TRAMS: Transit route animation and modelling by simulation

Abstract

AbstractPublic transport managers and operators face increasingly difficult problems in providing adequate levels of service at reasonable social and financial costs. A greater demand exists for analytical techniques which allow them to evaluate changes in operational strategies before committing themselves to implementation in the field. This paper describes the development of a discrete event simulation model for the analysis of on‐street transit routes. The structure of the model is described and details are provided of the types of events which are explicitly modelled in the TRAMS package. The input requirements are described, and the modular nature of the simulation model is highlighted. The various options for output format are described, including the use of a computer graphics real‐time animation option. The range of output performance measures are then discussed, and some comments on areas of application conclude the paper.