PLANNING AND DESIGN MODEL FOR TRANSIT ROUTE NETWORKS WITH COORDINATED OPERATIONS

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

1998

Subject Area

operations - traffic, infrastructure - vehicle, planning - methods, planning - network design, planning - route design, land use - planning, ridership - commuting, ridership - demand, mode - bus

Keywords

Vehicle size, Transit network design, Transit centers, Traffic assignment, Routes, Route selection, Route choice, Network analysis (Planning), Intracity bus transportation, Heuristic methods, Demand responsive transportation, Coordinated operations, Case studies, Bus transit, Austin (Texas)

Abstract

A heuristic model is presented for the design of bus transit networks with coordinated operations. Different from past solution methodologies focusing on conventional uncoordinated transit systems, this model addresses the design of transit networks with coordinated operations, using a transit center concept and incorporating a trip assignment model explicitly developed for coordinated (timed-transfer) systems. In addition, this model determines the appropriate vehicle size for each bus route and incorporates demand-responsive capabilities to meet demand that cannot be served effectively by fixed-route, fixed-schedule services. This model is composed of four major procedures: (a) a route generation procedure (RGP), which constructs the transit network around the transit center concept; (b) a network analysis procedure, which incorporates a trip assignment model (for both coordinated and uncoordinated operations) and a frequency-setting and vehicle-sizing procedure; (c) a transit center selection procedure, which identifies the suitable transit centers for route coordination; and (d) a network improvement procedure, which improves on the set of routes generated by the RGP. The model is demonstrated via a case-study application to data generated from the existing transit system in Austin, Texas.

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