Design method using hybrid of line-type and circular-type routes for transit network system optimization

Transit network design is a very important problem. In particular, it has a great influence on passenger satisfaction with the whole transit network system. The present research proposes a simulated annealing (SA) method for optimizing a transit network design. In the algorithm, the strategy to search for neighborhood solutions provides the chance to find the best hybrid of line-type and circular-type routes. The proposed SA method is also compared with other methods. The results show that the proposed SA model is a good alternative for transit network design, particularly as it provides the scope to design hybrids of line-type and circular-type routes. Copyright Sociedad de Estadística e Investigación Operativa 2014