Train evacuation inside a tunnel: An interview study with senior citizens and people with disabilities

An interview study was performed in order to reveal some of the problems associated with evacuation of a train inside a tunnel for senior citizens and people with disabilities, and to identify possible technical installations that would aid their evacuation. A total of 19 people took part in the study, in which it was demonstrated that senior citizens and people with disabilities require either a smaller height difference than 1.4 meter between the train and tunnel floor, or a technical installation, e.g., an emergency ladder, if they are to be able to exit a train safely during an evacuation inside a tunnel. Almost all participants stated that one or more handles would aid them during an evacuation, and many would like to have a fixed ladder or steps that can be ejected when evacuation is necessary. Due to the fact that more and more senior citizens and people with disabilities will be using the underground transportation system, future research must include this population in both evacuation experiments and design studies aimed at improving conditions for evacuees. The results presented in the present paper can be used as qualitative guidance for these studies. (Less)