Network Impact Evaluation of the Introduction of Road and Rail to a Transport Corridor for Developing Cities

This paper analyzes the global network impact of the introduction of new transport infrastructure involving road and rail to a transport corridor. The analytical framework is proposed by transport network-based simulation. Transport network is composed of road network, bus network and rail network. Both passenger demand and freight demand are considered. Four scenarios are built, including do-nothing, the introduction of both road and rail, the introduction of only road and the introduction of only rail. Each representative scenario is evaluated from three aspects viz., efficiency, equity and environment. A case study of the city of Dalian, China is conducted to address the difficult trade-off issue. The results show that as car ownership or passenger demand increases the changing trend for each indicator is distinct. The findings have significant implications for other developing cities.