TIL/T&P Masterclass presentation by MSc student Aral Voskamp on his research and on choosing a graduation project. 15 March 2012

1. MSc thesis: Congestion among pedestrians
Why this subject and why at the NS?
Aral Voskamp
MSc thesis: Influence of bottlenecks in the station of Utrecht Centraal on pedestrian route choice

2. Hectische NS-week
Stationsontwikkeling

3. Presentation outline
Topic for MSc thesis: Influence of bottlenecks in the station
of Utrecht Centraal on pedestrian route choice
• Finding a topic
• Combination of NS + TU
• About NS stations
• About the research
MSc thesis: Influence of bottlenecks in the station of Utrecht Centraal on pedestrian route choice 3/27

4. Finding a topic
Finding a topic
1. Determine goal
2. What suits you?
3. How to find what suits you
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5. Finding a topic
1. Determine your goal
• Why: to find a topic that suits you
• How: take time to think
Me: I didn t want to struggle with my thesis L
• Have fun
• No delay
• Always know what to do
• Go for the best result
MSc thesis: Influence of bottlenecks in the station of Utrecht Centraal on pedestrian route choice 5/27

6. Finding a topic
2. What suits you?
• Think about courses / projects / work that you like
• Talk to different people
Me:
• Challenging subject -> maybe PhD?
• Good result & progress -> good supervisors
• Do research that will be used in practice -> company
• Have fun, nice colleagues
• Flexibility and freedom
MSc thesis: Influence of bottlenecks in the station of Utrecht Centraal on pedestrian route choice 6/27

7. Finding a topic
3. How to find what suits you?
• Choose the people that can help you
• Take time for orientation
Me:
• Shared my goals with Prof. Hoogendoorn
• Visited 4 companies that sounded cool
• Learnt that all subjects suited me
• Chose the company that suited me best
MSc thesis: Influence of bottlenecks in the station of Utrecht Centraal on pedestrian route choice 7/27

8. Combination NS - TU
Combination NS – TU
• Organisation
• What s in it for me?
MSc thesis: Influence of bottlenecks in the station of Utrecht Centraal on pedestrian route choice 8/27

9. Combination NS - TU
Organisation
• Schedule: 1 day TU, 4 days NS
TU:
• Academic supervision (content, report)
NS:
• Process supervision (planning, work structure)
• Provide neccesary equipment
• Enable measurement in station locations of interest
MSc thesis: Influence of bottlenecks in the station of Utrecht Centraal on pedestrian route choice 9/27

10. Combination NS - TU
What s in it for me?
• A great view over Utrecht CS
• Measure anything I can defend
• Negotiate with commercial parties
• Learn to know the company NS
• A minor financial support
• Cool experiments J
MSc thesis: Influence of bottlenecks in the station of Utrecht Centraal on pedestrian route choice 10/27

11. About NS stations
NS Holding: 26.500 employees
• NS Reizigers
• Nedtrain
• NS Hispeed
• Abellio
• NS Stations
MSc thesis: Influence of bottlenecks in the station of Utrecht Centraal on pedestrian route choice 11/27

12. About NS stations
NS Stations
• Retail & Services
• Keten: BTM, (OV-)bike, Walk, Car
• Transfer: from Keten to train
• Top 50 stations
• NSPs: New Key Projects
• Focus: customer
MSc thesis: Influence of bottlenecks in the station of Utrecht Centraal on pedestrian route choice 12/27

13. Piramid of wishes
lust :
Relaxed
travelling 5. Emotions:
Leisure Experience valuable time
must :
Quick 4. Physical effort:
Comfort
journey Comfortable journey
3. Mental effort:
Ease
no difficulties along the way
2. Traveltime door to door:
Speed the quicker, the better
Social Reliability 1. Trust:
Security Safe trip, do what is
expected and promised
MSc thesis: Influence of bottlenecks in the station of Utrecht Centraal on pedestrian route choice 13/27

14. Travellers desire: Transfer Car
Transfer: the entire area between train Walk
door and the next modality (and
vice-verca)
Bike
B/T/M
MSc thesis: Influence of bottlenecks in the station of Utrecht Centraal on pedestrian route choice 14/27

15. Expected demand in 2020
per day: 250.000
Station development
Stationsontwikkeling

16. Expected demand in 2020
per day: 320.000
Station development
Stationsontwikkeling

17. UTRECHT CENTRAAL
Expected demand in 2020
per day: 260.000
MSc thesis: Influence of bottlenecks in the station of Utrecht Centraal on pedestrian route choice 17/27

18. About the research
• Introduction Utrecht Centraal
• Equipment for measurement
• Plan for measurement
• Research question:
What is the influence of bottlenecks in the station of Utrecht
Centraal on route choice of pedestrians?
MSc thesis: Influence of bottlenecks in the station of Utrecht Centraal on pedestrian route choice 18/27

19. About the research: Utrecht Centraal
Daily pedestrian demand at Utrecht Centraal
• 164,000 travellers board / alight trains
• 59,000 travellers change trains
• 15,000 through traffic (!)
Modal split
• Commute / business: 49%
• School / study: 29%
• Social / leisure: 27%
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20. Station in 2008
MSc thesis: Influence of bottlenecks in the station of Utrecht Centraal on pedestrian route choice 20/27

21. OV-terminal in the future
MSc thesis: Influence of bottlenecks in the station of Utrecht Centraal on pedestrian route choice 21/27

22. About the research: Utrecht Centraal
Traffic situation in central hall
• 150,000 Peds / day
• Growth -> Construction
• 10 Bottlenecks -> Escalators
• Flow waves
Relevance
• Traffic safety
• Station services
MSc thesis: Influence of bottlenecks in the station of Utrecht Centraal on pedestrian route choice 22/27

23. Stationshal 2010
MSc thesis: Influence of bottlenecks in the station of Utrecht Centraal on pedestrian route choice 23/27

24. About the research
Equipment for measurement
• CCB: flow, density, speed (video based)
• Flow validation
• Density, speed not used
• Bluetooth: routes
• 7-10% of population
• Detection at multiple scan locations
MSc thesis: Influence of bottlenecks in the station of Utrecht Centraal on pedestrian route choice 24/27

25. About the research
CCB flow validation
• Traces
• Counter lines
• Count video images
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26. About the research
Results of validation
• Error dependant of flow
• Influence of flow stability
• CCB (so far!) only applicable in selected station locations
MSc thesis: Influence of bottlenecks in the station of Utrecht Centraal on pedestrian route choice 26/27

27. About the research
Plan for route measurement
• 9x CCB, 4x Video, 2x CCB
• 2 bottlenecks: 1 escalator, 1 level walkway
Central Hall
(At 18-19)
Platform
18-19
MSc thesis: Influence of bottlenecks in the station of Utrecht Centraal on pedestrian route choice 27/27

28. About the research
Time to come
• Measure routes
• Impact of congestion on route choice
• Impact of bottleneck type
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