Understanding Heterogeneous Passenger Route Choice in Municipal Rail Transit with Express and Local Trains: An Empirical Study in Shanghai

The express/local mode of municipal rail transit provides passengers with multiple alternatives to achieve more efficient and superior travel, in contrast to the conventional all-stop operation mode. However, the various route choices (including direct express trains, direct local trains, or transfers) covering different passenger groups pose a significant challenge to passenger flow assignment. To understand route choice behavior, it is crucial to measure the passenger heterogeneity (variability in individual and trip attributes) in order to propose targeted solutions for operation schemes and service planning. This paper proposes a hybrid model by integrating structural equation modeling and the mixed logit model under express/local mode to estimate the impact of passenger heterogeneity on route choice. An empirical study with revealed preference and stated preference surveys carried out in Shanghai revealed how individual and trip attributes quantitatively impact the sensitivity of factors in route choice. The results show that age and trip purpose are more significant factors. Compared to the control group, the probability of express trains is reduced by 10.22% for the elderly and by 11.36% for non-commuters. Our findings can provide support for more reasonable operation schemes and more targeted services.