The effect of a platform management intervention on the behaviour of passengers: A case study at Lund Central station

One of the major causes of dwell time delays is the behaviour of passengers during the alighting and boarding processes, such as an uneven spread of boarding passengers and queues formed in front of the doors. Therefore, changing the behaviour of passengers so that it does not negatively affect the time needed for alighting and boarding is one of the ways to reduce the risk of dwell time delays. Platform management interventions have the potential to induce such a behavioural change, but the real-world impact is not well studied. To fill this gap, the study presented here investigates the effects of a sticker-based platform intervention using video observations from several hundred trains halting at Lund Central Station. We find that the alighting flow rates slightly increased under intervention conditions, with results suggesting that this is due to fewer overlaps in alighting and boarding passenger flows. No statistically significant effects of the intervention on the spread of boarding passengers were found. Our results suggest that changing the behaviour of passengers is likely to be a slow process, requiring additional efforts such as information provision and ensuring that the halting position of a train accurately reflects the information provided by an intervention. • We study the effect of a platform management intervention using analysis of video material taken using a drone. • We find significant changes in alighting speeds. • We find no significant change in the spread of boarding passengers. • We highlight that the effects of platform management interventions have a working window. • Questionnaire responses indicate that additional information is desired.