Abstract:
Transport for London is in charge of an extensive network of Underground (metro) stations, some of which are more congested than others. This case looks at capacity planning, with the heavy-traffic Victoria Station as its primary focus. The case provides an overview of the main activities an Underground rider must carry out to either enter the station and eventually board the train, or else alight from the train and exit the station. The case provides that quantitative data - such as passenger volume, process capacity and throughput - necessary to assess the bottleneck and opportunities to enhance circulation. The case provides some preliminary analysis as to the causes of the station's congestion, with students expected to conduct their own, more in-depth assessment using the data provided.
Learning Objective:
The primary teaching goals of the case are to introduce students to capacity planning and show them how to carry out an assessment of such. They should be able to pull the necessary data from that which is provided in order to isolate the primary and secondary bottlenecks, in order to make a recommendation as to where Transport for London would want to focus its efforts to increase the throughput of this station.
