Analysis of Space-Time Variation of Passenger Flow and Commuting Characteristics of Residents Using Smart Card Data of Nanjing Metro

Wei Yu, Hua Bai, Jun Chen and Xingchen Yan
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Wei Yu: College of Automobile and Traffic Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
Hua Bai: China Design Group Co., Ltd., Nanjing 210014, China
Jun Chen: School of Transportation, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China
Xingchen Yan: College of Automobile and Traffic Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 18, 1-19

Abstract: The rapid development of cities has brought new challenges and opportunities to traditional traffic management. The usage of smart cards promotes the upgrading of intelligent transportation systems, and also produces considerable big data. As an important part of the urban comprehensive transportation system, Nanjing metro has more than 1 million inbound and outbound records of traffic smart cards used by residents every day. How to process these traffic data and present them visually is an urgent problem in modern traffic management. In this study, five working days with normal weather conditions in Nanjing were selected, and the swiping records of the smart cards were extracted, and the space–time characteristics were analyzed. In terms of time analysis, this research analyzed the 24-h fluctuation of daily average passenger flow, peak hour coefficient of passenger flow, 24-h fluctuation of passenger flow on different metro lines, passenger flow intensity on different metro lines and passenger flow comparison at different stations. In spatial analysis, this study uses thermodynamic charts to represent the inflow and outflow of passengers at different stations during early and evening peak periods. The analysis results and visualized images directly reflect the area where Nanjing metro congestion is located, and also shows the commuting characteristics of residents. It can solve the problem of urban congestion, carry out the rational layout of urban functional areas, and promote the sustainable development of people and cities.

Keywords: metro; passenger flow; space–time variation; commuting characteristics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (10)

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