On Determining the Best Fleet Size of Innovative Rapid Transit Systems

It is widely recognized that Public Transport (PT) is capable of providing sustainable and cost-effective solutions to satisfy commuters’ mobility needs. However, most users still choose private transport modes due to the lack of flexibility and the high travel and waiting times characterizing PT. This paper addresses the problem of determining the best fleet size for a class of innovative Rapid Transit Systems (RTS) aimed at meeting passenger travel demand while, at the same time, minimizing their waiting times at PT stops through the provision of high-speed origin-destination connections without any intermediate stop. More in detail, this paper provides an optimization-based approach for the optimal resource assignment to the considered RTS operating with different headways and fulfilling a budget constraint. To test the capability of the proposed approach, a numerical example is also discussed.