Multilayer public transport networks

TL;DR

This paper reviews the use of multilayer network models in public transport research, highlighting their potential for more detailed analysis and proposing a future research agenda in this domain.

Contribution

It provides a systematic review, formalism, and taxonomy of multilayer network applications in public transport, and outlines a research agenda for future studies.

Findings

Multilayer networks better model complex public transport systems.

Literature on multilayer public transport networks is scattered and lacks standardization.

A research agenda for future multilayer public transport research is proposed.

Abstract

The introduction of network science approaches into public transport research has seen great advances in the past 15 years. However, it has become apparent that monolayer networks are often not sufficient to model and analyse real-world systems in sufficient detail. In the last decade, the theory of multilayer networks has proven to be an invaluable tool in various disciplines, including transport. Multilayer networks consist of layers of networks that are coupled among themselves. This enables modelling of complex systems with heterogeneous elements and relations between them. Although there is a body of work in public transport research that uses multilayer networks, the related literature is scattered, lacking unified terminology and agreed-upon approaches. We posit that there is vast uncovered potential in using multilayer network approaches to public transport modelling, planning, and operations. We first present the basic formalisms of multilayer networks with a focus on how they (may) relate to public transport networks. We then provide a systematic review of the literature on multilayer networks in public transport research. We identify and taxonomise ways in which public transport systems are modelled as multilayer networks. Based on the survey and drawing from the state and history of network science in public transport research as well as multilayer approaches across other application domains, we propose a research agenda for multilayer public transport networks for the upcoming decade(s).