Managing crowds at the world's busiest train station
Managing crowds at the world's busiest train station
Learn what's being done to improve crowd flow in Japan's train stations—and how that makes the country's railway system work more efficiently.
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Transcript
NARRATOR: Shinjuku Station is the gateway to the city of Tokyo. In terms of passenger numbers, it's the busiest station in the world. Three million people pass through here each and every day. Such numbers pose an immense logistical challenge because the crowd's flow has to be constant and unimpeded. Preventing panic and chaos is a top priority.
This is the RTRI, the Railway Technical Research Institute on the outskirts of Tokyo. This public-private research center is instrumental in shaping Japanese transport policy. The challenges facing public transport in Japan have changed over time. Managing large crowds of people in train stations is the topic of the moment. Norii Tomi researches how crowds behave in Japanese stations. Using a specially created simulation program, he is able to analyze the behavior of crowds. The program allows him to see where the bottlenecks are. The simulation shows how building features, such as additional stairs or escalators, could improve crowd movements.
NORII TOMI: "First of all you need to collate the data you have on how many people are in the station at any given time. More importantly, the computer needs to know how they are moving. The program then uses this data to construct a simulation. The tricky part is using the simulation to predict how crowd behavior might change in response to additional features inside the station."
NARRATOR: Norii Tomi calculates the number of people per square meter and how quickly they move depending on the density of people. Problems arise where streams of people try to cross one another. The flow of the crowd is slowed down as a result. The scientist has already received enquiries about his work from the city of Mecca. The authorities there also want to use his simulations.
To ensure that things run smoothly, people need to move at a steady pace. Those who are unable to move with the crowd are a disruptive factor. Special measures are needed to integrate partially sighted people into the crowd. Train stations and other public places carry special markings intended to help them. The RTRI is working on a talking navigation system to help blind people find their way around such places. These yellow markers are studded with electronic chips, which communicate with sensors at the tip of the cane. This data is then transmitted to a mobile phone and converted into spoken directions. When a person says their desired destination, the system creates a route to guide them there. This new direction-finding system is to be reconfigured so that it may be used by fully-sighted people. After all, Tokyo's train network is a real challenge for even the most experienced of commuters.
This is the RTRI, the Railway Technical Research Institute on the outskirts of Tokyo. This public-private research center is instrumental in shaping Japanese transport policy. The challenges facing public transport in Japan have changed over time. Managing large crowds of people in train stations is the topic of the moment. Norii Tomi researches how crowds behave in Japanese stations. Using a specially created simulation program, he is able to analyze the behavior of crowds. The program allows him to see where the bottlenecks are. The simulation shows how building features, such as additional stairs or escalators, could improve crowd movements.
NORII TOMI: "First of all you need to collate the data you have on how many people are in the station at any given time. More importantly, the computer needs to know how they are moving. The program then uses this data to construct a simulation. The tricky part is using the simulation to predict how crowd behavior might change in response to additional features inside the station."
NARRATOR: Norii Tomi calculates the number of people per square meter and how quickly they move depending on the density of people. Problems arise where streams of people try to cross one another. The flow of the crowd is slowed down as a result. The scientist has already received enquiries about his work from the city of Mecca. The authorities there also want to use his simulations.
To ensure that things run smoothly, people need to move at a steady pace. Those who are unable to move with the crowd are a disruptive factor. Special measures are needed to integrate partially sighted people into the crowd. Train stations and other public places carry special markings intended to help them. The RTRI is working on a talking navigation system to help blind people find their way around such places. These yellow markers are studded with electronic chips, which communicate with sensors at the tip of the cane. This data is then transmitted to a mobile phone and converted into spoken directions. When a person says their desired destination, the system creates a route to guide them there. This new direction-finding system is to be reconfigured so that it may be used by fully-sighted people. After all, Tokyo's train network is a real challenge for even the most experienced of commuters.