Collaborative optimization of passenger flow control and bus-bridging services in commuting metro lines

With the advantages of high speed and punctuality, urban rail transit has become the preferred choice for many commuters. However, overcrowding of urban rail transit lines during peak hours is a common problem in numerous cities owing to the excessive passenger demand. To address this problem, this study proposes an integrated optimization method that combines passenger flow control and bus-bridging services. An integer nonlinear optimization model is developed to minimize the weighted passenger waiting time and operating cost of bus-bridging services by considering the coupling relationships between passenger movements on both the metro and buses. Then, the proposed model is equivalently transformed into a linear form with better mathematical properties, and variants of this model are further formulated to extend the usability. Finally, real-world case studies based on the operational data from the Beijing Metro Batong line are conducted to verify the effectiveness of the proposed methods. The computational results indicate that the proposed approach can effectively alleviate overcrowding and reduce passengers' waiting time, thereby improving the operational efficiency and safety of the urban rail transit system.