A Transportation Network Efficiency Measure that Captures Flows, Behavior, and Costs With Applications to Network Component Importance Identification and Vulnerability

Abstract

In this paper, we propose a transportation network efficiency measure that can be used to assess the performance of a transportation network and which differs from other proposed measures, including complex network measures, in that it captures flows, costs, and travel behavior information, along with the topology. The new transportation network efficiency measure allows one to determine the criticality of various nodes (as well as links) as we demonstrate through a network component importance definition, which is well-defined even if the network becomes disconnected. Several illustrative transportation network examples are provided in which the efficiencies and importance of network components are explicitly computed, and their rankings tabulated.

This framework can be utilized to assess the vulnerability of network components in terms of their criticality to network efficiency/performance and to, ultimately, enhance security.

Keywords: transportation networks, efficiency measure, performance measure, vulnerability, critical network components, network equilibrium, critical infrastructure

JEL Classification: C61, C63, L91, R41, C68