Properties of Chinese railway passenger train service network

Quantitative analysising on the structural characteristics of the passenger train service network is of reference value to guidance to passenger railway network planning, train working program compilation and passenger transportation organization. The characteristics of the passenger train service network of China railways were analyzed from the spatial and temporal dimensions. The spatial characteristics of the passenger train service network were examined by applying the complex network theory. Firstly it was found that the network was a small-world and scale-free network and on average a passenger could start from one station and arrive at another station by about two times of transfer (2.07). And the weighted passenger train service network was studied. Secondly, the connecting characteristics of the passenger train service network were analyzed from the temporal dimension, showing that only a few stations had high connectivity. Finally, the impact of operation of some dedicated passenger lines on the existing China railway networks was investigated by applying the complex network theory.

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