Assessing flood hazards and evacuation safety in metro stations: insights from Paral·lel station (Barcelona)
The increasing frequency of extreme rainfall events due to climate change has heightened flood risks in underground transport systems. Metro stations, particularly concourses and staircases, are highly vulnerable, posing severe threats to passenger safety. This study assesses flood hazards in the No...
| Autores: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2026 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) |
| Repositorio: | UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC |
| Idioma: | inglés |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/456459 |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/2117/456459 https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11069-026-07982-5 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Urban flooding Metro safety Hydraulic modelling Flood hazard Flood risk Emergency evacuation Iber software Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Enginyeria civil::Enginyeria hidràulica, marítima i sanitària |
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Assessing flood hazards and evacuation safety in metro stations: insights from Paral·lel station (Barcelona)Martínez Gomariz, Eduardo|||0000-0002-0189-0725Russo, Beniamino|||0000-0001-9437-0085Guadamud Calderón, Maria StefaniaTellez Alvarez, Jackson David|||0000-0003-1428-9872Aparicio Uribe, Carlos HumbertoForero Ortiz, Edwar Andrés|||0000-0002-5238-278XUrban floodingMetro safetyHydraulic modellingFlood hazardFlood riskEmergency evacuationIber softwareÀrees temàtiques de la UPC::Enginyeria civil::Enginyeria hidràulica, marítima i sanitàriaThe increasing frequency of extreme rainfall events due to climate change has heightened flood risks in underground transport systems. Metro stations, particularly concourses and staircases, are highly vulnerable, posing severe threats to passenger safety. This study assesses flood hazards in the Nou de la Rambla concourse of Paral·lel metro station (Barcelona) using a high-resolution two-dimensional hydraulic model developed with Iber software and calibrated with site-specific topographic data and historical observations. Four inflow scenarios (0.2, 0.4, 0.6 and 0.8 m/s) were simulated to evaluate water depth, flow velocity, and evacuation feasibility based on three hazard indicators: specific force per unit width (SFPUW, M), critical velocity, and the depth–velocity product. The results indicate that flooding primarily affects station entrances and evacuation paths, where steep slopes and confined geometries amplify flow hazards. Pedestrian stability is especially compromised on access staircases and ramps. Hazard maps identify zones where pedestrian stability is most compromised, supporting targeted emergency response planning. This study advances previous research by applying human-centred flood hazard criteria in a real underground metro environment. The results underscore the importance of integrating hydraulic modelling with pedestrian safety assessment to support hazard-informed adaptation strategies for flood-resilient metro infrastructure.Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature. This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.Peer ReviewedSpringer20262026-02-2520262026-03-02journal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501VoRhttp://purl.org/coar/version/c_970fb48d4fbd8a85info:eu-repo/semantics/articleapplication/pdfhttps://hdl.handle.net/2117/456459https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11069-026-07982-5reponame:UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPCinstname:Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)Inglésengopen accesshttp://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2Attribution 4.0 Internationalhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/4564592026-05-27T15:37:01Z |
| dc.title.none.fl_str_mv |
Assessing flood hazards and evacuation safety in metro stations: insights from Paral·lel station (Barcelona) |
| title |
Assessing flood hazards and evacuation safety in metro stations: insights from Paral·lel station (Barcelona) |
| spellingShingle |
Assessing flood hazards and evacuation safety in metro stations: insights from Paral·lel station (Barcelona) Martínez Gomariz, Eduardo|||0000-0002-0189-0725 Urban flooding Metro safety Hydraulic modelling Flood hazard Flood risk Emergency evacuation Iber software Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Enginyeria civil::Enginyeria hidràulica, marítima i sanitària |
| title_short |
Assessing flood hazards and evacuation safety in metro stations: insights from Paral·lel station (Barcelona) |
| title_full |
Assessing flood hazards and evacuation safety in metro stations: insights from Paral·lel station (Barcelona) |
| title_fullStr |
Assessing flood hazards and evacuation safety in metro stations: insights from Paral·lel station (Barcelona) |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Assessing flood hazards and evacuation safety in metro stations: insights from Paral·lel station (Barcelona) |
