Simulation Analysis of Emergency Evacuation of Subway Stations under Sudden Fire Conditions

Subways are vital for urban transportation due to their speed, capacity, punctuality, and reliability. However, the confined nature of subway stations poses a significant fire risk that can spread rapidly, making them more dangerous than fires in naturally ventilated buildings. In this paper, we used Pyrosim and Pathfinder simulation software to model a fire scenario at Taihangshan Road Station. Our conclusions are as follows: (1) Pyrosim simulated the fire development and analyzed smoke diffusion and temperature changes. When a fire occurs at the platform’s end, the middle right staircase is the safest evacuation route, with an available evacuation time of 205 s. The four exits (A, B, C, and D) have limited impact on evacuation, with safe evacuation times of 320 s, 260 s, 240 s, and 240 s, respectively. (2) Pathfinder software simulated the evacuation process, identifying key evacuation locations and exit utilization. This analysis led to practical safety measures and evacuation recommendations.