Hermann Orth

Development of Measurement System for Public Transport Performance

Accurate measurement systems of performance are important for all businesses, including public transport. The importance of such systems will grow with the advent of liberalization in the European transportation sector (i.e., the opening of transit service provision for tendering), as service provision contracts will require agreed-on measures for performance and service. This paper describes research on developing a public transport level-of-service (LOS) standards framework for Switzerland. The standards framework is intended to reflect influences on capacity and operational quality in urban road-based transit and relies on four main measures: speeds, passenger loads, on-time performance, and headway adherence. This paper outlines the selection of specific measures for evaluating public transport LOS and the proposed framework. The framework provides a consistent method for evaluating public transport LOS on all levels of analysis, from single elements (e.g., bus stops) to networkwide analysis. The paper also describes how information from automated onboard data collection systems can be used for detailed service analysis. This calibration procedure is illustrated in an example from the Zurich public transport system. Challenges faced (especially with respect to the selection and filtering of relevant data) and future development of the approach are described. While the proposed LOS framework is being prepared for Switzerland, the experience and approach described should help others developing and improving performance management systems for public transport.

CALIBRATION OF A PUBLIC TRANSPORT PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT SYSTEM FOR SWITZERLAND

Performance evaluation is fundamental to transport analysis and operations. This paper describes a quality evaluation framework based on level of service (LOS) developed for urban public transport in Switzerland. The framework focuses on four key indicators: on-time performance, headway adherence, speed, and passenger loads. The framework allows users to assess service quality at different levels by measuring the indicators at the single element level and aggregating scores over larger sets of elements. Because the number of indicators is relatively small compared with other frameworks, application of the method is easier, but the method also provides less detailed results. An earlier paper presented a conceptual approach for the framework. This paper extends that work by describing the approach in more detail and focusing on calibration of the LOS framework and application of the framework to a real example in Zurich, Switzerland. The research is part of a larger effort designed to develop a consistent multimodal LOS evaluation system for Switzerland. This system would include nonmotorized traffic, public transport, and road-based transport.

A Level-based Approach to Public Transport Network Planning

The public transport network level is defined and is used to describe the performance and future improvement of the public transport system in Zurich, Switzerland. A public transport level is a specific type of service designed to serve a particular market. “Service” is defined as a combination of vehicles, infrastructure, and operating characteristics. A pure level occurs when the service is targeted specifically at one particular market. A hybrid level occurs when a service is targeted to serve several markets. Urban travel is generally described as three markets: short, inter mediate, and long-distance trips. Consequently many cities have developed three-level public transport networks: surface buses and trams to serve short trips, rapid rail to serve intermediate trips, and regional rail to serve longer-distance trips. Often, by design or for historic reasons, cities have additional levels, fewer levels, levels that are not precisely matched to their markets, or all three. For example, two-level networks are often found in medium-sized cities. Their advantage is lower costs, and their main disadvantage is a mismatch between transport mode and market that manifests itself in capacity limitations. The level concept to help analyze and plan public transport service is useful because it focuses attention on matching service qualities to markets. This approach, used here to analyze the success of the public transport system of Zurich, Switzerland, and to provide a structure for planning improvements that will be needed to meet rapidly increasing public transport demand, could help other cities design or redesign their public transport systems to be more attractive and efficient. More specifically, the approach could show how two-level public transport networks would be a viable option for medium-sized cities and large cities with dispersed settlement patterns.

Airport Cities and Airport Public Transport Access: Demand Balancing or Peak Exacerbation? Case of Zurich Airport, Switzerland

Many airports are adding nonaviation activities in an effort to diversify and become less dependent on direct air traffic revenues and thus create so-called airport cities. As these added activities generate an increase in traffic, the question arises as to how this increased traffic influences the ground transport access system and if this influence can be used in strategies to achieve higher public transport mode shares. In the best case, the additional traffic would follow a distribution that would balance out the peaks created by the aviation-induced travel and therefore would help create more even transport demand. Such a more balanced situation is especially critical for providing cost-efficient public transport services where service capacity cannot be adjusted very flexibly without sacrificing ease of use. In the worst case, however, additional nonaviation travel demand would peak at the same time as aviation-induced travel and thus increase peak period travel demand. This effect would increase costs for peak period service without improving utilization during low-demand periods. This paper presents a generic framework for analyzing aviation and nonaviation transport demand, followed by a specific study of Zurich Airport in Switzerland. In this case, the nonaviation demand is distributed as complementary to the aviation-induced demand, but the volume of nonaviation demand is so high that it dominates the total demand curve. This result means that the total travel demand is high enough to support a higher level of public transport service than could be operated economically if fed only by the aviation operations and is one reason why Zurich Airports public transport mode share for air travelers is approximately 50%.

