In this study we have applied the tools of Social Network Analysis (SNA) to the road network of Kochi , in the backdrop of Kochi Metro Rail Project .The configuration of roads and bus terminals and their spatial connectivity properties have been studied to uncover the gaps and prevalent pain-areas in the existing scenario . .This visualization shows how the road transport system can be re-structured to act as an effective feeder mechanism for the metro rail transport system .
Problem Domain
Kochi is the first Tier-II city in India to be granted a metro under the Central Government's plan to allow cities having population of more than 20 lakhs to have a metro rail system . The construction of Kochi Metro Rail started in early 2013 and the first phase is expected to be completed by 2016 . When Kochi Metro starts operations, the traffic density along the bus routes leading to and in the neighbourhood of metro stations are expected to increase manifold and increased connectivity among these areas would ensure efficient utilization of the metro rail system . The existing transport system should be re-structured including routes/schedules of private and public transport services . The proposed Kochi Metro Rail network consists of 22 railway stations, beginning at Aluva station and ending at Petta station.
Methodology
Social network is represented by a mathematical graph, originally developed for analysis of social networks, were often applied in the study of real complex systems such as transportation networks . In applying the tools of social network analysis to the network of roads connecting the metro rail system, we concentrate mainly on the configuration of roads and bus terminals and their spatial connectivity properties Dynamic characters such as traffic intensity and scheduling are not considered in this work .
Visualization of Existing Road Network
Proposed Links
Based on the centrality measures we have ranked the bus terminals which will act as ‘feeders’ to the metro rail system . We found that the connectivity of few of the feeder bus stations is very low and should be improved .
The improved network maintains the same number of bus terminals but envisages a few more link roads than the existing network .
Visualization – Proposed Road Network
A comparison of the network characteristics of the existing network and the proposed network shows that the revised network satisfies the requirements of a small world . This is a significant improvement since in a road network which has the small world property, travelers have the option of passing from one station to another through fewer intermediate stations
Dramatic improvement in overall network characteristics:
- Clustering coefficient will be increased from 0.135 to 0.667
- Average distance will be reduced from 7.67 to 5.04
- Diameter will be reduced from 19 to 11
In this scenario, the feeder stations will have much more improved connectivity and the overall network will not have any isolated nodes
Application
This will help to eliminate future bottlenecks in the existing road network by supporting traffic density reduction and enhancing connectivity to metro stations
Conclusion
Results of the analysis show that restructuring of the public transport road network is required for efficient utilization of Kochi Metro Rail project . The proposed model for new public transport road network will increase the connectivity between the Kochi metro rail stations and feeder bus stations within the city .
Research Students
C. Prem Sankar , R. Vidyaraj, V. Midhun Raj
Department of Futures Studies, University of Kerala, Trivandrum
Research Guides
K. Satheesh Kumar, K. Asokan
Published In
Vidyaraj Raman, Prem Sankar C, Satheesh Kumar K, Asokan K and Midhun Raj V., Analysis of road networkof the buffer area of Kochi metro rail service using tools of social network analysis, International Conference on Information Science (ICIS 2014), Cochin, July 4-5, 2014.
Future Research
- GIS/Simulation tools can be applied for better visualization /optimization of traffic through Kochi Metro . Interested ones can contact us for more details
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