Modelling growth principles of metropolitan public transport networks

Modelling growth principles of metropolitan public transport networks

Cats, O. (TU Delft Transport and Planning)
Vermeulen, A.A.J. (TU Delft Transport and Planning)
Warnier, Martijn (TU Delft System Engineering)
van Lint, J.W.C. (TU Delft Transport and Planning)

2020

The development of metropolitan public transport networks often involves choosing between investing in extending radial lines or constructing ring connections. While the former enlarges network coverage the latter enhances network connectivity and reduces the need to perform detours. Moreover, investments might be better directed at increasing the capacity of already existing infrastructure. In this study we address the following question: how do transport networks in metropolitan areas evolve over time and how can we effectively model this growth as function of demand and cost function? The goal of this study is to determine the fundamental relations between population distribution, modal costs on the prevailing network structure and its evolution. The approach taken in this study offers a theoretical contribution to the field of transport network growth by combining principles from several research streams: transport geography, economics of network growth and network science. We propose an iterative investment model network analysis framework. The results of the network growth experiments manifest an overall trend in network growth with an early phase of expansion of the network, followed by a period of intensification manifested in capacity increments and finally adding some links that contribute to its densification. Furthermore, our findings suggest that bus networks include more ring-radial connections than Light Rail Train and Metro networks which are more concentrated on radial connections.

Network evolution
Network structure
Network topology
Public transport

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:dca5d576-3bec-49df-a311-c67ab60fc146

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2019.102567

2020-04-23

0966-6923

Journal of Transport Geography, 82

Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository ‘You share, we take care!’ – Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.

Institutional Repository

journal article

© 2020 O. Cats, A.A.J. Vermeulen, Martijn Warnier, J.W.C. van Lint