Public Transport (PT) plays a fundamental role in the transition towards more environmental and economic efficient transport, notably in urban areas where congestion and pollution are prevalent. Improving PT level of service and efficiency is, indeed, a priority in many urban agendas and funding programmes at both national and European Union levels. In this context, this thesis aims to develop a unified modelling framework to support, on the one hand, Public Transport Authorities (PTAs) in identifying areas for improvement and policies for PT service, and, on the other hand, Public Transport Operators (PTOs) in designing and efficiently managing service and infrastructure. Specifically, the research focuses on advanced simulation and analysis models for public transport systems. In light of the gaps identified in the literature, three specific objectives have been defined: (1) To test methods for benchmarking PT systems; (2) To develop a simulation modelling framework for the design and management of public transportation systems; (3) To validate the modelling approaches through application to realistic case studies. In relation to the first specific objective, econometric analyses were conducted to assess the performance of urban rail systems based on costs and revenues, but including also the influence of external factors (infrastructural and socio-economic) beyond the control of the firm’s management. This research area, still relatively underexplored in the literature compared to other sectors such as rail and road public transport, presents significant challenges particularly regarding the availability of economic data on operators and services. To address this limitation, two distinct analyses were conducted: the first one based solely on open data available (therefore easily transferable to other contexts), and the second one including also economic data collected from transport companies. Besides, an integrated macroscopic and microscopic modelling architecture was developed to support design and management of railway stations as multimodal and multiservice hubs. The proposed modelling approach has proven to be effective in providing solutions for sizing indoor and outdoor station spaces and services through an application to the case study of Milano Bovisa Politecnico railway station. The research findings provide contributions that are transferable not only to the specific areas analyzed but also to future and cross-sector studies in transportation systems. Moreover, the benchmarking methodologies and simulation models developed offer practical tools for decision-makers, supporting both high-level policy evaluation and local operational improvements, with the overall aim of enhancing service efficiency. Finally, the thesis concludes with a review of the main challenges related the implementation of real time modelling of PT systems and the application of the digital twin concept to the transport sector, with a specific focus on railway stations.
Il trasporto pubblico ricopre un ruolo fondamentale nella transizione verso una mobilità più efficiente dal punto di vista ambientale ed economico, in particolare nelle aree urbane, dove la congestione e l’inquinamento sono prevalenti. Migliorare il livello di servizio e l’efficienza del trasporto pubblico costituisce, infatti, una priorità per molte politiche urbane e programmi di finanziamento, sia a livello nazionale che europeo. In tale contesto, questa tesi si propone di sviluppare un approccio modellistico unificato per supportare, da un lato, le autorità di trasporto pubblico nell’identificare le aree di miglioramento e le politiche per il servizio di trasporto pubblico e, dall’altro, gli operatori dei servizi di trasporto nella progettazione e gestione efficiente del servizio e delle infrastrutture. In particolare, la ricerca si concentra su modelli avanzati di analisi e simulazione per i sistemi di trasporto pubblico, perseguendo tre obiettivi specifici: (1) testare metodi per il benchmarking dei sistemi di trasporto pubblico; (2) elaborare un quadro modellistico di simulazione per la progettazione e gestione dei servizi di trasporto pubblico; (3) validare gli approcci modellistici tramite applicazioni a casi di studio. Relativamente al primo obiettivo, sono state condotte analisi econometriche per valutare le performance dei sistemi ferroviari urbani sulla base di costi e ricavi, considerando anche l’influenza di fattori esterni (infrastrutturali e socio-economici) al di fuori del controllo del management dell’impresa di trasporto. Quest’area di ricerca, ancora relativamente poco esplorata nella letteratura rispetto ad altri settori, come il trasporto pubblico ferroviario e stradale, presenta sfide significative, in particolare per quanto riguarda la disponibilità di dati economici relativi agli operatori e ai servizi. Per superare questa limitazione, sono state condotte due analisi distinte: la prima basata esclusivamente su open data (quindi facilmente trasferibili ad altri contesti), la seconda integrata con anche i dati economici degli operatori. In seguito, è stata sviluppata un’architettura di modellazione integrata macroscopica e microscopica per supportare la progettazione e la gestione delle stazioni ferroviarie come hub multimodali e multiservizio. L’approccio modellistico proposto si è dimostrato efficace nel fornire soluzioni per dimensionare gli spazi e i servizi della stazione, sia interni che esterni, mediante l’applicazione al caso studio della stazione ferroviaria di Milano Bovisa Politecnico. I risultati della ricerca offrono contributi trasferibili non solo alle specifiche aree analizzate, ma anche a studi futuri e trasversali nei sistemi di trasporto. Inoltre, le metodologie di benchmarking e i modelli di simulazione sviluppati offrono strumenti pratici per i decisori, supportando sia la valutazione delle politiche a livello strategico che i miglioramenti operativi locali, entrambi finalizzati a migliorare l’efficienza del servizio. Infine, la tesi si conclude con una rassegna delle principali sfide relative all’implementazione della modellazione in tempo reale dei sistemi di trasporto pubblico e all’applicazione del concetto di gemello digitale nel settore dei trasporti, con un focus specifico sulle stazioni ferroviarie.
Environmental and economic efficiency of public transport networks
CASTAGNA, LUIGI
2024/2025
Abstract
Public Transport (PT) plays a fundamental role in the transition towards more environmental and economic efficient transport, notably in urban areas where congestion and pollution are prevalent. Improving PT level of service and efficiency is, indeed, a priority in many urban agendas and funding programmes at both national and European Union levels. In this context, this thesis aims to develop a unified modelling framework to support, on the one hand, Public Transport Authorities (PTAs) in identifying areas for improvement and policies for PT service, and, on the other hand, Public Transport Operators (PTOs) in designing and efficiently managing service and infrastructure. Specifically, the research focuses on advanced simulation and analysis models for public transport systems. In light of the gaps identified in the literature, three specific objectives have been defined: (1) To test methods for benchmarking PT systems; (2) To develop a simulation modelling framework for the design and management of public transportation systems; (3) To validate the modelling approaches through application to realistic case studies. In relation to the first specific objective, econometric analyses were conducted to assess the performance of urban rail systems based on costs and revenues, but including also the influence of external factors (infrastructural and socio-economic) beyond the control of the firm’s management. This research area, still relatively underexplored in the literature compared to other sectors such as rail and road public transport, presents significant challenges particularly regarding the availability of economic data on operators and services. To address this limitation, two distinct analyses were conducted: the first one based solely on open data available (therefore easily transferable to other contexts), and the second one including also economic data collected from transport companies. Besides, an integrated macroscopic and microscopic modelling architecture was developed to support design and management of railway stations as multimodal and multiservice hubs. The proposed modelling approach has proven to be effective in providing solutions for sizing indoor and outdoor station spaces and services through an application to the case study of Milano Bovisa Politecnico railway station. The research findings provide contributions that are transferable not only to the specific areas analyzed but also to future and cross-sector studies in transportation systems. Moreover, the benchmarking methodologies and simulation models developed offer practical tools for decision-makers, supporting both high-level policy evaluation and local operational improvements, with the overall aim of enhancing service efficiency. Finally, the thesis concludes with a review of the main challenges related the implementation of real time modelling of PT systems and the application of the digital twin concept to the transport sector, with a specific focus on railway stations.| File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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https://hdl.handle.net/10589/237297