On the line planning problems of the hub public-transportation networks

This paper deals with the problem of line planning that is often posed in the public-transportation planning process. Centred on the hub-based networks, two important phases of this process are treated: the determination of lines and the computation of their frequencies. These two phases are performed to minimize connection times, which is one of the main characteristics of service parameters. As a mathematical tool, we use generalized stochastic Petri nets, which allow performance to be evaluated. It is shown that the Petri net modelling is a powerful technique used to study public-transport systems to assist in the decision-making process. Examples are outlined to illustrate the results.