Schedule-free high-frequency transit operations

High-frequency transit systems are essential for the socioeconomic and environmental well-being of large and dense cities. The planning and control of their operations are important determinants of service quality. Although headway and optimization-based control strategies generally outperform sched...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Koutsopoulos, Haris N., Sanchez-Martinez, Gabriel E, Wilson, Nigel H. M.
Other Authors: Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Center for Transportation & Logistics
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Springer Berlin Heidelberg 2017
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/110695
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0144-049X
Description
Summary:High-frequency transit systems are essential for the socioeconomic and environmental well-being of large and dense cities. The planning and control of their operations are important determinants of service quality. Although headway and optimization-based control strategies generally outperform schedule-adherence strategies, high-frequency operations are mostly planned with schedules, in part because operators must observe resource constraints (neglected by most control strategies) while planning and delivering service. This research develops a schedule-free paradigm for high-frequency transit operations, in which trip sequences and departure times are optimized in real-time, employing stop-skipping strategies and utilizing real-time information to maximize service quality while satisfying operator resource constraints. Following a discussion of possible methodological approaches, a simple methodology is applied to operate a simulated transit service without schedules. Results demonstrate the feasibility of the new paradigm.