Network-based transportation system analysis: A case study in a mountain city

Abstract

In order to characterize the structural features of public transportation systems (PTSs) in mountain cities, this paper systematically examines the robustness of urban transportation networks in Chongqing, a famous inland mountain city in China, and reveals the community feature of mobility patterns of residents. First, according to the transportation information (i.e., bus route data and metro route data) in Chongqing, three static network models, i.e., a bus network, a metro network, and a bus-metro transit network, are proposed based on the spaces L and P. More specifically, as a multiplex network, the bus-metro transit network is modeled for depicting the coupled structure between the bus network and the metro network. By analyzing the attack tolerance of transportation networks under the condition of different attack patterns, we find that the inter-layer coupling between the bus network and the metro network can improve the robustness of an urban transportation system. Furthermore, the community structure of mobility patterns of residents is revealed based on passenger information (i.e., smart-card data) of the metro system, which is caused by the regionalization of residential areas in a mountain city. Experimental studies above can provide guidance for the design and optimization of a PTS.