Airport Cities and Airport Public Transport Access

Many airports are adding nonaviation activities in an effort to diversify and become less dependent on direct air traffic revenues and thus create so-called airport cities. As these added activities generate an increase in traffic, the question arises as to how this increased traffic influences the ground transport access system and if this influence can be used in strategies to achieve higher public transport mode shares. In the best case, the additional traffic would follow a distribution that would balance out the peaks created by the aviation-induced travel and therefore would help create more even transport demand. Such a more balanced situation is especially critical for providing cost-efficient public transport services where service capacity cannot be adjusted very flexibly without sacrificing ease of use. In the worst case, however, additional nonaviation travel demand would peak at the same time as aviation-induced travel and thus increase peak period travel demand. This effect would increase costs for peak period service without improving utilization during low-demand periods. This paper presents a generic framework for analyzing aviation and nonaviation transport demand, followed by a specific study of Zurich Airport in Switzerland. In this case, the nonaviation demand is distributed as complementary to the aviation-induced demand, but the volume of nonaviation demand is so high that it dominates the total demand curve. This result means that the total travel demand is high enough to support a higher level of public transport service than could be operated economically if fed only by the aviation operations and is one reason why Zurich Airports public transport mode share for air travelers is approximately 50%.

Ermittlung von Wirkungen von IT-Anwendungen auf die Infrastrukturnutzung durch den Güterverkehr der Schweiz

Aufgrund des dynamischen Wachstums der Gutertransportstrome sowohl im Strasen- als auch im Schienenverkehr steht die Schweiz vor der Herausforderung, das Verkehrsangebot den steigenden Anforderungen anzupassen. Da ein Infrastrukturausbau nur noch bedingt moglich ist, mussen andere Moglichkeiten zur Kapazitatserhohung und Nutzungsoptimierung der Infrastruktur gefunden werden. Eine Option stellt dabei der verstarkte Einsatz von IT-Anwendungen zur Nutzungsoptimierung der vorhandenen Infrastruktur dar. Im Rahmen eines Projektes „Informationstechnologien in der zukunftigen Gutertransportwirtschaft“ hat das IVT diejenigen IT-Funktionalitaten zu ermittelt, bei denen eine besonders grose Wirkung auf die Infrastrukturnutzung erzielt werden kann. Da zukunftige technologische Entwicklungen nur schwierig quantitativ abzubilden sind, wurde ein auf einer Prozessanalyse der Transportprozesse im Strasen-, Schienen- und kombinierten Guterverkehr basierender qualitativer Ansatz gewahlt. So konnten die wirkungsvollsten Ansatze zur Optimierung der Infrastrukturnutzung durch ITEinsatz identifiziert werden.

High-Quality Public Transport and Promotion of Nonmotorized Transport—Compromise or Complement?

Public transport is a very efficient way to handle large traffic flows in urban areas. At the same time, and especially in Europe, nonmotorized transport is being promoted as a further environmentally friendly and healthful way of urban mobility. This push includes the introduction and extension of separate lanes to increase safety and convenience of bikers and pedestrians. However, most cities have limited space for expanding streets and roads, and this limitation can lead to a conflict over the different uses. A clear understanding of the impacts of these changes on public transport is critical. A quick assessment model was developed to analyze the impact of changes to roadway design and policy that can affect public transport services. The model was developed to help public transport operator Verkehrsbetriebe Zürich in Zurich, Switzerland, assess changes quickly; these changes included the elimination of separate rights-of-way or the introduction of slow zones. The model will also help to explain the impacts of these changes to nontechnical audiences. The model uses a series of analytical calculations to analyze the main relationships between key public transport inputs and outputs. The model was validated with data from Zurichs tram and bus network. The case studies examined the influence of the reduction of separate rights-of-way, the expansion of 30 km/h zones, and the changes to stop distances on public transport operations.