A station-based rail transit network vulnerability measure considering land use dependency

Natural disasters, intentional attacks, and operational incidents are posing increasing threats on rail transit network. The vulnerability of rail transit network becomes an important concern of researchers and rail managers. This paper proposes a station-based accessibility approach addressing passenger flow and land use characteristics in rail transit network vulnerability analysis. Land use variables are measured as the independency degree on rail transit. The reduction ratio of network accessibility before and after incidents is calculated to measure the potential consequences. Based on results of comparisons with existing methods with the help of an example problem, the proposed accessibility measure demonstrates better and more reasonable results as not only the rail network and passenger flow but also the land use and travel alternative variables interacting with rail transit are accounted. The proposed method is then applied to Shanghai metro network. The data for analysis include rail transit network data, passenger flow data, and land use data around stations. Results indicate that the vulnerability of rail transit network is jointly affected by its network topology, passenger flow, and land use variables. Unbalanced land use, high plot ratio, and the less travel alternatives will increase the dependency of land on rail transit travel, leading to high network vulnerability once disrupted. Results of this work will inform rail transit managers of the degree of network vulnerability and critical stations and links as well as the land use dependency on vulnerability. Findings of this study may have implications not only for the planning of other transit modes to enhance the resilience of public transit network in vulnerable areas but also for the land use development around rail stations.