Schedule-based dynamic assignment models for public transport networks

In the sphere of transit assignment, the dynamic models approach is the focus of increasing interest, because of the importance of explicit system simulations to know user flow for each run and the performance of different service networks in terms of times and comfort levels, and to enable user decisions to be evaluated if ITS is used. Urban transit systems are characterised not only by day-to-day dynamics but also within-day dynamics. Thus the evaluation process has to be represented by means of the two relative processes (within-day and day-to-day). This paper reports some extension and review on the framework of the approach proposed by Nuzzolo and Russo (1998) and generalized in Nuzzolo et al. (2001, 2002), with the study of the different aspects of path choice - on the demand side - and of operating services - on the supply side - in relation to the different assignment models that can be useful.