Public Transport Route Planning - How are decisions made?

[The Laziest]

Hello everyone!

For some time now I have been interested in the idea of local public transport such as buses, trams and metros. One thing that I have always asked myself, however, is how route planning takes place. Specifically, when designing a bus/tram/metro line, how do companies/public bodies decide which stations that line should call at?
I am assuming that some, if not most, of the decision-making will depend on existing infrastructure as well as origin-destination data, but is there other factors that are considered in the process?

For buses specifically, how do companies and public bodies decide whether to have a line call at certain stops/stations that are on the route? Does this depend merely on the demand they expect for that stop or the time it would add to the route?

Apologies if this sounds like a daft question, but I have always found route planning fascinating and I am wanting to learn more about it.
I have played Cities in Motion and similar games for some time now, and I’m never too sure how to design a line or whether I could design more efficient lines, so this is basically where this question stems from.

I hope this is the right forum for this question and thank you to everyone who will contribute to this thread!

 

[zwk500]

For some time now I have been interested in the idea of local public transport such as buses, trams and metros. One thing that I have always asked myself, however, is how route planning takes place. Specifically, when designing a bus/tram/metro line, how do companies/public bodies decide which stations that line should call at?
I am assuming that some, if not most, of the decision-making will depend on existing infrastructure as well as origin-destination data, but is there other factors that are considered in the process?

A wide range of factors come into it but the majority of the decision will be based around demand and capacity. Other elements such as the service provided by other lines, planned developments that are to take place in the future, cost and feasibility are also big considerations, while there are many smaller factors that can often be quite site-specific that may come into it. Driver/crew impact, availability of rolling stock/vehicles, and feasibility of any infrastructure changes that may be required also comes into it. However there may also be things like which type of service is being offered (turn up and go versus half-hourly, or hub-and-spoke connectivity against direct as far as possible. There is also an AWFUL lot of local politics at play here.
Another factor in all of this is integration into the active timetable, and the actual delivery of the new route. Sometimes a service pattern for a new branch is proposed to be quite different at first to have a 'shakedown' period, where any issues can be quickly identified and tidied up while familiarity and training takes place, only to then institute a major change when it's time to integrate the services - the Fawley Waterside line branch is a great example of this.

With both the above points, things are markedly different for a route wholly on open infrastructure, the reconditioning of old infrastructure into the operational network, and brand new infrastructure. The weight of different factors gets massively changed around depending on what you're trying to do with them.

For buses specifically, how do companies and public bodies decide whether to have a line call at certain stops/stations that are on the route? Does this depend merely on the demand they expect for that stop or the time it would add to the route?

Sorry I'm much less knowledgeable about buses.

Apologies if this sounds like a daft question, but I have always found route planning fascinating and I am wanting to learn more about it.
I have played Cities in Motion and similar games for some time now, and I’m never too sure how to design a line or whether I could design more efficient lines, so this is basically where this question stems from.

Computer games are often oversimplifications and abstractions for the purposes of being able to have an enjoyable game, as well as being able to code the thing reasonably effectively. It's why a lot of city-builder games end up having a 'min/maxer' playstyle that optimises strategy for the game's algorithms, and a completely different 'realism' playstyle that tries to do what would happen in the real world but at the cost of slower progression in the game. A classic example is the Cities: Skylines circular metros. Route planning in games is often totally different from route planning in real life.

If you want to know more about route decisions and the like, have a read of the various consultation documents that are normally posted online for projects you're interested in. If you're struggling to find them, post a list of some you're after and people may be able to help locate them. Any big project will publish consultation and feasibility reports that demonstrate which other options they've considered and how they've reached the decision to recommend the option they went for. There may be stuff for smaller changes (like dropping a station out of a particular train route) but that has a different process.

 

[MotCO]

With no particular knowledge of planning new bus routes (but it doesn't stop me adding my two-penneth!) for local bus companies it is often 'on the ground' knowledge. For example, Metrobus (Orpington) identified that many roads in Bromley had inadequate bus routes, and many traffic objectives, such as the three hospitals in the borough of Bromley, were inadequately served. Thus a series of local bus routes (352 Bromley - Lower Sydenham, 354 Penge - Bromley, and 358 Orpington - Crystal Palace) were established as commercial routes, eventually absorbed into the TfL network. They still run today, so they must have spotted a gap in the market. Sometimes it doesn't work out - for example Hulleys X57 Manchester - Sheffield looked like a good idea, but did not attract sufficient custom.

 

[telstarbox]

Some routes or stops are agreed or suggested by developers, so they will put some funding in (usually alongside council funds). Fastrack in Kent and Shepherd's Bush station are good examples.

 

[zwk500]

Some routes or stops are agreed or suggested by developers, so they will put some funding in (usually alongside council funds). Fastrack in Kent and Shepherd's Bush station are good examples.

Indeed often these are conditions of the development happening.

 

[edwin_m]

Many regions have computer models that include data about population by zone and where they tend to travel to, and also details of routes for both public transport and cars. It's possible to make changes such as inserting a new route or amending an existing one to predict how many people would use it, and even to play around with the population data to reflect planned or possible future developments.

 

[telstarbox]

Edwin - I'm aware of Saturn and Visum strategic models but do these work for multi modal demand or are there other packages?

 

[edwin_m]

Edwin - I'm aware of Saturn and Visum strategic models but do these work for multi modal demand or are there other packages?

Not my expertise I'm afraid - I know they exist but not familiar with the underlying software.

 

[biko]

Edwin - I'm aware of Saturn and Visum strategic models but do these work for multi modal demand or are there other packages?

Visum can do multimodal demand, not sure about Saturn. Another package is OmniTRANS, which is mainly used in the Netherlands and Australia.