Abstract
Bus rapid transit (BRT) is characterized by higher speed, higher comfort level, and larger capacity than conventional bus service. Although many cities worldwide have adopted BRT in recent years, there is an absence of scientific and quantitative approach for BRT network planning. The problem of BRT planning in an existing transportation network is very complex with constraints of road geometrics, regulations, right of way, travel demand, vehicle operations, and so on. This paper focuses on developing an optimization model for BRT network planning, where an integer programing model is established to identify station locations and route layout with the objective of maximizing the number of trips served by the network, subjected to constraints including distance between stations, cost of construction, road geometrics, etc. The detour factor of the BRT route, which is an important indicator but widely ignored in previous studies, is also taken as a constraint. A heuristic method is applied to generate optimal solutions to the integer programming model, followed by a case study using the transportation network and travel demand data in Luoyang, China. The numerical results show that the method is valid and can therefore be applied to improve BRT network planning and the sustainable transportation system development.
Highlights
Based on the research findings summarized above, it can be determined that the heuristic method is a prevalent and practical approach that has been applied for transit network design problem
The data of populalation, traffic analysis zones, and the transport network used in this study came from an tion, traffic analysis zones, and the transport network used in this study came from an established travel demand forecast model, which was last updated in 2014
Considering factors such as distance between stations, expense of construction, road geometrics, and so on, the authors proposed a mathematical model for the Bus rapid transit (BRT) network planning problem, followed by a heuristic algorithm and a case study in Luoyang, China
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Based on the research findings summarized above, it can be determined that the heuristic method is a prevalent and practical approach that has been applied for transit network design problem. This research adopted the heuristic method considering the detour factor that might be neglected before aiming to put the BRT planning problem in a mathematical framework and determine the best solution. This systematical method can be applied in real world cases and can provide technical support for BRT planning.
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