Research on passenger travel path selection based on regional railway integration

As the concept of regional railway integration gradually applies to urban clusters in China, understanding passenger travel path selection models under these conditions can support the development of train operation plans. First, a regional railway integration network is constructed. An overall connectivity function for the integrated network is developed based on time coordination and transfer node connectivity. A generalized travel costs function is then created, considering factors such as time cost, economic cost, and network connectivity. Next, Yen's K-Shortest Paths algorithm is used to search for routes. Generalized travel costs and transfer count are used as criteria to filter valid paths. An improved Logit model calculates the probability of selecting different valid paths between two points in the regional railway integration network. This enables the analysis of passenger travel path selection strategies within the network. Finally, the model is validated using a section of the regional railway network in the Yangtze River Delta. The results show that passengers prefer routes with better time coordination and more transfer nodes. The path selection results are reasonable, and the passenger travel path selection model proves to be effective.