Mapping changes in the availability of electric transport in Moscow

Abstract

Electric transport is an environmentally friendly way to solve the transport problems of the city. There are four modes of intracity electric transport in Moscow: metro, tram, electric bus, and trolleybus (until 2020, now only the museum route has been preserved). In recent years, large-scale reforms have been carried out in organizing the electric transport of the capital. A transition from trolleybuses to electric buses has occurred, and major overhauls of the tram network have begun, greatly complicating the work of electric transport. This work aims to assess the availability of various electric transport modes in Moscow for different years. It should be noted that the assessment of the development of electric transport (not only between cities but also over time) can characterize the decisions made in the field of city management and help with its further development. The main research method is cartographic, which can be called one of the most evident in visualizing changes in transport networks. As part of the research, such indicators as the Kansky gamma index, the Engel coefficient, and the density of the electric transport network have been calculated and visualized. They make it possible to judge two different aspects of the development of the network: its topological complexity and accessibility to the population. As a research result, it becomes clear that the reforms carried out in Moscow in 2016–2020 have led to a decrease in the topological complexity and the accessibility of electric transport for the population and that ground-based electric transport has become much worse in doing its job. The only mode of transport developing consistently throughout the entire period of development of the transport network of the city is the metro.