Optimization of Bus Rerouting to Alleviate the Impact of Rail Transit Construction

Abstract

In urban areas, rail transit construction affects the travel time and the efficiency of bus lines along the surrounding roads. To ensure service qualities, this study proposes a two-stage optimization method for bus rerouting to alleviate the impact of rail construction. In the first stage, the effect of the construction on bus operation is evaluated based upon one indicator, namely the increased rate of bus turnaround time. The affected lines that need rerouting are sifted by the indicator. For each rerouting line, we design two adjustment patterns and associated candidate alternative rerouting sets. In the second stage, the bus network alteration optimization model is developed to maximize the number of passengers served. The model considers several practical constraints, including service connectivity, rationality of bus travel time, and budget for building new bus stops. It realizes a systematic optimization of bus rerouting lines affected by rail transit construction. The proposed method is applied to Ning-Ma intercity railway in Ma’anshan, China to analyze the impact of construction on the surrounding bus lines and obtain the optimal adjustment scheme. The results show that the proposed method is capable of effectively reducing the negative effects caused by rail transit construction and meantime guaranteeing bus service quality.