Integrated Optimization In Public Transport Planning

This book is one of the first to include an extensive discussion of integrated public transport planning. In times of growing urban populations and increasing environmental awareness, the importance of optimizing public transport systems is ever-developing. Three different aspects are presented: line planning, timetabling, and vehicle scheduling. Classically, challenges concerning these three aspects of planning are solved sequentially. Due to their high interdependence, the author presents a clear and detailed analysis of innovative, integrated models with accompanied numerical experiments performed to assess, and often support, the benefits of integration. The book will appeal to a wide readership ranging from graduate students to researchers.

This book treats three planning problems arising in public railway transportation planning: line planning, timetabling, and delay management, with the objective to minimize passengers’ travel time. While many optimization approaches simplify these problems by assuming that passengers’ route choice is independent of the solution, this book focuses on models which take into account that passengers will adapt their travel route to the implemented planning solution. That is, a planning solution and passengers’ routes are determined and evaluated simultaneously. This work is technically deep, with insightful finding regarding complexity and algorithmic approaches to public transportation problems with integrated passenger routing. It is intended for researchers in the fields of mathematics, computer science, or operations research, working in the field of public transportation from an optimization standpoint. It is also ideal for students who want to gain intuition and experience in doing complexity proofs and designing polynomial-time algorithms for network problems. The book models line planning, timetabling and delay management as combined design and routing problems on networks. In a complexity analysis, the border between NP-hard and polynomially solvable problems is illustrated. Based on that, the insights gained are used to develop solution approaches for the considered problems. Besides integer programming formulations, a heuristic method iterating planning and routing step is proposed to solve the problems.

This book develops models, results and algorithms for optimizing public transportation from a customer-oriented viewpoint. The methods used are based on graph-theoretic approaches and integer programming. The specific topics are all motivated by real-world examples which occurred in practical projects: location of stops, management of delay, and tariff zone design. An appendix summarizes some of the basics of optimization needed to interpret the material in the book.

While integrated transport systems are seen to be an ideal, there is a failure to make the transition from policy to practice. The authors argue that the achievement of sustainable transport is still a dream, as an integrated transport policy is a prerequisite for a sustainable transport system. It is only when the two concepts of sustainability and integration Operate in the same direction and in a positive way that real progress can be made.

This textbook provides a comprehensive step-by-step guide for new public transport modelers. It includes an introduction to mathematical modeling, continuous and discrete optimization, numerical optimization, computational complexity analysis, metaheuristics, and multi-objective optimization. These tools help engineers and modelers to use better existing public transport models and also develop new models that can address future challenges. By reading this book, the reader will gain the ability to translate a future problem description into a mathematical model and solve it using an appropriate solution method. The textbook provides the knowledge needed to develop highly accurate mathematical models that can serve as decision support tools at the strategic, tactical, and operational planning levels of public transport services. Its detailed description of exact optimization methods, metaheuristics, bi-level, and multi-objective optimization approaches together with the detailed description of implementing these approaches in classic public transport problems with the use of open source tools is unique and will be highly useful to students and transport professionals.

This book contains an abundance of numerical analyses based on significant data sets, illustrating importance of environmentally friendly solutions requiring transport networks to be redesigned or clean zones to be implemented. What kind of steps should be taken to redesign transport network? How to evaluate efficiency or flexibility of transport system and city logistics? What factors can be taken into account in the process of optimizing the functioning of public transport or paid parking zones? How to optimize supply chains (including last mile delivering and routing problem)? Which of the multi-criteria methods should be applied to support decision making processes while tackling problems of global transport systems? Answers to these and many other questions can be found in this book.With regard to the research results discussed and the selected solutions applied, the book entitled "Decision support methods in modern transportation systems and networks" primarily addresses the needs of three target groups: · Scientists and researchers (ITS field) · Local authorities (responsible for the transport systems at the urban and regional level) · Representatives of business (traffic strategy management) and industry (manufacturers of ITS components).

Congestion, lack of mobility and rising air pollution in our cities are becoming areas of serious concern for all stakeholders: authorities, operators and commuters alike. It is also widely accepted that augmentation of public transport (PT) both in quality and quantity will provide relief. A critical issue in this context is the choice of a particular PT mode for a city. Comprehensive information on various modes, aspects of planning a city‐wide PT network and choice of mode is not easilyavailable at one place to students, planners and city officials. This book is an attempt to bridge this gap.This book is based on author's direct experience in planning, design and implementation of urban transport projects particularly public transport projects in India and abroad, in the overall context of urban mobility. The content of the book islargely at a conceptual level and brings out the finer points in planning. The book is divided into five parts, i.e. modes of public transport, planning a citywide public transport network, planning road‐based modes, planning rail transit and otherplanning issues.