Abstract
Rail transit is developing rapidly in major cities of China and has become a key component of urban transport. Nevertheless, the security and reliability in operation are significant issues that cannot be neglected. In this paper, the network and station vulnerabilities of the urban rail transit system were analyzed based on complex network and graph theories. A vulnerability evaluation model was proposed by accounting metro interchange and passenger flow and further validated by a case study of Shanghai Metro with full-scale network and real-world traffic data. It is identified that the urban rail transit network is rather robust to random attacks, but is vulnerable to the largest degree node-based attacks and the highest betweenness node-based attacks. Metro stations with a large node degree are more important in maintaining the network size, while stations with a high node betweenness are critical to network efficiency and origin-destination (OD) connectivity. The most crucial stations in maintaining network serviceability do not necessarily have the highest passenger throughput or the largest structural connectivity. A comprehensive evaluation model as proposed is therefore essential to assess station vulnerability, so that attention can be placed on appropriate nodes within the metro system. The findings of this research are of both theoretical and practical significance for urban rail transit network design and performance evaluation.
Highlights
In recent years, rapid urbanization and motorization in the major cities of China have resulted in a huge population explosion and private vehicle ownership, which bring serious problems to traditional road transport, such as urban congestions and pollution, etc
Previous literature [19,27] used the largest connected cluster (LCC) to evaluate the functional vulnerability of urban rail transit networks, which was defined as the size of the largest sub-network after being attacked
While urban rail transit networks are viewed as complex networks, what differentiates them from other complex networks is the interactions between infrastructures and the passengers
Summary
Rapid urbanization and motorization in the major cities of China have resulted in a huge population explosion and private vehicle ownership, which bring serious problems to traditional road transport, such as urban congestions and pollution, etc. In the recent ten years, graph and complex network theories have been introduced for analyzing the reliability and safety of urban rail transit networks Studies on this specific approach remain relatively limited. Zhang et al [19] measured the topological characteristics and functional properties of the Shanghai metro system These studies simplified the urban rail transit networks with graph theory and, lacked consideration of the significant properties of rail transit systems, such as the ability to transfer, etc. Yuan et al [22] studied the statistical data of metro network accidents and proposed the concepts of physical, structural and social vulnerabilities of metro system These studies, lacked systematical analyses of urban rail transit networks, which may hinder accurate the definition, design and performance evaluation of the system, while these are useful for the public transportation planners and practitioners.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