| title_sort |
Assessing flood hazards and evacuation safety in metro stations: insights from Paral·lel station (Barcelona) |
| dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv |
Martínez Gomariz, Eduardo|||0000-0002-0189-0725 Russo, Beniamino|||0000-0001-9437-0085 Guadamud Calderón, Maria Stefania Tellez Alvarez, Jackson David|||0000-0003-1428-9872 Aparicio Uribe, Carlos Humberto Forero Ortiz, Edwar Andrés|||0000-0002-5238-278X |
| author |
Martínez Gomariz, Eduardo|||0000-0002-0189-0725 |
| author_facet |
Martínez Gomariz, Eduardo|||0000-0002-0189-0725 Russo, Beniamino|||0000-0001-9437-0085 Guadamud Calderón, Maria Stefania Tellez Alvarez, Jackson David|||0000-0003-1428-9872 Aparicio Uribe, Carlos Humberto Forero Ortiz, Edwar Andrés|||0000-0002-5238-278X |
| author_role |
author |
| author2 |
Russo, Beniamino|||0000-0001-9437-0085 Guadamud Calderón, Maria Stefania Tellez Alvarez, Jackson David|||0000-0003-1428-9872 Aparicio Uribe, Carlos Humberto Forero Ortiz, Edwar Andrés|||0000-0002-5238-278X |
| author2_role |
author author author author author |
| dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv |
Urban flooding Metro safety Hydraulic modelling Flood hazard Flood risk Emergency evacuation Iber software Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Enginyeria civil::Enginyeria hidràulica, marítima i sanitària |
| topic |
Urban flooding Metro safety Hydraulic modelling Flood hazard Flood risk Emergency evacuation Iber software Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Enginyeria civil::Enginyeria hidràulica, marítima i sanitària |
| description |
The increasing frequency of extreme rainfall events due to climate change has heightened flood risks in underground transport systems. Metro stations, particularly concourses and staircases, are highly vulnerable, posing severe threats to passenger safety. This study assesses flood hazards in the Nou de la Rambla concourse of Paral·lel metro station (Barcelona) using a high-resolution two-dimensional hydraulic model developed with Iber software and calibrated with site-specific topographic data and historical observations. Four inflow scenarios (0.2, 0.4, 0.6 and 0.8 m/s) were simulated to evaluate water depth, flow velocity, and evacuation feasibility based on three hazard indicators: specific force per unit width (SFPUW, M), critical velocity, and the depth–velocity product. The results indicate that flooding primarily affects station entrances and evacuation paths, where steep slopes and confined geometries amplify flow hazards. Pedestrian stability is especially compromised on access staircases and ramps. Hazard maps identify zones where pedestrian stability is most compromised, supporting targeted emergency response planning. This study advances previous research by applying human-centred flood hazard criteria in a real underground metro environment. The results underscore the importance of integrating hydraulic modelling with pedestrian safety assessment to support hazard-informed adaptation strategies for flood-resilient metro infrastructure. |
| publishDate |
2026 |
| dc.date.none.fl_str_mv |
2026 2026-02-25 2026 2026-03-02 |
| dc.type.none.fl_str_mv |
journal article http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501 VoR http://purl.org/coar/version/c_970fb48d4fbd8a85 |
| dc.type.openaire.fl_str_mv |
info:eu-repo/semantics/article |
| format |
article |
| dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv |
https://hdl.handle.net/2117/456459 https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11069-026-07982-5 |
| url |
https://hdl.handle.net/2117/456459 https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11069-026-07982-5 |
| dc.language.none.fl_str_mv |
Inglés eng |
| language_invalid_str_mv |
Inglés |
| language |
eng |
| dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv |
open access http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2 Attribution 4.0 International http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
| dc.rights.openaire.fl_str_mv |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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open access http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2 Attribution 4.0 International http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
| eu_rights_str_mv |
openAccess |
| dc.format.none.fl_str_mv |
application/pdf |
| dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv |
Springer |
| publisher.none.fl_str_mv |
Springer |
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reponame:UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC instname:Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) |
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Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) |
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UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC |
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UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC |
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