The Multilayer Temporal Network of Public Transport in Great Britain

TL;DR

This paper constructs a comprehensive multilayer temporal network model of the UK public transport system by integrating diverse timetable data, enabling detailed analysis of multimodal connectivity at a national scale.

Contribution

It introduces a novel multilayer temporal network framework that combines various transport modes and provides accessible data formats for extensive analysis.

Findings

Integrated UK public transport data into a multilayer network

Explicitly modeled multimodal connections like airports and ferries

Provided datasets in accessible formats for further research

Abstract

Despite the widespread availability of information concerning Public Transport from different sources, it is extremely hard to have a complete picture, in particular at a national scale. Here, we integrate timetable data obtained from the United Kingdom open-data program together with timetables of domestic flights, and obtain a comprehensive snapshot of the temporal characteristics of the whole UK public transport system for a week in October 2010. In order to focus on the multi-modal aspects of the system, we use a coarse graining procedure and define explicitly the coupling between different transport modes such as connections at airports, ferry docks, rail, metro, coach and bus stations. The resulting weighted, directed, temporal and multilayer network is provided in simple, commonly used formats, ensuring easy accessibility and the possibility of a straightforward use of old or specifically developed methods on this new and extensive dataset.