DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS FOR RAPID RAIL STATIONS A DISSERTATION Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the degree of MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE By BINU B Asa. C.5) dr■ JD at ie. r‘fe,r noos10 DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE & PLANNING INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY ROORKEE ROORKEE - 247 667 (INDIA) JUNE, 2007 INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY ROORKEE ROORKEE CANDIDATE'S DECLARATION I hereby declare that the work, which is being presented in this dissertation entitled `DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS FOR RAPID RAIL STATIONS' in the partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the degree of Master of Architecture, submitted in the Department of Architecture and Planning, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee is an authentic record of my own work carried out during a period from July 2006 to June 2007 under the supervision of Prof. Rita Ahuja, Assistant Professor, Department of Architecture and Planning, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee. The matter embodied in this thesis has not been submitted by me for the award of any other degree of this or any other Institute. Date: ") ' t)6 , f/AJ •," I Place: Roorkee (BINU B) This is to certify that the above statement made by the candidate is correct to the best of my knowledge and belief. Pro ja Assistant Professor Department of Architecture and Planning Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude towards my thesis guide Prof. Rita Ahuja, the one who moulded and filled me with inspiring and thoughtful ideas which brought me up to do my research and present the thesis in this style. Her timely guidance, valuable discussions and suggestions helped me to solve many hurdles during this research work. I would like to express my sincere thankfulness to Ar. Nandini Roy Chowdhary, senior architect, Mott MacDonald; whose valuable suggestions and insights about the subject proved really helpful. I would also like to express my thanks to Ian, Russel Clevlow, Sukanya Hoon, Sanjeev De, Indrajit Dutta, Vishal Sood, Sandeep for introducing me into the field of rapid rail station design and for being good team-mates. I am thankful to all the staff and critics for their constructive contribution to the research. I wish to express my sincere gratefulness towards my parents and sisters for giving me unconditional support and encouragement throughout my education in the way I wished. Finally, I thank all my friends for creating a joyful environment during my stay at IIT Roorkee. ii ABSTRACT KEY WORDS: RAPID RAIL, MASS TRANSIT, UNDERGROUND STATIONS, SAFETY, CIRCULATION, SECURITY. The ever increasing importance of mass transport and subsequent focus shift towards the transport architecture resulted in redefining travel concepts and perception of civic places. Technological innovations catalysed the change and together with the newer concepts, pioneered some of the best ever conceived public transport buildings which are highly functional, ordered and aesthetically pleasing. Rapid rail, scoring over the other modes of public transports in efficiently commuting large masses of people in lesser time, attained significance. Rapid rail stations thus become important links in the chain of public transport. The thesis frames design considerations for underground rapid rail stations with universal applicability. Importance has been given to the station layout, circulation, safety, security, universal accessibility, finishes, components and signage which hold key for the efficient functioning of the system. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ABSTRACT iii GLOSSARY ix LIST OF FIGURES xii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Identification of the problem 1 1.2 Aim 2 1.3 Objectives 2 1.4 Scope and limitations 2 1.5 Motivation 2 1.6 Methodology 4 1.7 Organization of the thesis 4 CHAPTER 2: GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS 5 2.1 Introduction 5 2.2 History of rail design 6 2.3 Stations 7 1.2 Indian background 7 2.4 Types of stations 9 2.4.1 City central terminals 9 2.4.2 Rail to rail interchange 9 2.4.3 Classification based on construction 9 2.5 Typical layout of an underground station 1.0 2.6 The concourse 10 2.6.1 Access to station mezzanines 1.1 2.6.2 Layout 1.2 iv Page 2.6.3 Functional areas 13 2.6.4 Schedule of areas 13 2.7 Platform 14 2.7.1 Length and width of platforms 16 2.7.2 British railway platform construction