Multimodal Public Transit Network Design Method Based on Hub-and-Spoke Infrastructure

Abstract

This paper presents a two-phase method for generating a hub-and-spoke network for a multimodal public transit network (MPTN). The first phase addresses the problem of clustering in MPTNs, which is a key operation in solving the hub location problem (HLP) in MPTN design. However, previous work often oversimplifies or neglects the clustering phase, so this study presents a spatial clustering algorithm that can process real urban MPTNs without reducing their size or dividing them into zones. The algorithm is tested on four large city datasets and compared with popular spatial clustering algorithms. In the second phase, a heuristic algorithm is presented that aims to maximize network coverage. The proposed method is tested using the MPTN of Greater London and the resulting hub-and-spoke network is compared with the Journey API provided by Transport for London. The results show that the total travel time is improved by 16.9% with a strict hubbing policy. Transportation planners can adapt the proposed method to their specific needs by changing the size and number of clusters using the cluster scaling factor ([Formula: see text]) parameter and including or excluding any criteria in the decision equations.