Transfer Optimization in Public Transport Networks: Timetable Synchronization, Operational Control and a New Service-Design Concept

Abstract

Unreliable public transport (PT) service is one of the main reasons to reduce substantially the attractiveness of PT service. As a result, continued unreliable PT service will not only frustrate the existing passengers, but will also cause a loss of potential new users. Transfer synchronization is a useful strategy used to reduce the inter-route or inter-modal passenger transfer waiting time and provide a well-connected service. The main goal of this research is to optimize transfers in a PT network by using better timetable synchronization design, operations control strategies and a new service-design concept. The thesis consists of three parts. The first part focuses on PT timetable synchronization design, coupled with vehicle scheduling, taking into account both PT users and operators interests. A set of integer programming models and deficit function-based solution methods are developed. What’s more, it investigates using multi-size vehicle types to better match the fluctuating passenger demand. The results show that the integration of a PT system can be significantly improved by minimizing the total transfer waiting time and the required fleet size. The second part investigates the optimization of transfer synchronization by using a library of operational tactics. Three control strategies: inter-vehicle communication-based scheme, communication-based cooperative control and model predictive control, are developed to deploy operational tactics in real time. Results from case studies in Auckland and Beijing show that the number of direct transfers can be considerably increased and the total passenger travel time can be significantly reduced. The third part of the thesis investigates a new PT service-design concept, named customized bus (CB). The performances of the CB-based new commuting travel mode are compared with private car, and conventional PT using data collected from two cities: Auckland, New Zealand and Paris, France. The results show that CB can provide a useful alternative for commuter trips. This thesis provides useful mathematical models, solution methods, control strategies, and new service-design concepts for PT transfer optimization. Results can help increase the synchronization, connectivity, controllability and attractiveness of PT service so as to help shift a significant amount of private car users to PT in a sustainable manner.