Financial sustainability of rail transit service: The effect of urban development pattern

The positive correlation between urban population density and transit service patronage is well recognized, as was ascertained via statistical approaches in previous studies. In this study, the authors seek to derive some prescriptive results of the relationship between urban population density and the financial sustainability of rail transit service. They consider an idealized metropolitan region with a central business district (CBD) at its center, whose population is distributed according to a certain density gradient pattern. Trips generated from the region to the CBD are either served by the rail service supplemented with feeder buses, or by autos. The authors study the effect of urban development density on the financial sustainability of the rail service by examining the supply and demand patterns. The analysis result sheds light on the threshold urban density required to ensure financially sustainable rail transit service. The result also provides guidelines to policy makers for planning urban developments with financially sustainable rail services.

Language

  • English

Media Info

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 01597237
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Files: TRIS
  • Created Date: Apr 25 2016 2:07PM