The influence of the gap on platform train interface occurrences

Abstract

Investigation into the causes of Platform Train Interface (PTI) occurrences has led to the conclusions that PTI occurrences can be attributed to human factors and platform design. In South Africa, PTI occurrences account for the majority of operational related incidents at train stations, where it was predicted by the Railway Safety Regulator that for 95% of all occurrences at least one serious injury is recorded. The purpose of investigating the causes of PTI occurrences would be to determine the most effective interventions that would lead to the most significant decrease in occurrences, especially considering stations where the reduction of the gap size to a standard of 75 mm horizontal and ±50 mm vertical (as stipulated by the Railway Safety and Standards Board, UK) would not be feasible due to operational constraints. The research aimed to identify and quantify all the factors that influenced PTI occurrences through the application of statistical techniques such as Multilinear Regression and Multinomial Logistic regression analysis. Thereafter, the factors identified were ranked according to the level of significance. From the research it was concluded that the main factors influencing PTI occurrences at stations were overcrowding, train design and platform design. It was further concluded that the train design was the most significant factor and that the change to a safer train design would have resulted in the highest reduction in PTI occurrences. The research also measured the level of accessibility into the train by special needs passengers to comment on the level of service provision by the Metrorail to the most vulnerable in society. Findings from the research showed that special needs passengers were, indeed, excluded from the service because of the large gap at the PTI.