Customer Behavior Relative to Gap Between Platform and Train
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FHWA-NJ-2009-009 Customer Behavior Relative to Gap Between Platform and Train FINAL REPORT July 2009 Submitted by Janice R. Daniel, Ph.D., Associate Professor Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering New Jersey Institute of Technology Naomi G. Rotter, Ph.D., Professor School of Management New Jersey Institute of Technology NJDOT Research Project Manager Vincent F. Nichnadowicz In cooperation with New Jersey Department of Transportation Division of Research and Technology And U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration DISCLAIMER STATEMENT “The contents of this report reflect the views of the authors who are responsible for the facts and the accuracy of the data presented herein. The contents do not necessarily reflect the official views or policies of the New Jersey Department of Transportation or the Federal Highway Administration. This report does not constitute a standard, specification, or regulation.” 1. Report No. 2. Government Accession No. 3. Recipient’s Catalog No. FHWA-NJ-2009-009 4. Title and Subtitle 5. Report Date: July 2009 Customer Behavior Relative to Gap between Platform and Train 6. Performing Organization Code 7. Author(s) 8. Performing Organization Report No. Janice R. Daniel and Naomi G. Rotter 9. Performing Organization Name and Address 10. Work Unit No. New Jersey Institute of Technology 11. Contract or Grant No. University Heights Newark, NJ 07102-982 13. Type of Report/Period Covered 12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address Final Report New Jersey Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration PO 600 US Department of Transportation Trenton, NJ 08625 Washington, D.C 15. Supplementary Notes This report was prepared with the assistance of Edward K. Morlok who provided direction in the analysis approach and whose editing comments and revisions were used to author sections throughout the entire report. 16. Abstract Managing gap safety at the train platform interface has been an on-going concern for passenger rail systems. The major questions this research seeks to answer are what customer behaviors are associated with the risk of gap injury incidents and what are potential ways to reduce these behavioral risks. To answer these questions, the research approach is two pronged. The first prong analyzes and reviews the NJ TRANSIT Rail accident data and reports to gain a clear picture of the accidents in relation to demographic, seasonal, and temporal characteristics. The second prong involves observational studies of passengers boarding trains to identify behavioral patterns that are associated with risk of gap accidents. An analysis of gap injuries on NJ TRANSIT Rail found that for 2005 to 2008, gap injuries accounted for 25 percent of passenger injuries on NJ TRANSIT Rail. The majority of gap injuries occur during the AM and PM peak periods. For gap injuries the percent of injuries peaks for the very young, under 10 years old. For both gap and non-gap injuries, the majority of the injured were women. Sixty-six percent of gap injuries occurred while passengers were boarding. The study indicates that young children were particularly vulnerable to gap injuries while detraining. Seventy-eight percent of detraining passengers and 88 percent of boarding passengers were observed to look down while detraining or boarding. Based on the analysis of the data, recommendations on strategies for reducing gap accidents include additional Passenger Information, Platform and Train Treatments, Training and Public Awareness Campaign. 17. Key Words 18. Distribution Statement Train, Platform, Gap, Passenger, Accidents 19. Security Classified (this report) 20. Security Classified. (this page) 21. No of Pages 22. Price None None 78 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This report is dedicated to Edward K. Morlok, Professor Emeritus from University of Pennsylvania who worked as a consultant on this project. Dr. Morlok provided direction in the analysis approach and whose editing comments and revisions were used to author sections throughout the entire report. Dr. Morlok passed away two weeks after the end of this research project after a long struggle with cancer. We echo the words of his wife, Patricia Campbell Morlok, that “…he was above all things a gentleman”. The research team is grateful to have had the opportunity to work with Dr. Morlok on this research. The authors would like to acknowledge the support of the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT). This project could not have been accomplished without the assistance of numerous individuals. The data needed for conducting this study was collected by a student team at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) listed below: • Sim Liu, MS student in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering • Chuanchuan Sun, MS student in the Interdisciplinary Program of Transportation • Muhammad Elgammal, Undergraduate Student in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering The authors thank Jeff Kovacs, Pippa Woods, Josephine Evans, James Luke and Betsy Stern of NJ TRANSIT. The authors also thank Vincent Nichnadowicz and Camille Crichton-Sumners of NJDOT. These individuals offered valuable comments and suggestion on the research resulting in an improved product. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................. 1 Background ............................................................................................................... 1 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES ............................................................................................ 2 RESEARCH APPROACH .............................................................................................. 3 SUMMARY OF THE LITERATURE REVIEW................................................................. 4 Accidents Related to the Gap Problem ................................................................... 5 Human Factors - RSSB Study ............................................................................... 5 Risk Factors..................................................................................................... 5 Behavioral Factors .......................................................................................... 5 Other Factors................................................................................................... 6 Conclusions of the RSSB Study ............................................................................ 6 Additional Human Factors - Delft University Simulation ...................................... 6 Summary of Human Factors..................................................................................... 7 Design Factors........................................................................................................... 7 Operational Factors................................................................................................... 8 Mitigation Measures.................................................................................................. 8 Staff Training ..................................................................................................... 8 Public Awareness Campaigns.......................................................................... 8 Staff Deployment ............................................................................................... 8 Other Mentioned Mitigation Measures............................................................. 9 Training ...................................................................................................................... 9 Platform Design......................................................................................................... 9 Platform Location .............................................................................................. 9 Yellow Lines..................................................................................................... 10 Car Design ............................................................................................................... 13 Reducing the Gap............................................................................................ 13 Covering the Gap............................................................................................. 14 Public Awareness Campaigns ............................................................................... 14 Platform Personnel.................................................................................................. 19 Summary of Literature Review............................................................................... 19 SUMMARY OF THE WORK PERFORMED ................................................................. 20 iii Page Gap Accident Analysis............................................................................................ 20 Overview of Passenger Gap and Non-Gap Injuries.............................................. 21 Time of Injury........................................................................................................... 23 Month of Injury......................................................................................................... 24 Day of Week ............................................................................................................. 27 Age of Injured .......................................................................................................... 28 Gender of Injured....................................................................................................