Functional Layout of Railway Station Areas and between Stations Based on Passenger Flow: A Case Study of Xiamen

Abstract

The comprehensive development of rail stations combining the Transit Oriented Development (TOD) concept with rail transit has been a research and practical hotspot in recent years. The functional layout within the station catchment area and between rail stations is an important basis for implementing TOD to guide the optimization of urban spatial structures, and passenger flow is a direct reflection of its functional layout effectiveness. Studying the adaptability of rail station functions through passenger flow characteristics has important practical significance for the comprehensive development of rail transit as the main body and for promoting the optimization of urban spatial structures. However, in existing research, there has been no unified conclusion on the mixed and differentiated functional layout of the station catchment area, which has often been advocated for the differentiation of functionality between stations, however, it mostly remains at the guiding ideology level. Therefore, this study categorized and assigned weights to the POI in the station catchment area and divided the Xiamen rail stations into three categories: stations with single dominant functions, stations with dual dominant functions, and stations with mixed functions. The relationship between the functional layout of stations and their corresponding spatial passenger flow was analyzed based on the OD volume of passenger flow between different functional types of stations and the distribution of OD in different distance segments. Based on the current functional layout characteristics and corresponding passenger flow characteristics of rail stations, further optimization strategies are proposed. The results show that: 1) Stations with high passenger flow are mostly those with single and dual-dominant functions, and the passenger flow of stations with mixed functions is not prominent; high-passenger flow stations are mostly those with high-level central functions, mainly distributed in urban central areas; and low-passenger flow stations are spatially concentrated, mostly concentrated near the end of the line. 2) The functional complementarities between spatial stations directly affect passenger flow OD volume, and the OD volume between stations of the same type is small. Meanwhile, that between stations of different types is large. 3) The OD ratio of each distance segment of the station is affected by the functional grade of the center and functional complementarity of the surrounding stations. The proportion of short-distance OD at stations in the central urban area is relatively large, whereas the proportion of long-distance OD at stations near the end of the line is relatively large. Finally, the causes of the current rail station functions and corresponding passenger flow characteristics were analyzed based on the internal logic of the occurrence and attraction of passenger trips with urban functions, central place theory, and the market rules of urban functional layout. Based on the requirements of urban spatial structure, the principle of comprehensive development function layout for rail stations is proposed, which includes "mixed basic functions, concentrated dominant functions" in the station influence area and "complementary differences, connecting points and forming axes" between stations.

Keywords

• station classification
• functional layout
• passenger flow characteristics
• central place theory
• xiamen