Optimal holding time calculation algorithm to improve the reliability of high frequency bus route considering the bus capacity constraint

•A dwell time calculation model is developed.•A line search method is designed to obtain the optimal holding time.•A self-reversing tendency for bus bunching is discovered.•The proposed method can decrease the standard deviation of bus headway. The self-equalizing bus headway control method, as a ty...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Reliability engineering & system safety 2021-08, Vol.212, p.107632, Article 107632
Main Authors: Liang, Shidong, He, Shengxue, Zhang, Hu, Ma, Minghui
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptive control
Algorithms
Bunching
Bus bunching
Buses
Buses (vehicles)
Control methods
Headways
Holding time
Optimization
Public transit
Public transportation
Real time operation
Reliability
Reliability engineering
Traffic control
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Summary:•A dwell time calculation model is developed.•A line search method is designed to obtain the optimal holding time.•A self-reversing tendency for bus bunching is discovered.•The proposed method can decrease the standard deviation of bus headway. The self-equalizing bus headway control method, as a type of headway-based control method, has been proved to resist bus bunching effectively. This control method is suitable for use in real-time transit operations owing to its simplicity in the formulation and solution. However, previous studies paid more attention on the demonstration that the bus headways can converge under variable conditions, without considering the bus capacity constraint. In addition, when the bus capacity constraint is considered, the optimal holding time calculation becomes a nonlinear problem instead of a simple linear problem. Therefore, in this study, a more precise and comprehensive model is proposed to describe the bus operation process. An optimal holding time calculation algorithm is proposed to solve the nonlinear optimization problem by transforming it into an one-dimensional line search problem. The proposed model was validated through numerical tests. In the traditional analyses, bus bunching will worsen if no additional control method is applied to the bus system. However, the present study indicates that bus bunching will be mitigated to some extent by the public transit system itself without external control at relatively high traffic demand level.
ISSN:0951-8320
1879-0836
DOI:10.1016/j.ress.2021.107632