Line planning in public transportation: models and methods

TLDR

Defining suitable lines in public transportation is a well‑researched real‑world problem, yet it is often described informally, leading to many different published line‑planning models. This paper introduces basic line‑planning models, characterizes them, and reviews literature on models, mathematical approaches, and algorithms for line planning. The authors identify model characteristics and survey mathematical and algorithmic methods used in line planning.

Abstract

The problem of defining suitable lines in a public transportation system (bus, railway, tram, or underground) is an important real-world problem that has also been well researched in theory. Driven by applications, it often lacks a clear description, but is rather stated in an informal way. This leads to a variety of different published line planning models. In this paper, we introduce some of the basic line planning models, identify their characteristics, and review literature on models, mathematical approaches, and algorithms for line planning. Moreover, we point out related topics as well as current and future directions of research.