Transport of pilgrims during Hajj: Evidence from a discrete event simulation study
Hajj, the Muslim pilgrimage, is a large mass gathering event that involves performing rituals at several sites on specific days and times in a fixed order, thereby requiring transport of pilgrims between sites. For the past two decades, Hajj transport has relied on conventional and shuttle buses, tr...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2023-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10249829/?tool=EBI |
| _version_ | 1797806989188792320 |
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| author | Almoaid Owaidah Doina Olaru Mohammed Bennamoun Ferdous Sohel Nazim Khan |
| author_facet | Almoaid Owaidah Doina Olaru Mohammed Bennamoun Ferdous Sohel Nazim Khan |
| author_sort | Almoaid Owaidah |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Hajj, the Muslim pilgrimage, is a large mass gathering event that involves performing rituals at several sites on specific days and times in a fixed order, thereby requiring transport of pilgrims between sites. For the past two decades, Hajj transport has relied on conventional and shuttle buses, train services, and pilgrims walking along pedestrian routes that link these sites. To ensure smooth and efficient transport during Hajj, specific groups of pilgrims are allocated with the cooperation of Hajj authorities to specific time windows, modes, and routes. However, the large number of pilgrims, delays and changes in bus schedules/timetables, and occasional lack of coordination between transport modes have often caused congestion or delays in pilgrim transfer between sites, with a cascading effect on transport management. This study focuses on modelling and simulating the transport of pilgrims between the sites using a discrete event simulation tool called “ExtendSim”. Three transport modules were validated, and different scenarios were developed. These scenarios consider changes in the percentages of pilgrims allocated to each transport mode and the scheduling of various modes. The results can aid authorities to make informed decisions regarding transport strategies for managing the transport infrastructure and fleets. The proposed solutions could be implemented with judicious allocation of resources, through pre-event planning and real-time monitoring during the event. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-13T06:15:45Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9f61d12e76ee48269b36b2ea310c270c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-13T06:15:45Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-9f61d12e76ee48269b36b2ea310c270c2023-06-11T05:31:30ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032023-01-01186Transport of pilgrims during Hajj: Evidence from a discrete event simulation studyAlmoaid OwaidahDoina OlaruMohammed BennamounFerdous SohelNazim KhanHajj, the Muslim pilgrimage, is a large mass gathering event that involves performing rituals at several sites on specific days and times in a fixed order, thereby requiring transport of pilgrims between sites. For the past two decades, Hajj transport has relied on conventional and shuttle buses, train services, and pilgrims walking along pedestrian routes that link these sites. To ensure smooth and efficient transport during Hajj, specific groups of pilgrims are allocated with the cooperation of Hajj authorities to specific time windows, modes, and routes. However, the large number of pilgrims, delays and changes in bus schedules/timetables, and occasional lack of coordination between transport modes have often caused congestion or delays in pilgrim transfer between sites, with a cascading effect on transport management. This study focuses on modelling and simulating the transport of pilgrims between the sites using a discrete event simulation tool called “ExtendSim”. Three transport modules were validated, and different scenarios were developed. These scenarios consider changes in the percentages of pilgrims allocated to each transport mode and the scheduling of various modes. The results can aid authorities to make informed decisions regarding transport strategies for managing the transport infrastructure and fleets. The proposed solutions could be implemented with judicious allocation of resources, through pre-event planning and real-time monitoring during the event.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10249829/?tool=EBI |
| spellingShingle | Almoaid Owaidah Doina Olaru Mohammed Bennamoun Ferdous Sohel Nazim Khan Transport of pilgrims during Hajj: Evidence from a discrete event simulation study PLoS ONE |
| title | Transport of pilgrims during Hajj: Evidence from a discrete event simulation study |
| title_full | Transport of pilgrims during Hajj: Evidence from a discrete event simulation study |
| title_fullStr | Transport of pilgrims during Hajj: Evidence from a discrete event simulation study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Transport of pilgrims during Hajj: Evidence from a discrete event simulation study |
| title_short | Transport of pilgrims during Hajj: Evidence from a discrete event simulation study |
| title_sort | transport of pilgrims during hajj evidence from a discrete event simulation study |
| url | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10249829/?tool=EBI |
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