Schedule Synchronization for Public Transit Networks

Abstract

Quality of public transit is characterized by different features such as cycles (headways), accessibility, direct relations. The attractiveness of the public transportation system can be improved if a demand oriented route network with fixed cycle operation is additionally tuned concerning the dispatch aspect so that transfer times are minimized.

Attractiveness of public transit can be evidently improved by optimum schedule synchronization without noteworthy investment. Optimum synchronization means minimizing transfer cost (passengers * waiting time) of transfer points. This special operational control task should be integrated into computer aided scheduling; prerequisite is a dialogue-oriented implementation which allows dispatching in form of sensitivity analysis, i.e. direct evaluation of computation results on a work-station.