Research on intracity OD patterns of rail and Bus Passengers in a second-tier city: A case study of Suzhou, China

摘要

Intracity travel has increased significantly in second-tier cities in China, accompanied by a large number of passenger arrivals, departures, and transfers in airports, railway stations and so on. This increased travel demand has placed a strain on the surrounding traffic of such external traffic hubs. Also, the original designs of connecting lines may not be appropriate for new travel needs. Therefore, a study of passenger intracity OD (origin and destination) patterns can reveal the influence on inner-city traffic and provide a basis for urban transport planning. This research examines the rail and bus passenger OD spatial-temporal patterns of a typical second-tier city (Suzhou) in China by utilizing the Getis-Ord Gi* statistic and other statistical analyses of taxi GPS data. The results indicated the following two different functions of transport in Suzhou: tourism transport and transit transfer to external transportation. Most passengers were distributed in places of interest and commercial districts within the central town, and some passengers were distributed in other external traffic hubs. In addition, Suzhou Park Railway Station and Suzhou New District Railway Station, which are located farther away from the central town, better served passengers located in the neighborhood and facilitated the dispersal of non-tourist passengers. Furthermore, while there are some connections between several Suzhou external traffic hubs, there are no metros or shuttle buses between some related stations, such as Suzhou South Bus Passenger Station and Suzhou Railway Station. We suggest opening connection lines between these two stations.