Pruning algorithm for the least expected travel time path on stochastic and time-dependent networks

A. Arun Prakash

Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, 2018, vol. 108, issue C, 127-147

Abstract: This study addresses the problem of determining the path with the least expected travel time on stochastic and time-dependent networks. The Bellman’s optimality principle is not applicable to this problem —because of its non-linear objective function— making it difficult to solve. In this light, we propose a pruning-based algorithm that progressively determines subpaths from the source and eliminates those that are non-optimal. The algorithm uses a novel bi-level, bounds-based pruning criterion to determine whether subpath can belong to the optimal path. We show that the pruning criterion is valid and that the algorithm terminates with an exact solution. Computational experiments demonstrate that the algorithm can successfully solve the problem even on large real-world networks and that its practical computational complexity is polynomial. Finally, we show that the pruning algorithm outperforms the existing non-dominance based procedure by a factor proportional to the network size on medium-sized networks and more so on large-sized networks. This work has the potential to aid in a wider application of stochastic time-dependent networks for modeling and analysis.

Keywords: Stochastic time-dependent networks; Dynamic and random link travel times; Least expected travel time; Least expected cost; Subpath pruning; Time-dependent link travel time distributions (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (9)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0191261517305143
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:transb:v:108:y:2018:i:c:p:127-147

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/supportfaq.cws_home/regional
https://shop.elsevie ... _01_ooc_1&version=01

DOI: 10.1016/j.trb.2017.12.015

Access Statistics for this article

Transportation Research Part B: Methodological is currently edited by Fred Mannering

More articles in Transportation Research Part B: Methodological from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().