Method of Grading Subway Stations Based on Evacuation Capability: A Quantitative Method

Stations are the main components of the subway systems. Despite the progress in the construction and maintenance, stations have always been exposed to the natural and man-made disasters. In such incidents, the station’s evacuation capability has a direct relation with a passenger's life. Various factors affect the station's evacuation capability. Investigation of these factors and evaluation of the station’s evacuation capability have important roles in protecting a passenger's life. For this purpose, the catastrophic events that lead to the evacuation of a station and the factors affecting the evacuation of the station are identified. Due to the difference in the catastrophic event probabilities at each station, the risk of catastrophic events is evaluated. Then the station score is calculated according to the value and weight of the evacuation factors and the wighted influence of the catastrophic events. Accordingly, the proposed model is implemented in the Tehran subway. Based on the results obtained, uncrowded stations, even though served by a small number of passengers, may also have a low evacuation capacity and lead to casualties in an emergency situation. This is due to the lack of emergency management and safety facilities. Also by assessing the risk of catastrophic events at stations and equipping stations on its basis, the degree of safety and evacuation capability can be improved more effectively. The sensitivity analysis of the evacuation factors show that the most effective way to increase the station’s evacuation capability is to improve its status in management factors. Using the proposed model to evaluate the station's evacuation capability is an appropriate method for identifying the stations that have a poor evacuation capability.