Applying complex network theory to the analysis of Mexico city metro network (1969 – 2018)

• Published in: Case studies on transport policy 2021-09, Vol.9 (3), p.1344-1357
• Main Authors: González, Salvador Hernández, De La Mota, Idalia Flores
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Complex networks; Metro; Mexico City
• ISSN: 2213-624X; 2213-6258
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cstp.2021.07.008

In the last fifty years, urban public passenger transport has undergone a huge transformation as cities grow, however, the transport system has not grown at the same speed. In the specific case of Mexico City, we analyzed the Metro public transport system, considering how it has changed over time; how it has become a network that can be analyzed from the perspective of complex networks, this approach is appropriate because it is a dynamic and stochastic network, which allows to study its evolution over time and how its evolution can be measured using the metrics for said networks. The results of the analysis show that the degree distribution in the Metro network has increasingly fitted in with the behavior of a scale-free network; the hub, betweenness and clustering indices also show that the stations with the highest values in each one of these measurements have been displaced from the central area and are now located in the eastern part of the city. In each period, the diameter of the network has increased at a variable rate. It must be pointed out that so far, the diameter has grown following a potential model without giving signs of an apparent contraction. Finally, an update of the current conditions of the subway as well as future work and recommendations are presented.