Topological Properties of Public Transport Networks: A Temporal Perspective

In this paper, we present an empirical analysis of the topological properties of PTN based on the bus networks data of Shijiazhuang from 1996 to 2008. As a result, we find that the PTN is a small-world, accelerated growing network and a hybrid between a scale-free and a random network. To explain the results, we propose a simulation model based on accelerated growth and nonlinear preference rules to show a possible evolutionary mechanism for PTN. Numerical simulations show that the model performs well in reproducing basic topological properties of the real-world PTNs. The results can help us to understand the evolution mechanism of PTN as well as other evolving transportation networks. INTRODUCTION Recent years have witnessed an upsurge in the study of complex systems that can be described in terms of networks (Boccaletti et al. 2006). Public transport networks (PTN) can be mentioned as an important example of these evolving complex networks. There has been a substantial amount of interest in the topological properties and evolutionary processes of PTNs among researchers in different scientific fields (Sienkiewicz and Holyst 2005; Gao et al. 2005; Lu and Shi 2007; Xu et al. 2007; Ferber et al. 2009). These studies made careful analysis of various PTN instances using empirical, simulational, and theoretical tools and revealed the general features of PTN such as small-world, scale-free, and hierarchically-organized. However, most of these studies viewed networks from a static perspective, so it was difficult to capture and explain the evolution mechanism of PTN. In this paper, we will use complex network theory to analyze the topological properties of PTN from a temporal perspective. An empirical analysis ICCTP 2009: Critical Issues in Transportation Systems Planning, Development, and Management ©2009 ASCE 1084