Simulating inter-individual contact in the inter-station passenger transfer system connecting multiple metro stations based on space–time path data

Determining passengers’ inter-individual contact in the metro station area (MSA) is an important issue to simulate and mitigate the spread of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Taking the inter-station passenger transfer system (IPTS) as an example, this study aimed to verify the passenger flows’ influence on the inter-individual contact around the MSA. Based on actual observed data, the passengers’ space–time paths (STP) in the network were obtained through an agent-based simulation. In this study, the direct contact model and the mediate contact model were used to describe the inter-individual contact in view of the passengers’ STP. The contact count and the exposure duration were defined as indicators to measure the contact degree of individual and the system. The results show that the time-varying trip distribution of the metro passengers significantly affected the inter-individual contact degree and the spatial distribution of contact risk region in the MSA. The intersection of passenger flow in different directions and the concentrated movement of passenger flow in the same direction increased the inter-individual contact and prolonged exposure in the morning. Through simulation experiments, the study verified the effects of controlling the flow direction and equalizing passenger flow generation measures aiming to reduce inter-individual contact and cumulative exposure duration.