Quantitative Method for Assessing the Quality of Intermodal/Interagency Connections and Service Integration at Suburban Rail Stations

Connections or transfers are an important part of public transport journeys. However, transfers can be an inconvenient part of a passenger’s journey compared with direct trips, especially when connecting between low-frequency routes such as commuter rail and suburban bus services. With long headways, a missed or badly timed connection can significantly lengthen one’s commute by up to a service’s headway. Transfer optimization has been considered and applied to varying degrees, but with most emphasis on station design and intra-agency timetable coordination rather than inter-agency timetable coordination. Most reliability metrics do not consider how connections are affected by delays on intersecting routes. In this paper, global best practices employed by railways and transport authorities to measure the performance of connections are reviewed. Regional public transport governance approaches supporting timetable coordination and service integration are also synthesized. A metric of connection convenience was developed inspired by the limited academic literature and best practices. The metric is then applied to evaluate the convenience and coordination of connections between GO Transit rail services and connecting bus services in Ontario, Canada, based on walking time between stops. This research is important for informing service integration policies seeking to improve multimodal and inter-agency connections. Agencies can use this metric along with transfer demand data to help prioritize services for improved scheduling such as application of timed transfer system pulsing and better interchange facilities.