guidelines 20 2.7.3 Platform finishes 20 2.8 Passageways 21 2.9 Staircases 22 2.10 Escalators 22 2.11 Passenger bridges 23 2.12 Barriers 23 2.13 Information centre 24 2.14 Toilets 24 2.15 Ventilation 24 2.16 Way finding 25 2.17 Elements 26 2.18 Station design 27 2.18.1 The context of railway stations 27 2.18.2 Problems of station design 27 2.18.3 Principles of station design overview 28 2.18.4 Elements of functionality 29 2.18.5 Creating a brand image 30 2.18.6 Commercial development 31 2.19 Conclusion 32 CHAPTER 3: DESIGN STANDARDS AND RECENT ADVANCES IN ARCHITECTURE 33 3.1 Introduction 33 3.2 Design standards 33 v Page 3.2.1 Capacity calculation 33 3.3 Station planning norms 34 3.4 Fire safety requirements for station 35 3.4.1 Definitions 35 3.4.2 Station construction and fire compartmentation 35 3.4.3 Means of egress 36 3.4.4 Exit capacity 37 3.4.5 Flammable and-combustible liquid/vapor intrusion 38 3.4.6 Fire protection and fire detection systems, an example 38 3.5 Emergency situations 39 3.5.1 Station exits 39 3.5.2 Communications 40 3.5.3 Ventilation and air conditioning 40 3.5.4 Support equipment and systems 41 3.5.5 Lighting 42 3.5.6 Flood protection 43 3.5.7 Graphics for emergency 43 3.5.8 Emergency power 44 3.6 Access for disabled people 44 3.6.1 Disabilities 45 3.6.2 Special requirements for physically handicapped 45 3.6.3 Safety and security through design— an example 46 3.7 Signage 52 3.7.1 Introduction 52 3.7.2 Human factors 54 3.7.3 Case study 57 3.7.4 Railway symbols 62 3.8 Recent advances in the field of architecture 63 3.8.1 Introduction 63 vi . Page 3.8.2 Advanced technologies 64 3.9 Conclusion 67 CHAPTER 4: CASE STUDIES 68 4.1 Introduction 68 4.2 Hong kong airport railway 68 4.3 The Jubilee line extn 69 4.4 Delhi metro 71 4.5 Mumbai suburban railway 73 4.6 Questionnaire used 75 4.7 Layout 76 4.7.1 Built form 76 4.7.2 Functional components 77 4.7.3 Clarity in design 78 4.7.4 Landscape design 79 4.8 Circulation 80 4.8.1 Orientation 80 4.8.2 Circulation pattern 81 4.8.3 Identification of stations 83 4.9 Safety and security 84 4.10 Finishes 85 4.11 Components and signages 87 4.11.1 Components 87 4.11.2 Signage 89 4.12 Other factors 89 4.12.1 Use of technology 89 4.12.2 Customer satisfaction 91 4.12.3 Image of the system/Icon status 92 4.13 Concluding remarks 93 vii Page CHAPTER 5: DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS 95 5.1 Introduction 95 5.2 General considerations 96 5.3 Layout 96 5.4 Circulation 102 5.5 Safety and security 104 5.5.1 Safety and security through design 104 5.5.2 Lighting 107 5.5.3 Facilities for the physically handicapped 107 5.5.3 Fire protection 110 5.6 Finishes 112 5.6.1 Floors 112 5.6.2 Walls 113 5.6.3 Ceilings 114 5.6.4 Doors 115 5.6.5 Miscellaneous metals 115 5.7 Components and signage 115 5.7.1 Components 115 5.7.2 Signage 117 5.8 Conclusion 119 5.9 Scope for further work 120 BIBLIOGRAPHY 121 REFERENCES 122 APPENDIX 123 Codes 123 Viii GLOSSARY Automatic Fare Collection (AFC): A revenue collection system common on metros and urban railways which requires the passenger to buy a ticket and use it to release an entrance or exit gate to permit access to or exit from the railway. Automatic Railway Inquiry Systems: In Europe a prototype system to provide passenger timetable information. Coach: UK term for passenger carrying vehicle. Also known as a carriage. The US term is car and is used by London Underground. Elevated: Elevated is a shortened form of elevated railway, a railway built on supports over other rights of way, generally city streets. They are also called els. EMU: Electric Multiple Unit - the generic term for an electrically powered suburban or metro train where a separate locomotive is not required because the traction drive and control system is contained under various cars in the train. Faregate: Part of an automatic fare collection (AFC) system where the device is placed at station entrances and exits to regulate access by reading a ticket inserted by the passenger and restricting access if the ticket is not correct. Heavy rail: Heavy rail sometimes refers to rapid transit, but sometimes refers to regional rail (also known as "commuter rail") and intercity rail. Interchange: A station where passenger may alight from one train and board another on a different route. In the US it is referred to as a "transfer". Island Platform: A single station platform with a track on either side, which is more efficient in facilities provision than two side platforms. Light rail: Light rail is a term coined in the 1970s during the re-emergence of streetcars/ trams.