Abstract: For the sake of ensuring safe operation of a metro network and reducing the severity of consequences of emergency events, a model was built for evaluating the vulnerability of metro networks according to the accessibility between different stations after the events and the effects of failure stations on the whole link. Responses of 5 types of metro networks to both random attack and premeditative attack were simulated by means of Matlab.The results show that the failure of a station has an impact on the line, which in turn affects the vulnerability of the entire subway network, that the metro network shows greater vulnerability to the intentional attack, and that there is difference in valnerahility to attack between the five subway network structure types .

Key words: metro network, vulnerability study, operation mechanism, Matlab simulation, emergency events