Service regularity analysis for urban transit network design. Transit network planners often propose network structures that either assume a certain level of regularity or are even especially focused on improving service reliability, such as networks in which part of lines share a common route or the introduction of short-turn services. The key idea is that travelers on that route will have a more frequent transit service. The impact of such network designs on service regularity is rarely analyzed in quantitative way. This paper presents a tool that can be used to assess the impact of network changes on the regularity on a transit route and on the level of transit demand. The tool can use actual data on the punctuality of the transit system or an educated guess. The application of such a tool is illustrated in two ways. First, a case study on introducing coordinated services shows that the use of such a tool leads to more realistic estimates than the traditional approach using a quantitative analysis. Second, a set of graphs was developed which can be used for a quick scan when considering network changes. These graphs can be used to assess the effect of coordinating the schedules and of improving the punctuality. (Author/publisher)
Abstract