Tools for Assessing and Optimising Transit Network Design with an Application to Hong Kong LRT Network 

Description

This project aims to deliver a set of software tools for assessing and optimising the transit network design. The software package consists of a visualiser showing network topology and transit vehicle runs; an underlying link-node macroscopic model capturing the transit demand and service dynamics; a multi-objective optimiser generating optimal routes and schedules of transit services with respect to a set of predefined objectives. The optimisation problem is known to be combinatoric and is one of the most challenging problems faced by transport researchers and authorities. To address the problem, this project will adopt and test various evolutionary metaheuristic approaches including Cross-Entropy Method, Genetic Algorithm, and Bee Colony Optimisation algorithm. These evolutionary metaheuristics are stochastic searches which effectively improve the population of feasible solutions through over an iterative intelligent trial-and-error process. City University of Hong Kong (CityU) will be collaborating with Hong Kong MTR Corporation (MTRC) in this project. The research team will adopt the Light Rail (LRT) network as a case study in order to demonstrate and validate the proposed tools. The developed software package can facilitate transport planners assembling and testing quickly and easily different transit design options, and communicate the design options with general public.