Pedestrian safety & comfort at Napoli Centrale using digital twin

Insight is the starting point for improving passenger safety and comfort

Train stations and their dynamics are continually changing, through interventions such as the installation of access gates and modifications to platforms. Detailed insight into pedestrian movements and peak times is essential in order to ensure that passengers feel comfortable and can move around a station easily. This insight is an important tool for testing designs and ensuring daily operations run smoothly and adjustments can be implemented where necessary.
 
The unique layout of Napoli Centrale train station, where office buildings are located alongside the tracks, raised questions about the efficiency of evacuation, the effects on safety of potential obstacles such as access gates during emergencies, and the ability to manage crowds proactively. 

In addition, insight into deploying personnel as effectively as possible was desired; are employees positioned at strategic points, and are the places where passengers wait logical? Grandi Stazioni Rail, the organisation that oversees Italy's fourteen largest train stations, plans to use these insights to improve both safety and comfort for passengers at Napoli Centrale. 

Clear insight into pedestrian movements

In partnership with Tecsa and Veovo, we developed an advanced pedestrian measurement system for Napoli Centrale by integrating three different types of sensors. It provides a detailed and reliable overview of movements at the station. 

A total of 166 sensors were placed at strategic locations in the station, including Bluetooth sensors, infrared sensors and 3D cameras. These sensors collect data on people's movement patterns, such as the direction they move in, preferred routes, the number of pedestrians and their locations. This information is then displayed anonymously in real time on a live dashboard, along with: 

• The number of people in the station in each zone.
• Heatmaps of the two busiest zones, including the duration of peak times.

Improved foresight thanks to a live dashboard

This real-time dashboard, called PedCast, functions as a digital twin. In other words, it’s a virtual representation of current events at the station. The advantages of this live dashboard are that staff can be quickly deployed or people rerouted if crowds build up somewhere, among other possibilities. This also opens up the opportunity to identify patterns and anticipate future situations:

• The total number of passengers each day
• The numbers of people in each zone, detailed down to the minute
• Length of time spent in specific zones
• Congestion per zone
• Frequently used routes in the station

PedCast makes it easier to manage crowds at the station in Naples. With this system, incidents can be reduced, and the use of the station further optimised.