MATSim network
The road network and public transport pages describe how supply is built. This page describes what you end up with.
PT2MATSim produces the transport-supply files required to represent road and public transport services within MATSim.
The file set
| File | Represents | Produced by |
|---|---|---|
network.xml | The physical network, road and public transport | Road network conversion, or PT2MATSim |
vehicles.xml | Road vehicle type definitions | Road network conversion |
facilities.xml | Activity locations on the network | Road network conversion |
transitschedule.xml | Public transport services, mapped to the network | PT2MATSim |
transitVehicles.xml | Public transport vehicle definitions | PT2MATSim |
What each file contains
The network file
The network file contains the network topology, represented by nodes and links, together with attributes:
- Link length
- Free-flow or maximum speed
- Capacity
- Number of lanes
- Permitted transport modes
The transit schedule file
The transit schedule file describes public transport services in detail:
| Element | Description |
|---|---|
| Stops | Where services call |
| Transit lines | The named services |
| Routes | The variants each line operates |
| Stop sequences | The order stops are served in |
| Departures | When services run |
| Travel-time offsets | Time between stops along a route |
Crucially, each transit route is mapped onto the corresponding links in the MATSim network. This is the output of the Public Transit Mapper, and it is what makes buses share road space with cars in the simulation rather than gliding along an abstract line.
The transit vehicles file
The package can also generate a transit vehicles file containing public transport vehicle definitions and vehicle instances, including attributes such as:
- Vehicle type
- Passenger capacity
Optional for GTFS conversion
Generation of a default vehicle file is optional when converting from GTFS. If the feed does not carry vehicle detail, a default set can be produced, but it is not required for the conversion to succeed.
Passenger capacity matters where crowding is being modelled, so a default set may need replacing for such studies.
What the complete set enables
Together, these outputs provide a spatially and temporally explicit representation of transport supply.
Combined with MATSim population and activity-plan files from transport demand, they allow the simulation of:
| Outcome | What it reveals |
|---|---|
| Route choice | Which paths agents actually take |
| Public transport use | Mode shares and boarding patterns |
| Network loading | Where traffic concentrates |
| Congestion | Where and when capacity is exceeded |
| Person-level travel behaviour | How individuals adapt to conditions |
This is the handover point
Supply files plus demand files are exactly what the transport model consumes. Everything in this chapter and the previous one exists to produce these inputs.
An open list
As with transport demand, the handbook closes with a standing instruction:
Any other transport supply dataset or tool used or developed in DARe must be included as the one above.
New supply tools should therefore be documented here in the same form: what they convert, their inputs, their outputs, and where the data comes from.