Subway station diagnosis index condition assessment model

Abstract

Condition assessment of subway stations is a major issue facing public transit authorities worldwide. The Société de Transport de Montreal (STM) requires a rehabilitation budget of CAD 643.6 million (2006–2010) for its aged stations. The STM and most transit authorities lack planning strategies that reflect this increase due to deficiency of condition assessment models and scarcity of existing models. The research presented in this paper assists in developing a condition assessment model (subway station diagnosis index). The model identifies and evaluates the weights of different functional (structural/architectural, electrical, mechanical, and security/communication functions) condition criteria for subway stations using the analytical hierarchy process. It also utilizes both the Preference Ranking Organization METHod of Enrichment Evaluation and the Multiattribute Utility Theory to determine the station diagnosis index (SDI). Data are collected from experts through questionnaires and interviews. A case study in the STM subway stations network is performed. Data analysis shows that structural and security criteria are the most important (36.1 and 27.3%, respectively). The STM stations are found deficient, with an average SDI of 4.4 out of 10. This research is relevant to industry practitioners and researchers, since it provides a condition assessment tool and a unified universal scale for subway stations.