Evolution of multimodal final user equilibrium considering public transport network design history

Analysing the properties of a network equilibrium can help to have a better view about network state, robustness, and the effect of any variation in the network. This study investigated the impacts of network design history on day-to-day multimodal user equilibrium. In particular, we analyze the long-term evolution of the network, including opening new multimodal options and its impacts on the final network equilibrium. First, the analysis focuses on static network loading with different successive configurations. Then, a more realistic setting is studied by simulation. A large-scale multimodal network with the flexible opening over time of three possible transport facilities shows that the final equilibrium is not unique; more importantly, significant differences can be observed in public transportation occupancy, while user equilibrium is enforced in all situations. Some solutions prove to be better from the collective viewpoint (shorter total travel time), thus giving new insight into public transport planning.

Automated summary

Analyzing the properties of network equilibrium helps to understand network state, robustness, and the impact of variations in the network. This study focused on the effects of network design history on day-to-day multimodal user equilibrium, discovering that the final equilibrium may not be unique when new transport options are introduced over time. Different public transportation occupancies were observed, but user equilibrium was maintained, revealing new insights for public transport planning.