event sites – including the Johan Cruijff ArenA stadium – which frequently cause extreme transfer flows after events. The hub has a multitude of pre-installed crowd sensing systems, which have proven their worth for crowd management practice for several years.The focus of the guidance and control strategies produced by the iMTFM system will be on situations with large transfer flows. In particular, the iMTFM system will attempt to alleviate issues at the platforms and within the hub itself during regular and disrupted conditions. The iMTFM will advise on the most optimal crowd management measures to instigate an optimal distribution of passenger flows in the transfer hub.
More information?
For more information contact prof. Serge Hoogendoorn.