RT journal article
T1 Quantification and comparison of hierarchy in Public Transport Networks
A1 Wang, Ziyulong
A1 Huang, Ketong
A1 Massobrio Lois, Renzo Martín
A1 Bombelli, Alessandro
A1 Cats, Oded
A2 Ingeniería Informática
K1 Public transport networks
K1 Hierarchy
K1 Network science
K1 Topology
K1 General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS)
AB Network hierarchy describes the relative arrangement of network elements and reflects its fundamental structure. We propose a multi-dimensional topology-based method for quantifying and comparing the extent to which different Public Transport Networks (PTNs) exhibit a hierarchical structure. The proposed method considers the uneven distribution of node importance with different definitions (e.g., degree centrality and betweenness centrality) in a PTN, the clustering of nodes and the node connection patterns. We apply the developed method on 63 high-capacity PTNs worldwide using General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) data. In addition to global indicators, we use the goodness-of-fit between the probability density function of local indicators and a skew-normal distribution to quantify the extent of PTN hierarchy. Results show that the scale-free network structure and preferential attachment do not vary much across PTNs. In contrast, stop accessibility and traffic intermediacy vary considerably across PTNs as reflected by the closeness centrality and betweenness centrality distributions. Lastly, metro systems exhibit a more hierarchical structure than their tram and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) counterparts. This work makes a first step towards a better mapping and comparison of different PTNs, which can assist academics and practitioners in better (re)designing and planning the PTNs of the future.
PB Elsevier B.V.
SN 0378-4371
YR 2024
FD 2024
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10498/32677
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10498/32677
LA eng
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Cádiz
RD 11-nov-2026