Optimizing AGT Applications Through Demand-Responsive Control Systems

摘要

The application of demand-responsive supervisory control systems is entering a new phase with the next generation of personal rapid transit and automated bus rapid transit systems expected to enter passenger service before too many more years. The off-line stations and the ability to operate vehicles that can travel directly from origin to destination stations introduce opportunities for operational strategies that involve completely new concepts for fleet operations on the supervisory control level. The new complexity required and the new flexibility offered by such control systems is addressed in this paper. The key measures of effectiveness commonly evaluated, those of passenger service level, capital cost, and O&M cost, are discussed in terms of optimized passenger wait time, fleet size and station size, and vehicle miles traveled. Finally, the potential benefits of applying demand-responsive supervisory control features to conventional automated guideway transit (AGT) systems is discussed and conclusions are drawn about the ultimate impact on the automated guideway transit industry.